Portland Open Invitational
Sam Snead won the inaugural event in 1944, and Ben Hogan won in 1945 by fourteen strokes, and also won the 1946 PGA Championship, then a match play event, held at the Portland Golf Club. The club also hosted the Ryder Cup in 1947; the U.S. team was captained by Hogan and won 11–1. Hogan was a runner-up in 1948, a stroke back in an 18-hole playoff.
The tournament was dominated by three-time winners Billy Casper (1959–61) and Jack Nicklaus (1962, 1964–65). Nicklaus' $3,500 win during his rookie season in 1962 concluded three weeks of victories; he took the massive winner's share of $50,000 in the exhibition World Series of Golf in Ohio, and then won his second tour title at the Seattle Open Invitational, which paid $4,300. Both Casper and Nicklaus won at both courses.
Bert Yancey won the last edition in 1966 and took only 102 putts. It stood as the tour's 72-hole record for fewest putts for over a decade, until Bob Menne had only 99 at the Tournament Players Championship in 1977, but tied for 47th.
Tournament hosts
Venue | Years |
---|---|
Portland Golf Club | 1944, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1959, 1960, 1964, 1965 |
Columbia Edgewater Country Club | 1961, 1962, 1963, 1966 |
Winners
Year | Winner | Score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up | Purse (US$) |
Winner's share ($) |
Ref. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Portland Open Invitational | |||||||||
1966 | Bert Yancey | 271 | −17 | 3 strokes | Billy Casper | 50,000 | 6,600 | ||
1965 | Jack Nicklaus (3) | 273 | −15 | 3 strokes | Dave Marr | 50,000 | 6,600 | ||
1964 | Jack Nicklaus (2) | 275 | −13 | 3 strokes | Ken Venturi | 40,000 | 5,800 | ||
1963 | George Knudson | 272 | −16 | Playoff | Mason Rudolph | 30,000 | 4,300 | ||
1962 | Jack Nicklaus | 269 | −19 | 1 stroke | George Bayer | 25,000 | 3,500 | ||
1961 | Billy Casper (3) | 273 | −15 | 1 stroke | Dave Hill | 25,000 | 3,500 | ||
1960 | Billy Casper (2) | 266 | −22 | 2 strokes | Paul Harney | 27,500 | 2,800 | ||
Portland Centennial Open Invitational | |||||||||
1959 | Billy Casper | 269 | −19 | 3 strokes | Bob Duden Dave Ragan |
20,000 | 2,800 | ||
Portland Open Invitational | |||||||||
1949–1958: No tournament | |||||||||
1948 | Fred Haas | 270 | −18 | Playoff | Ben Hogan (2nd) Johnny Palmer (3rd) |
15,000 | 2,450 | ||
1947 | Charles Congdon | 270 | −18 | 6 strokes | Clayton Heafner Herman Keiser Johnny Palmer George Payton |
10,000 | 2,000 | ||
1946: No tournament' | |||||||||
1945 | Ben Hogan | 261 | −27 | 14 strokes | Byron Nelson | 14,333 | 2,666 | ||
Portland Open | |||||||||
1944 | Sam Snead | 289 | +1 | 2 strokes | Mike Turnesa | 16,000 | 2,675 |
Playoffs
- 1948: 18-hole Monday playoff: Haas 70 (−2), Hogan 71 (−1), Palmer 75 (+3).
- 1963: Knudson chipped in for eagle on the first playoff hole, a par-5, for the win; Rudolph nearly matched it, but his bounced out.
See also
- WinCo Foods Portland Open, a current event on the Korn Ferry Tour
- Cambia Portland Classic, a current event on the LPGA Tour
References
- ^ Kurtz, Larry (September 16, 1966). "Casper, trio have margin in Portland". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 2B.
- ^ "Golf & Tournament History". Portland Golf Club. Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
- ^ Tradition finds new home, title sponsor Archived 2008-09-05 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Harvey, Paul III (October 5, 1959). "Billy Casper Open winner by 3 strokes". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. p. 2B.
- ^ Dunlap, John W. (November 27, 1945). "Sam Snead wins Portland Open". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). United Press. p. 8.
- ^ "Ben Hogan wins Open with new PGA record". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). United Press. August 26, 1946. p. 6.
- ^ "Hogan's record 261 wins Portland Open tournament". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. October 1, 1945. p. 9.
- ^ Strite, Dick (August 26, 1946). "Ben Hogan stages great comeback to take PGA title from Ed Oliver". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 2.
- ^ "Portland Open ends in tie". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. October 4, 1948. p. 11.
- ^ "Fred Haas tops Portland Open". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). United Press. October 5, 1948. p. 18.
- ^ "Casper beats out Hill for Oregon title". Chicago Daily Tribune. Associated Press. September 25, 1961. p. 3, sec. 4.
- ^ "Nicklaus overtakes Venturi to triumph". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 21, 1964. p. 4B.
- ^ "Jack wins; sets PGA loot record". Spokesman-Review. (Spokesman-Review). Associated Press. September 20, 1965. p. 11.
- ^ "Open won in Portland by Nicklaus". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). UPI. September 24, 1962. p. 2B.
- ^ "World Series won by Jack". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 10, 1962. p. 3B.
- ^ "Nicklaus wins $75,000 exhibition; Palmer fades". Chicago Daily Tribune. Associated Press. September 10, 1962. p. 1, sec. 4.
- ^ "Nicklaus wins Seattle Open". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 17, 1962. p. 3B.
- ^ "Nicklaus wins Seattle Open by 2 strokes". Chicago Daily Tribune. UPI. September 17, 1962. p. 4, sec. 4.
- ^ Wetzel, Frank (September 19, 1966). "Putts propel Bert Yancey to Open title". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. p. 3B.
- ^ Missildine, Harry (May 22, 1977). "Putting game? you want to bet?". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. D1.
- ^ "While leaders stumble, Mark Hayes eases home". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. March 21, 1977. p. 17.
- ^ "Knudson winner of Portland Open". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 23, 1963. p. 6B.
- ^ "Casper cops first place at Portland". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. September 26, 1960. p. 11.
- ^ Strite, Dick (August 18, 1947). "Washington golfer garners Open". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 5.