Seattle Open Invitational

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Seattle Open Invitational
Tournament information
LocationSeattle metro area,
Washington, U.S.
Established1936, 1945, 1961
Course(s)Broadmoor Golf Club
Inglewood Golf Club
Everett Golf & Country Club
Tour(s)PGA Tour
FormatStroke play
Prize fund$50,000
Month playedSeptember
Final year1966
Final champion
United States Homero Blancas
Seattle is located in the United States
Seattle
Seattle
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Location in the United States
Seattle is located in Washington (state)
Seattle
Seattle
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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.

The first Seattle Open was held 86 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.

Tournament sites[]

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
1965, 1963, 1936^ Inglewood Golf Club 72 Kenmore 47°45′00″N 122°15′18″W / 47.75°N 122.255°W / 47.75; -122.255
1964, 1962, 1961, 1945 Broadmoor Golf Club 70 Seattle 47°38′24″N 122°17′31″W / 47.64°N 122.292°W / 47.64; -122.292

^ par 73 in 1936

Winners[]

Year Date Winner Country Score To par Margin
of victory		 Runner(s)-up Winner's
share ($)		 Purse ($) Notes
Greater Seattle-Everett Classic
1966 Sep 25 Homero Blancas  United States 266 −18 1 stroke United States Jacky Cupit 6,600 50,000 [12]
Greater Seattle Open Invitational
1965 Sep 26 Gay Brewer  United States 279 −9 Playoff United States Doug Sanders 6,600 45,000 [14]
1964 Sep 27 Billy Casper  United States 265 −15 2 strokes United States Mason Rudolph 5,800 40,000 [15]
Seattle Open Invitational
1963 Sep 15 Bobby Nichols  United States 272 −16 2 strokes United States Raymond Floyd
Canada Stan Leonard		 5,300 35,000 [16]
Seattle World's Fair Open Invitational
1962 Sep 16 Jack Nicklaus  United States 265 −15 2 strokes United States Tony Lema 4,300 30,000 [7][8]
Greater Seattle Open Invitational
1961 Sep 17 Dave Marr  United States 265 −15 Playoff United States Jacky Cupit
United States Bob Rosburg		 3,500 25,000 [6]
Seattle Open
1945 Oct 14 Byron Nelson  United States 259 −21 13 strokes United States Harry Givan (a)
United States Jug McSpaden		 2,000 10,250 [4][5]
1936 Aug 3 Macdonald Smith  Scotland
 United States		 285 −7 Playoff United States Ralph Guldahl 1,200 5,000 [1][2][3]

(a) = Amateur

Playoffs[]

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

References[]

  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.

External links[]

Coordinates: 47°38′24″N 122°17′31″W / 47.64°N 122.292°W / 47.64; -122.292

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