St. Petersburg Open Invitational

The St. Petersburg Open Invitational, first played as the St. Petersburg Open, was a PGA Tour event that was held at three St. Petersburg, Florida area clubs for 29 years from 1930 until 1964.[1] The clubs that hosted the event were: Lakewood Country Club (now known as St. Petersburg Country Club),[2] Pasadena Country Club (now known as Pasadena Yacht and Country Club), and Sunset Golf Club of the Vinoy Park Hotel (now known as the Renaissance Vinoy Resort & Golf Club).[1]

St. Petersburg Open Invitational
Tournament information
LocationSt. Petersburg, Florida
Established1930
Course(s)Lakewood Country Club
Par72
Tour(s)PGA Tour
FormatStroke play
Prize fundUS$25,000
Month playedMarch
Final year1964
Tournament record score
Aggregate261 Bob Goalby (1961)
To par−23 as above
Final champion
Australia Bruce Devlin
Location map
Lakewood Country Club is located in the United States
Lakewood Country Club
Lakewood Country Club
Location in the United States
Lakewood Country Club is located in Florida
Lakewood Country Club
Lakewood Country Club
Location in Florida

Bob Goalby won[3] the 1961 event after making eight consecutive birdies in the final round, a PGA Tour record at the time. Other golfers tied Goalby's mark but nobody surpassed it till 2009.[4] In 1963, Raymond Floyd won the event at 20 years 6 months of age becoming the youngest player to win a PGA Tour event since 1928.[1][5]

Bruce Devlin, an Australian golfer who had recently moved to the United States, won the first of his eight PGA Tour titles at the last one in 1964. The tournament succumbed to financial pressure when the St. Petersburg City Council voted to postpone a decision on sponsorship of the 1965 event, and then Jacksonville announced the resumption of the Jacksonville Open during week the tournament was to be held.[1]

Tournament hosts

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Course Years
Lakewood Country Club 1930 (co-host), 1933 (co-host), 1936 (co-host), 1938, 1940, 1942, 1948, 1952, 1955–56, 1959–60, 1962–64
Jungle Country Club 1930 (co-host)
Pasadena Country Club 1932, 1933 (co-host), 1934, 1936 (co-host), 1937, 1939, 1941, 1947, 1949–51, 1953, 1957–58, 1961
Sunset Golf Club at Vinoy Park 1946

Winners

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Year Winner Score To par Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up Winner's
share ($)
St. Petersburg Open Invitational
1964   Bruce Devlin 272 −16 4 strokes   Dan Sikes 3,300
1963   Raymond Floyd 274 −14 1 stroke   Dave Marr 3,500
1962   Bobby Nichols 272 −16 2 strokes   Frank Boynton 2,800
1961   Bob Goalby 261 −23 3 strokes   Ted Kroll 2,800
1960   George Bayer 282 −6 Playoff   Jack Fleck 2,000
1959   Cary Middlecoff (2) 275 −13 3 strokes   Pete Cooper 2,000
1958   Arnold Palmer 276 −8 1 stroke   Dow Finsterwald
  Fred Hawkins
2,000
St. Petersburg Open
1957   Pete Cooper 269 −15 4 strokes   Jack Burke Jr. 1,700
1956   Mike Fetchick 275 −13 Playoff   Lionel Hebert 2,200
1955   Cary Middlecoff 274 −14 2 strokes   Jay Hebert 2,200
1954: No tournament
1953   Dutch Harrison 266 −18 1 stroke   Chick Harbert
  Dick Mayer
2,000
1952   Jack Burke Jr. (2) 266 −22 8 strokes   Al Besselink 2,000
1951   Jim Ferrier 268 −16 6 strokes   Al Brosch 2,000
1950   Jack Burke Jr. 272 −12 1 stroke   Chick Harbert 2,000
1949   Pete Cooper 275 −9 1 stroke   Cary Middlecoff 2,000
1948   Lawson Little 272 −16 3 strokes   Bobby Locke 2,000
1947   Jimmy Demaret (2) 280 −4 3 strokes   Jim Ferrier 2,000
1946   Ben Hogan 269 −15 5 strokes   Sam Snead 2,000
1943–1945: No tournament due to World War II
1942   Sam Snead (3) 286 −2 3 strokes   Sam Byrd
  Chick Harbert
  Byron Nelson
1,000
1941   Sam Snead (2) 279 −5 2 strokes   Herman Barron
  Chick Harbert
  Ben Hogan
  Jug McSpaden
1,200
1940   Jimmy Demaret 211 −2 1 stroke   Byron Nelson 700
1939   Sam Snead 207 −9 Playoff   Henry Picard 700
1938   Johnny Revolta 282 −2 Playoff   Chandler Harper 700
1937   Harry Cooper 284 −4 Playoff   Ralph Guldahl
  Horton Smith
700
1936   Leonard Dodson 283 −3 Playoff   Harry Cooper 500
1935: No tournament
1934   Paul Runyan 141 −3 3 strokes   Bill Mehlhorn 200
1933   Bob Stupple 144 +1 1 stroke   Denny Shute
  Al Watrous
275
1932   Willie Macfarlane 209 −7 1 stroke   Dave Hackney 500
1931: No tournament
1930   Jock Collins 141 +1 1 stroke   Horton Smith
  Frank Walsh
1,000

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "St. Petersburg Open left legacy". St. Petersburg Times. October 15, 2000. Retrieved 2007-11-05.
  2. ^ "St. Petersburg Country Club Our Golf Course". St. Petersburg Country Club. Retrieved 2014-09-23.
  3. ^ Goalby cards 8 consecutive birdies to win at St. Pete
  4. ^ Most Consecutive Birdies in a PGA Tour Tournament
  5. ^ "USGA History:1951–1970". Archived from the original on 2007-12-20. Retrieved 2007-11-05.