Seattle Open Invitational

Last updated
Greater Seattle-Everett Classic
Tournament information
Location Everett, Washington
Established1936
Course(s)Everett Golf & Country Club
Par71
Tour(s) PGA Tour
Format Stroke play
Prize fund US$50,000
Month playedSeptember
Final year1966
Final champion
Flag of the United States.svg Homero Blancas
Location map
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Icona golf.svg
Everett G&CC
Location in the United States
USA Washington relief location map.jpg
Icona golf.svg
Everett G&CC
Location in Washington

The Seattle Open Invitational was a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour in the northwest United States, in the greater Seattle area. It was played eight times over three decades under five names at three locations.

Contents

History

The first Seattle Open was held 88 years ago in 1936 at Inglewood Golf Club in Kenmore in early August. Macdonald Smith won an 18-hole playoff with a course record 65 (–8), six strokes ahead of runner-up Ralph Guldahl, [1] [2] [3] who won the next two U.S Opens (1937, 1938) and the Masters in 1939. The next Seattle Open was played nine years later in October 1945 at Broadmoor Golf Club in Seattle and won by Byron Nelson, with a world record 259 (–21) and a victory margin of 13 strokes. [4] [5] He won a record eighteen tournaments in 1945, including eleven consecutive.

Sixteen years later, the tour returned to Seattle in 1961 at Broadmoor in mid-September with the Greater Seattle Open Invitational. Dave Marr won in a sudden-death playoff, over Bob Rosburg and Jacky Cupit; Marr shot a final round 63 (–7) and birdied the first extra hole to win. [6] In 1962, it was renamed the Seattle World's Fair Open Invitational as part of the region's celebration of the 1962 Seattle World's Fair. The victor by two strokes was a 22-year-old rookie from Ohio named Jack Nicklaus. [7] [8] It was his second tour win and first non-major, following a playoff victory over Arnold Palmer in June at the U.S. Open at Oakmont. Nicklaus had won $50,000 in the exhibition World Series of Golf the week before, [9] [10] and won in Portland the following week for his third tour title. [11]

The last event in 1966, the Greater Seattle-Everett Classic, was held at the Everett Golf & Country Club. It was won by Homero Blancas, one stroke ahead of Cupit, a two-time runner-up. [12] [13]

Inglewood later hosted the GTE Northwest Classic on the Senior PGA Tour, from 1987 through 1995.

Venues

YearsCourseParLocationCoordinates
1966Everett Golf & Country Club71 Everett 47°56′49″N122°12′36″W / 47.947°N 122.21°W / 47.947; -122.21
1936, [lower-alpha 1] 1963, 1965Inglewood Golf Club72 Kenmore 47°45′00″N122°15′18″W / 47.75°N 122.255°W / 47.75; -122.255
1945, 1961, 1962, 1964 Broadmoor Golf Club 70 Seattle 47°38′24″N122°17′31″W / 47.64°N 122.292°W / 47.64; -122.292

Winners

YearWinnerScoreTo parMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-upPurse
(US$)
Winner's
share ($)
Ref.
Greater Seattle-Everett Classic
1966 Flag of the United States.svg Homero Blancas 266−181 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Jacky Cupit 50,0006,600 [12]
Greater Seattle Open Invitational
1965 Flag of the United States.svg Gay Brewer 279−9Playoff Flag of the United States.svg Doug Sanders 45,0006,600 [14]
1964 Flag of the United States.svg Billy Casper 265−152 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Mason Rudolph 40,0005,800 [15]
Seattle Open Invitational
1963 Flag of the United States.svg Bobby Nichols 272−162 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Raymond Floyd
Canadian Red Ensign (1957-1965).svg Stan Leonard
35,0005,300 [16]
Seattle World's Fair Open Invitational
1962 Flag of the United States.svg Jack Nicklaus 265−152 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Tony Lema 30,0004,300 [7] [8]
Greater Seattle Open Invitational
1961 Flag of the United States.svg Dave Marr 265−15Playoff Flag of the United States.svg Jacky Cupit
Flag of the United States.svg Bob Rosburg
25,0003,500 [6]
Seattle Open
1946–1960: No tournament
1945 Flag of the United States.svg Byron Nelson 259−2113 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Harry Givan (a)
Flag of the United States.svg Jug McSpaden
10,2502,000 [4] [5]
1937–1944: No tournament
1936 Flag of Scotland.svg Macdonald Smith 285−7Playoff Flag of the United States.svg Ralph Guldahl 5,0001,200 [1] [2] [3]

Playoffs

Notes

  1. Par 73 in 1936.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Guldahl and Smith on extra eighteen". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. August 3, 1936. p. 6.
  2. 1 2 3 "Mac Smith has great golf day". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. August 4, 1936. p. 12.
  3. 1 2 3 "Macdonald Smith wins Seattle golf tourney". Chicago Daily Tribune. Associated Press. August 4, 1936. p. 22.
  4. 1 2 "Nelson posts world's record in winning Seattle Open". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. October 15, 1961. p. 2.
  5. 1 2 "Nelson's 259 at Seattle breaks world record". Chicago Daily Tribune. Associated Press. October 15, 1945. p. 22.
  6. 1 2 3 "Marr victor in golf playoff". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 18, 1961. p. 3B.
  7. 1 2 "Nicklaus wins Seattle Open". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 17, 1962. p. 3B.
  8. 1 2 "Nicklaus wins Seattle Open by 2 strokes". Chicago Daily Tribune. UPI. September 17, 1962. p. 4, sec. 4.
  9. "World Series won by Jack". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 10, 1962. p. 3B.
  10. "Nicklaus wins $75,000 exhibition; Palmer fades". Chicago Daily Tribune. Associated Press. September 10, 1962. p. 1, sec. 4.
  11. "Open won in Portland by Nicklaus". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). UPI. September 24, 1961. p. 2B.
  12. 1 2 "Blancas tops Cupit for title". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 26, 1966. p. 4B.
  13. Paul Nyhan (August 21, 2002). "Tour History in Washington". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2009-05-12.
  14. 1 2 "Brewer wins Seattle Open". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. September 27, 1965. p. 11.
  15. "Casper wins Seattle Open; Rudolph 2nd". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 28, 1963. p. 4B.
  16. "Seattle Open win taken by Nichols". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 16, 1963. p. 4B.

47°38′24″N122°17′31″W / 47.64°N 122.292°W / 47.64; -122.292