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]
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
| 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
St. Petersburg Open Invitational
- 1964 Bruce Devlin
- 1963 Raymond Floyd
- 1962 Bobby Nichols
- 1961 Bob Goalby
- 1960 George Bayer
- 1959 Cary Middlecoff
St. Petersburg Open
- 1958 Arnold Palmer
- 1957 Pete Cooper
- 1956 Mike Fetchick
- 1955 Cary Middlecoff
- 1954 No tournament
- 1953 E.J. "Dutch" Harrison
- 1952 Jack Burke, Jr.
- 1951 Jim Ferrier
- 1950 Jack Burke, Jr.
- 1949 Pete Cooper
- 1948 Lawson Little
- 1947 Jimmy Demaret
- 1946 Ben Hogan
- 1943–45 No tournament due to World War II
- 1942 Sam Snead
- 1941 Sam Snead
- 1940 Jimmy Demaret
- 1939 Sam Snead
- 1938 Johnny Revolta
- 1937 Harry Cooper
- 1936 Leonard Dodson
- 1935 No tournament – area hosted Florida West Coast Open that season (winner: Willie Macfarlane)
- 1934 Paul Runyan
- 1933 Bob Stupple
- 1932 Willie Macfarlane
- 1931 No tournament
- 1930 Jock Collins
References
- ^ a b c d "St. Petersburg Open left legacy". St. Petersburg Times. October 15, 2000. Retrieved 2007-11-05.
- ^ "St. Petersburg Country Club Our Golf Course". St. Petersburg Country Club. Retrieved 2014-09-23.
- ^ Goalby cards 8 consecutive birdies to win at St. Pete
- ^ Most Consecutive Birdies in a PGA Tour Tournament
- ^ "USGA History:1951–1970". Archived from the original on 2007-12-20. Retrieved 2007-11-05.