Azalea Open Invitational
Tournament information | |
---|---|
Location | Wilmington, North Carolina |
Established | 1945 (Mobile, Alabama) |
Course(s) | Cape Fear Country Club |
Par | 71 |
Length | 6,575 yards (6,012 m)[1] |
Tour(s) | PGA Tour (1945, 1949–1970) |
Format | Stroke play - 72 holes |
Prize fund | $35,000 (1971) $60,000 (1970) |
Month played | November (1971) (primarily in early spring) |
Final year | 1971 |
Final champion | |
George Johnson | |
Location Map | |
Wilmington Location in United States |
The Azalea Open Invitational was a golf tournament in North Carolina on the PGA Tour, held at Cape Fear Country Club in Wilmington. Last played in November 1971 as an unofficial event;[1][2] it was an official PGA Tour event in 1945 and from 1949 through 1970. The Heritage in South Carolina debuted in 1969 and soon displaced it on the schedule.[3]
It was also played under the names of the Azalea Open and the Wilmington Azalea Open; all were centerpieces of the city's Azalea Festival. Cape Fear was designed by noted course architect Donald Ross.[3]
From 1950 through 1965, the Azalea Open was a tune-up event for the first major of the year, The Masters in Augusta, Georgia. Jerry Barber, the winner of the PGA Championship in 1961, won the Wilmington event three times (1953, 1961, 1963). Arnold Palmer won in 1957 and nearly repeated,[4] falling by a stroke in an 18-hole playoff in 1958; the difference was a penalty stroke he called on himself.[5][6]
Total prize money was initially $10,000, increasing to $12,500 in 1955 and $15,000 in 1958. It reduced to $12,000 in 1961 before increasing to $20,000 from 1962 to 1964. Prize money was $28,750 in 1965, $22,800 in 1966, $35,000 from 1967 to 1969 and $60,000 in 1970. The final non-tour event in 1971 had prize money of $35,000.
Tournament hosts[]
- 1949–1971 – Cape Fear Country Club, Wilmington, North Carolina
- 1945 – Mobile Country Club, Mobile, Alabama
Winners[]
Year | Date | Player | Country | Score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up | Winner's share ($) |
Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Azalea Open Invitational | |||||||||
1971 | Nov 21 | United States | 274 | −10 | Playoff | 7,000 | [1][2] | ||
1970 | Oct 4 | Cesar Sanudo | Mexico | 269 | −15 | 1 stroke | Bobby Mitchell | 12,000 | [7] |
1969 | Apr 20 | Dale Douglass | United States | 275 | −9 | 3 strokes | Larry Mowry Bob Stone Terry Wilcox |
5,000 | [8] |
1968 | Apr 21 | Steve Reid | United States | 271 | −13 | Playoff | Gary Player | 5,000 | [9] |
1967 | Apr 16 | Randy Glover | United States | 278 | −10 | Playoff | Joe Campbell | 5,000 | [10] |
1966 | Apr 17 | Bert Yancey | United States | 278 | −10 | 1 stroke | Bob Johnson | 3,200 | [11] |
1965 | Mar 28 | Dick Hart | United States | 276 | −12 | Playoff | Phil Rodgers | 3,850 | [12] |
Azalea Open | |||||||||
1964 | Mar 30 | Al Besselink | United States | 282 | −6 | 1 stroke | Lionel Hebert | 2,700 | [13] |
1963 | Mar 31 | Jerry Barber (3) | United States | 274 | −14 | 5 strokes | Larry Beck Bruce Crampton Doug Ford Billy Maxwell Jack Rule, Jr. |
2,800 | [14] |
1962 | Apr 1 | Dave Marr | United States | 281 | −7 | Playoff | Jerry Steelsmith | 2,800 | [15] |
1961 | Apr 2 | Jerry Barber (2) | United States | 213 | −3 | Playoff | Chandler Harper | 1,200 | [16] |
1960 | Apr 3 | Tom Nieporte | United States | 277 | −11 | 2 strokes | Gay Brewer | 2,000 | [17] |
1959 | Mar 30 | Art Wall Jr. | United States | 282 | −6 | 3 strokes | Mike Souchak | 2,000 | [18] |
1958 | Mar 31 | Howie Johnson | United States | 282 | −6 | Playoff | Arnold Palmer | 2,000 | [5][6] |
1957 | Mar 31 | Arnold Palmer | United States | 282 | −6 | 1 stroke | Dow Finsterwald | 1,700 | [4] |
1956 | Apr 1 | Mike Souchak | United States | 273 | −15 | 1 stroke | Dick Mayer | 2,200 | [19] |
1955 | Apr 3 | Billy Maxwell | United States | 270 | −18 | 1 stroke | Mike Souchak | 2,200 | [20] |
1954 | Mar 28 | Bob Toski | United States | 273 | −15 | 3 strokes | George Fazio | 2,000 | [21] |
1953 | Apr 5 | Jerry Barber (1) | United States | 276 | −12 | 1 stroke | Doug Ford Ted Kroll Johnny Palmer |
2,000 | [22] |
1952 | Mar 30 | Jimmy Clark | United States | 272 | −16 | 3 strokes | George Fazio Jim Turnesa |
2,000 | [23][24] |
Wilmington Azalea Open | |||||||||
1951 | Apr 1 | Lloyd Mangrum | United States | 281 | −7 | 1 stroke | Jim Ferrier Ed Furgol Jim Turnesa |
2,000 | [25][26] |
1950 | Apr 2 | Dutch Harrison | United States | 280 | −8 | 2 strokes | George Fazio | 2,000 | [27] |
Wilmington Open | |||||||||
1949 | Apr 24 | Henry Ransom | United States | 276 | −12 | 2 strokes | Fred Haas Bob Hamilton Bobby Locke Cary Middlecoff |
2,000 | [28][29] |
Azalea Open | |||||||||
1946 | Al Besselink | United States | (amateur; non-PGA Tour event)[citation needed] | ||||||
1945 | Nov 19 | Sam Byrd | United States | 283 | −5 | Playoff | Dutch Harrison | 2,000 | [30][31] |
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "George Johnson grabs Azalea golf tourney". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. (Florida). Associated Press. November 22, 1971. p. 31.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Collins, Corky (November 22, 1971). "Johnson wins Azalea in playoff". Wilmington Morning Star. (North Carolina). p. 1D.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Blondin, Alan (May 4, 2017). "Wilmington used to be home to star-studded PGA Tour event". PGA of America. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Palmer captures Azalea by stroke". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). Associated Press. April 1, 1957. p. 1C.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Johnson wins Azalea Open". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). Associated Press. April 1, 1958. p. 1C.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Howie Johnson takes Azalea; penalty helps". Chicago Daily Tribune. Associated Press. April 1, 1958. p. 3, sec. 3.
- ^ "Sanudo by one". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. (Florida). Associated Press. October 5, 1970.
- ^ "Douglass gets 1st win". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. April 21, 1969. p. 11.
- ^ "Reid wins Azalea Open in sudden-death final". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). Associated Press. April 22, 1968. p. 6C.
- ^ "Glover tops Campbell to take Azalea play". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. (Florida). Associated Press. April 17, 1967. p. 12.
- ^ "Azalea win goes to Yancey". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. (Florida). Associated Press. April 18, 1966. p. 12.
- ^ "Hart captures Azalea playoff from Rodgers". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. (Florida). Associated Press. March 29, 1965. p. 12.
- ^ "Triple bogey doesn't keep Al Besselink from victory". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (Florida). Associated Press. March 31, 1964. p. 8.
- ^ "Golf event win taken by Barber". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (Florida). Associated Press. April 1, 1963. p. 20.
- ^ "Playoff won by Dave Marr". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (Florida). Associated Press. April 2, 1962. p. 17.
- ^ "It's sudden-death...and Barber is killer". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). Associated Press. April 3, 1961. p. 1C.
- ^ "Tom Nieporte golf victor". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (Florida). Associated Press. April 4, 1960. p. 26.
- ^ "Azalea Open won by Wall; Souchak 2d". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. March 31, 1959. p. 2B.
- ^ "Souchak takes Azalea Open". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). Associated Press. April 2, 1956. p. 16.
- ^ "Billy Maxwell rallies to win Azalea golf". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). Associated Press. April 4, 1955. p. 19.
- ^ "Toski's 273 takes first place Azalea Open money". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). Associated Press. March 30, 1954. p. 14.
- ^ "Barber wins Azalea Open". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). United Press. April 6, 1953. p. 2B.
- ^ Williams, John (March 31, 1952). "Clark wins Azalea Open, breaks record with 272". Wilmington Morning Star. (North Carolina). p. 1.
- ^ "Clark cards 272 to take Azalea Open". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). Associated Press. March 31, 1952. p. 20.
- ^ "Mangrum wins Azalea tournament". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (Florida). Associated Press. April 2, 1951. p. 9.
- ^ "Lloyd Mangrum wins in Azalea". The Spokesman-Review. (Washington). Associated Press. April 2, 1951. p. 8.
- ^ "Dutch Harrison wins Azalea Open". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (Florida). Associated Press. April 3, 1950. p. 10.
- ^ "Henry Ransom Wins $10,000 Tourney". The Spokesman-Review. (Washington). Associated Press. April 25, 1949. p. 8.
- ^ "Wilmington Open taken by Ransom". Chicago Daily Tribune. Associated Press. April 25, 1949. p. 1, sec.4.
- ^ "Byrd, Harrison Finish in a Tie". The Spokesman-Review. (Washington). Associated Press. November 19, 1945. p. 9.
- ^ "Sam Byrd Cops Azalea Crown". The Spokesman-Review. (Washington). Associated Press. November 20, 1945. p. 8.
External links[]
Coordinates: 34°13′12″N 77°55′05″W / 34.22°N 77.918°W
- Former PGA Tour events
- Golf in North Carolina
- Recurring sporting events established in 1945
- Recurring sporting events disestablished in 1971
- 1945 establishments in Alabama
- 1971 disestablishments in North Carolina