Seattle Open Invitational

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.

Greater Seattle-Everett Classic
Tournament information
LocationEverett, Washington
Established1936
Course(s)Everett Golf & Country Club
Par71
Tour(s)PGA Tour
FormatStroke play
Prize fundUS$50,000
Month playedSeptember
Final year1966
Final champion
United States Homero Blancas
Location map
Everett G&CC is located in the United States
Everett G&CC
Everett G&CC
Location in the United States
Everett G&CC is located in Washington (state)
Everett G&CC
Everett G&CC
Location in Washington

History

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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

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Years Course Par Location Coordinates
1966 Everett Golf & Country Club 71 Everett 47°56′49″N 122°12′36″W / 47.947°N 122.21°W / 47.947; -122.21
1936,[a] 1963, 1965 Inglewood Golf Club 72 Kenmore 47°45′00″N 122°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″N 122°17′31″W / 47.64°N 122.292°W / 47.64; -122.292

Winners

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Year Winner Score To par Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up Purse
(US$)
Winner's
share ($)
Ref.
Greater Seattle-Everett Classic
1966   Homero Blancas 266 −18 1 stroke   Jacky Cupit 50,000 6,600 [12]
Greater Seattle Open Invitational
1965   Gay Brewer 279 −9 Playoff   Doug Sanders 45,000 6,600 [14]
1964   Billy Casper 265 −15 2 strokes   Mason Rudolph 40,000 5,800 [15]
Seattle Open Invitational
1963   Bobby Nichols 272 −16 2 strokes   Raymond Floyd
  Stan Leonard
35,000 5,300 [16]
Seattle World's Fair Open Invitational
1962   Jack Nicklaus 265 −15 2 strokes   Tony Lema 30,000 4,300 [7][8]
Greater Seattle Open Invitational
1961   Dave Marr 265 −15 Playoff   Jacky Cupit
  Bob Rosburg
25,000 3,500 [6]
Seattle Open
1946–1960: No tournament
1945   Byron Nelson 259 −21 13 strokes   Harry Givan (a)
  Jug McSpaden
10,250 2,000 [4][5]
1937–1944: No tournament
1936   Macdonald Smith 285 −7 Playoff   Ralph Guldahl 5,000 1,200 [1][2][3]

Playoffs

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  • 1936: 18-hole playoff, Smith 65 (–8), Guldahl 71 (–2).[1][2][3]
  • 1961: Marr sank a 3-foot (0.9 m) birdie putt on the first playoff hole, a par-5, for the win.[6]
  • 1965: Brewer had a tap-in par on the first playoff hole, a par-4, and Sanders bogeyed.[14]

Notes

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  1. ^ Par 73 in 1936.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Guldahl and Smith on extra eighteen". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. August 3, 1936. p. 6.
  2. ^ a b c "Mac Smith has great golf day". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. August 4, 1936. p. 12.
  3. ^ a b c "Macdonald Smith wins Seattle golf tourney". Chicago Daily Tribune. Associated Press. August 4, 1936. p. 22.
  4. ^ a b "Nelson posts world's record in winning Seattle Open". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. October 15, 1961. p. 2.
  5. ^ a b "Nelson's 259 at Seattle breaks world record". Chicago Daily Tribune. Associated Press. October 15, 1945. p. 22.
  6. ^ a b c "Marr victor in golf playoff". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 18, 1961. p. 3B.
  7. ^ a b "Nicklaus wins Seattle Open". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 17, 1962. p. 3B.
  8. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "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.
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47°38′24″N 122°17′31″W / 47.64°N 122.292°W / 47.64; -122.292