The West Palm Beach Open Invitational, first played as The West Palm Beach Open, was a PGA Tour event in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was held at the West Palm Beach Country Club,[1] now known as the West Palm Beach Golf Course, an 18-hole, par-72 championship course established in 1921 and in its present location in the southwestern corner of West Palm Beach, Florida since 1947.[2]
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | West Palm Beach, Florida |
| Established | 1954 |
| Course(s) | West Palm Beach Country Club |
| Par | 71 |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | US$20,000 |
| Month played | November/December |
| Final year | 1972 |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 269 Pete Cooper (1958) |
| To par | −19 as above |
| Final champion | |
 Wilf Homenuik | |
| Location map | |
  West Palm Beach CC Location in the United States  West Palm Beach CC Location in Florida | |
The West Palm Beach Open was founded in 1954 as a 54-hole event with prize money of $2,000. Prize money increased to $5,000 in 1955 and $10,000 in 1956 and 1957. The 1957 event was run by the PGA.[3] From 1958 to 1962 the tournament was a 72-hole PGA Tour event with prize money of $15,000 from 1958 to 1960 and $20,000 in 1961 and 1962. From 1963 the event returned to being a local event. The 1963 tournament was over 54 holes with a first prize of $500.
Winners
edit| Year | Tour[a] | Winner | Score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up | Winner's share ($) |
Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Palm Beach Open | ||||||||
| 1972 | Wilf Homenuik |
 |
[4] | |||||
| 1964–1971: No tournament | ||||||||
| 1963 |  Jim McCoy |
|
||||||
| West Palm Beach Open Invitational | ||||||||
| 1962 | PGAT | Dave Ragan |
277 | −11 | Playoff | Doug Sanders |
2,800 | [5] |
| 1961 | PGAT | Gay Brewer |
274 | −14 | 4 strokes | Arnold Palmer |
2,800 | [6] |
| 1960 | PGAT | Johnny Pott |
278 | −10 | 3 strokes | Sam Snead |
2,000 | [7] |
| 1959 | PGAT | Arnold Palmer |
281 | −7 | Playoff | Gay Brewer Pete Cooper |
2,000 | [8] |
| 1958 | PGAT | Pete Cooper |
269 | −19 | Playoff | Wes Ellis |
2,000 | [9] |
| 1957 | PGAT |  Al Balding |
209 | −7 | 1 stroke | Dow Finsterwald Bert Weaver |
1,200 | [10] |
| West Palm Beach Open | ||||||||
| 1956 | Gardner Dickinson |
|
||||||
| 1955 | Al Besselink |
|
||||||
| 1954 | Lloyd Wadkins |
|
||||||
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ "Tournament history from Arnold Palmer's official site". Retrieved 2007-11-22.
- ^ "West Palm Beach Golf Course". Retrieved May 12, 2020.
- ^ Husky, Bob (15 September 1957). "Off the fairway". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. p. 26. Retrieved 11 May 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Golf Canada Hall of Fame: Wilf Homenuik". Retrieved May 12, 2020.
- ^ "Ragan Wins In Playoff Against Doug Sanders". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Sarasota, Florida. AP. December 3, 1962. p. 19.
- ^ "Gay Brewer in Tourney Win on 274". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. AP. December 4, 1961. p. 9.
- ^ "Pott Takes Pot As Sam Blows Up". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Daytona Beach, Florida. AP. December 5, 1960. p. 12.
- ^ "Palmer Wins Palm Beach on Play-Off". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. AP. November 30, 1959. p. 12.
- ^ "Cooper Wins At WPB In Playoff". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Daytona Beach, Florida. AP. November 24, 1958. p. 10.
- ^ "Balding Gets Win At WPB With 209". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Daytona Beach, Florida. AP. November 25, 1957. p. 6.
 | This article on an American golf tournament is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
  | This article related to sports in Florida is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |