Azalea Open Invitational

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]

Azalea Open Invitational
Tournament information
LocationWilmington, North Carolina
Established1945
Course(s)Cape Fear Country Club
Par71
Length6,575 yards (6,012 m)[1]
Tour(s)PGA Tour
FormatStroke play
Prize fundUS$35,000
Month playedNovember
Final year1971
Tournament record score
Aggregate270 Billy Maxwell (1955)
To par−18 as above
Final champion
United States George Johnson
Location Map
Cape Fear Country Club is located in the United States
Cape Fear Country Club
Cape Fear Country Club
Location in the United States
Cape Fear Country Club is located in North Carolina
Cape Fear Country Club
Cape Fear Country Club
Location in North Carolina

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
YearTour[lower-alpha 1]WinnerScoreTo parMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-upWinner's
share ($)		Ref.
Azalea Open Invitational
1971United States George Johnson274−10PlayoffUnited States Ralph Johnston7,000[1][2]
1970PGATMexico Cesar Sanudo269−151 strokeUnited States Bobby Mitchell12,000[7]
1969PGATUnited States Dale Douglass275−93 strokesUnited States Jim Langley
United States Larry Mowry
United States Bob Stone
United States Terry Wilcox		5,000[8]
1968PGATUnited States Steve Reid271−13PlayoffSouth Africa Gary Player5,000[9]
1967PGATUnited States Randy Glover278−10PlayoffUnited States Joe Campbell5,000[10]
1966PGATUnited States Bert Yancey278−101 strokeUnited States Bob Johnson3,200[11]
1965PGATUnited States Dick Hart276−12PlayoffUnited States Phil Rodgers3,850[12]
Azalea Open
1964PGATUnited States Al Besselink (2)282−61 strokeUnited States Lionel Hebert2,700[13]
1963PGATUnited States Jerry Barber (3)274−145 strokesUnited States Larry Beck
Australia Bruce Crampton
United States Doug Ford
United States Billy Maxwell
United States Jack Rule Jr.		2,800[14]
1962PGATUnited States Dave Marr281−7PlayoffUnited States Jerry Steelsmith2,800[15]
1961PGATUnited States Jerry Barber (2)213−3PlayoffUnited States Chandler Harper1,200[16]
1960PGATUnited States Tom Nieporte277−112 strokesUnited States Gay Brewer2,000[17]
1959PGATUnited States Art Wall Jr.282−63 strokesUnited States Mike Souchak2,000[18]
1958PGATUnited States Howie Johnson282−6PlayoffUnited States Arnold Palmer2,000[5][6]
1957PGATUnited States Arnold Palmer282−61 strokeUnited States Dow Finsterwald1,700[4]
1956PGATUnited States Mike Souchak273−151 strokeUnited States Dick Mayer2,200[19]
1955PGATUnited States Billy Maxwell270−181 strokeUnited States Mike Souchak2,200[20]
1954PGATUnited States Bob Toski273−153 strokesUnited States George Fazio2,000[21]
1953PGATUnited States Jerry Barber276−121 strokeUnited States Doug Ford
United States Ted Kroll
United States Johnny Palmer		2,000[22]
1952PGATUnited States Jimmy Clark272−163 strokesUnited States George Fazio
United States Jim Turnesa		2,000[23][24]
Wilmington Azalea Open
1951PGATUnited States Lloyd Mangrum281−71 strokeAustralia Jim Ferrier
United States Ed Furgol
United States Jim Turnesa		2,000[25][26]
1950PGATUnited States Dutch Harrison280−82 strokesUnited States George Fazio2,000[27]
Wilmington Open
1949PGATUnited States Henry Ransom276−122 strokesUnited States Fred Haas
United States Bob Hamilton
South Africa Bobby Locke
United States Cary Middlecoff		2,000[28][29]
Azalea Open
1946United States Al Besselink (a)
1945PGATUnited States Sammy Byrd283−5PlayoffUnited States Dutch Harrison2,000[30][31]

Notes
  1. PGAT − PGA Tour.

References
  1. "George Johnson grabs Azalea golf tourney". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. (Florida). Associated Press. November 22, 1971. p. 31.
  2. Collins, Corky (November 22, 1971). "Johnson wins Azalea in playoff". Wilmington Morning Star. (North Carolina). p. 1D.
  3. Blondin, Alan (May 4, 2017). "Wilmington used to be home to star-studded PGA Tour event". PGA of America. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  4. "Palmer captures Azalea by stroke". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). Associated Press. April 1, 1957. p. 1C.
  5. "Johnson wins Azalea Open". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). Associated Press. April 1, 1958. p. 1C.
  6. "Howie Johnson takes Azalea; penalty helps". Chicago Daily Tribune. Associated Press. April 1, 1958. p. 3, sec. 3.
  7. "Sanudo by one". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. (Florida). Associated Press. October 5, 1970.
  8. "Douglass gets 1st win". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. April 21, 1969. p. 11.
  9. "Reid wins Azalea Open in sudden-death final". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). Associated Press. April 22, 1968. p. 6C.
  10. "Glover tops Campbell to take Azalea play". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. (Florida). Associated Press. April 17, 1967. p. 12.
  11. "Azalea win goes to Yancey". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. (Florida). Associated Press. April 18, 1966. p. 12.
  12. "Hart captures Azalea playoff from Rodgers". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. (Florida). Associated Press. March 29, 1965. p. 12.
  13. "Triple bogey doesn't keep Al Besselink from victory". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (Florida). Associated Press. March 31, 1964. p. 8.
  14. "Golf event win taken by Barber". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (Florida). Associated Press. April 1, 1963. p. 20.
  15. "Playoff won by Dave Marr". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (Florida). Associated Press. April 2, 1962. p. 17.
  16. "It's sudden-death...and Barber is killer". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). Associated Press. April 3, 1961. p. 1C.
  17. "Tom Nieporte golf victor". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (Florida). Associated Press. April 4, 1960. p. 26.
  18. "Azalea Open won by Wall; Souchak 2d". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. March 31, 1959. p. 2B.
  19. "Souchak takes Azalea Open". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). Associated Press. April 2, 1956. p. 16.
  20. "Billy Maxwell rallies to win Azalea golf". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). Associated Press. April 4, 1955. p. 19.
  21. "Toski's 273 takes first place Azalea Open money". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). Associated Press. March 30, 1954. p. 14.
  22. "Barber wins Azalea Open". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). United Press. April 6, 1953. p. 2B.
  23. Williams, John (March 31, 1952). "Clark wins Azalea Open, breaks record with 272". Wilmington Morning Star. (North Carolina). p. 1.
  24. "Clark cards 272 to take Azalea Open". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). Associated Press. March 31, 1952. p. 20.
  25. "Mangrum wins Azalea tournament". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (Florida). Associated Press. April 2, 1951. p. 9.
  26. "Lloyd Mangrum wins in Azalea". The Spokesman-Review. (Washington). Associated Press. April 2, 1951. p. 8.
  27. "Dutch Harrison wins Azalea Open". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (Florida). Associated Press. April 3, 1950. p. 10.
  28. "Henry Ransom Wins $10,000 Tourney". The Spokesman-Review. (Washington). Associated Press. April 25, 1949. p. 8.
  29. "Wilmington Open taken by Ransom". Chicago Daily Tribune. Associated Press. April 25, 1949. p. 1, sec.4.
  30. "Byrd, Harrison Finish in a Tie". The Spokesman-Review. (Washington). Associated Press. November 19, 1945. p. 9.
  31. "Sam Byrd Cops Azalea Crown". The Spokesman-Review. (Washington). Associated Press. November 20, 1945. p. 8.

34.22°N 77.918°W / 34.22; -77.918

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