Greater Jacksonville Open

The Greater Jacksonville Open was a PGA Tour event that was played from 1945 until 1976.

"Jacksonville Open" redirects here. For the Nationwide Tour event, see Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open. For the LPGA Tour event, see Jacksonville Ladies Open.
Greater Jacksonville Open
Tournament information
LocationLauderhill, Florida
Established1945
Course(s)Inverrary Country Club
Par72
Tour(s)PGA Tour
FormatStroke play
Prize fundUS$175,000
Month playedMarch
Final year1976
Tournament record score
Aggregate264 Sam Snead (1946)
To par−24 as above
Final champion
United States Hubert Green
Location Map
Inverrary CC is located in the United States
Inverrary CC
Inverrary CC
Location in the United States
Inverrary CC is located in Florida
Inverrary CC
Inverrary CC
Location in Florida

Shortly after World War II, the Jacksonville Open began play as a PGA Tour event in Jacksonville, Florida at the Hyde Park Golf Club until it was discontinued in the mid-1950s. In the mid-1960s, the PGA Tour came to town again. This time the event was initially named the Jacksonville Open again and changed for the 1968 event to the Jacksonville Open Invitational. The name was changed to the Greater Jacksonville Open for the 1969 event.

The Greater Jacksonville Open was discontinued after the 1976 tournament when the PGA Tour decided to relocate The Players Championship to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The PGA Tour had been looking for some time for a permanent home for the marquee event which has professional golf's highest prize fund and is sometimes referred to as the "fifth major". The Players Championship had been played at the Atlanta Country Club in Marietta, Georgia in 1974, the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth in 1975 and at the Inverrary Country Club in Ft. Lauderdale in 1976. The Greater Jacksonville Open laid the groundwork and provided much of the infrastructure for the modern Players Championship, which was first played in Ponte Vedra Beach in 1977.[1]

Tournament highlights
  • 1947: During his third round, Ben Hogan scores eleven on the par-3 6th hole.[2]
  • 1952: At the end of regulation play, Doug Ford and Sam Snead were tied for the lead. An 18-hole playoff was scheduled for the next day but rather than play, Snead forfeited. The forfeit stemmed from a ruling Snead received during the tournament's second round of play. On the 10th hole, Snead's drive landed behind an out of bounds stake. While Chick Harbert who was playing with Snead thought the ball was out of bounds,[3] a rules official ruled differently due to the starter not telling players the stakes had been moved since the previous day's play had ended. Afterwards Snead explained why he forfeited even though Ford suggested they play sudden death for the title. "I want to be fair about it. I don't want anyone to think I took advantage of the ruling."[4]
  • 1965: Bert Weaver wins the first modern version of the tournament. He finishes one shot ahead of Bruce Devlin, Jack Nicklaus, Bob Charles, and Dave Marr.[5]
  • 1966: Jack Nicklaus makes a double eagle[6] on the tournament's final hole but can finish no better than tied for eighth. Doug Sanders is the winner by one shot over Gay Brewer.[7]
  • 1967: Jacksonville native Dan Sikes wins by one shot over Bill Collins.[8]
  • 1968: Tony Jacklin becomes the first English golfer to win on the PGA Tour. He finishes two shots ahead of DeWitt Weaver, Chi-Chi Rodríguez, Doug Sanders, and Don January.[9]
  • 1972: Tony Jacklin takes home his second Jacksonville title via a sudden death playoff win over John Jacobs.[10] No Englishman would win a PGA Tour event on US soil again till Nick Faldo triumphed at the 1983 Sea Pines Heritage.[11]
  • 1975: Larry Ziegler shoots a final round 65 to win by two shots over Mike Morley and Mac McLendon.[12]
  • 1976: Hubert Green wins the last edition of the tournament. He finishes two shots ahead of Miller Barber.[13]

Winners
YearWinnerScoreTo parMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
Greater Jacksonville Open
1976United States Hubert Green (2)276−122 strokesUnited States Miller Barber
1975United States Larry Ziegler276−122 strokesUnited States Mac McLendon
United States Mike Morley
1974United States Hubert Green276−123 strokesUnited States John Mahaffey
1973United States Jim Colbert279−91 strokeUnited States Lou Graham
United States Johnny Miller
United States Dan Sikes
United States Jim Wiechers
1972England Tony Jacklin (2)283−5PlayoffUnited States John Jacobs
1971South Africa Gary Player281−7PlayoffUnited States Hal Underwood
1970United States Don January279−9PlayoffUnited States Dale Douglass
1969United States Raymond Floyd278−10PlayoffUnited States Gardner Dickinson
Jacksonville Open Invitational
1968England Tony Jacklin273−152 strokesUnited States Gardner Dickinson
United States Don January
United States Chi-Chi Rodríguez
United States Doug Sanders
United States DeWitt Weaver
Jacksonville Open
1967United States Dan Sikes279−91 strokeUnited States Bill Collins
1966United States Doug Sanders273−151 strokeUnited States Gay Brewer
1965United States Bert Weaver285−31 strokeNew Zealand Bob Charles
Australia Bruce Devlin
United States Dave Marr
United States Jack Nicklaus
1954–1964: No tournament
1953United States Lew Worsham272−161 strokeAustralia Jim Ferrier
1952United States Doug Ford280−8PlayoffUnited States Sam Snead
1951Australia Jim Ferrier272−1611 strokesUnited States Lloyd Mangrum
United States Jack Shields
1950United States Cary Middlecoff (2)279−92 strokesUnited States George Fazio
1949United States Cary Middlecoff274−102 strokesUnited States Jerry Barber
1948United States Chick Harbert284−41 strokeUnited States Skip Alexander
United States Vic Ghezzi
1947United States Clayton Heafner281−3PlayoffUnited States Lew Worsham
1946United States Sam Snead (2)264−244 strokesUnited States Jimmy Demaret
1945United States Sam Snead266−224 strokesUnited States Bob Hamilton

References
  1. Kerr, Jessie-Lynne (July 20, 2007). "Montgomery championed pro golf in area". The Times-Union. Retrieved 2007-11-04.
  2. Ward, Andrew (1999). Golf's Strangest Rounds. London: Robson Books. p. 146. ISBN 1861051840.
  3. Ford gets first major golf win
  4. "Sam Snead Forfeits First in Jacksonville Open". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. March 25, 1952. p. 12 – via Google News.
  5. Bert Weaver wins Jacksonville Open golf tournament
  6. Big Jack gets double eagle; First of career
  7. Doug Sanders wins $82,000 Jacksonville Open golf tourney
  8. Hometown hero Dan Sikes takes Jacksonville Open
  9. Cool Tony Jacklin wins Jacksonville
  10. Tony Jacklin is winner in Jacksonville
  11. Faldo rises to Kite's challenge to win
  12. Ziegler takes Jacksonville
  13. Hubert Green captures another tourney win
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