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

The first Seattle Open was held 87 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 Club71Everett47.947°N 122.21°W / 47.947; -122.21
1936,[lower-alpha 1] 1963, 1965Inglewood Golf Club72Kenmore47.75°N 122.255°W / 47.75; -122.255
1945, 1961, 1962, 1964Broadmoor Golf Club70Seattle47.64°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
1966United States Homero Blancas266−181 strokeUnited States Jacky Cupit50,0006,600[12]
Greater Seattle Open Invitational
1965United States Gay Brewer279−9PlayoffUnited States Doug Sanders45,0006,600[14]
1964United States Billy Casper265−152 strokesUnited States Mason Rudolph40,0005,800[15]
Seattle Open Invitational
1963United States Bobby Nichols272−162 strokesUnited States Raymond Floyd
Canada Stan Leonard		35,0005,300[16]
Seattle World's Fair Open Invitational
1962United States Jack Nicklaus265−152 strokesUnited States Tony Lema30,0004,300[7][8]
Greater Seattle Open Invitational
1961United States Dave Marr265−15PlayoffUnited States Jacky Cupit
United States Bob Rosburg		25,0003,500[6]
Seattle Open
1946–1960: No tournament
1945United States Byron Nelson259−2113 strokesUnited States Harry Givan (a)
United States Jug McSpaden		10,2502,000[4][5]
1937–1944: No tournament
1936Scotland Macdonald Smith285−7PlayoffUnited States Ralph Guldahl5,0001,200[1][2][3]

Playoffs
  • 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
  1. Par 73 in 1936.

References
  1. "Guldahl and Smith on extra eighteen". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. August 3, 1936. p. 6.
  2. "Mac Smith has great golf day". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. August 4, 1936. p. 12.
  3. "Macdonald Smith wins Seattle golf tourney". Chicago Daily Tribune. Associated Press. August 4, 1936. p. 22.
  4. "Nelson posts world's record in winning Seattle Open". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. October 15, 1961. p. 2.
  5. "Nelson's 259 at Seattle breaks world record". Chicago Daily Tribune. Associated Press. October 15, 1945. p. 22.
  6. "Marr victor in golf playoff". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 18, 1961. p. 3B.
  7. "Nicklaus wins Seattle Open". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 17, 1962. p. 3B.
  8. "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. "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. "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.

47.64°N 122.292°W / 47.64; -122.292

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