Seattle Open Invitational

The Seattle Open Invitational was a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour in the northwest United States, in the greater Seattle area. It was played eight times over three decades under five names at three locations.

Greater Seattle-Everett Classic

Tournament information
Location	Everett, Washington
Established	1936
Course(s)	Everett Golf & Country Club
Par	71
Tour(s)	PGA Tour
Format	Stroke play
Prize fund	US$50,000
Month played	September
Final year	1966
Final champion
Homero Blancas
Location map
Everett G&CC Location in the United States Show map of the United States Everett G&CC Location in Washington Show map of Washington (state)

History

The first Seattle Open was held 89 years ago in 1936 at Inglewood Golf Club in Kenmore in early August. Macdonald Smith won an 18-hole playoff with a course record 65 (–8), six strokes ahead of runner-up Ralph Guldahl,^[1][2][3] who won the next two U.S Opens (1937, 1938) and the Masters in 1939. The next Seattle Open was played nine years later in October 1945 at Broadmoor Golf Club in Seattle and won by Byron Nelson, with a world record 259 (–21) and a victory margin of 13 strokes.^[4][5] He won a record eighteen tournaments in 1945, including eleven consecutive.

Sixteen years later, the tour returned to Seattle in 1961 at Broadmoor in mid-September with the Greater Seattle Open Invitational. Dave Marr won in a sudden-death playoff, over Bob Rosburg and Jacky Cupit; Marr shot a final round 63 (–7) and birdied the first extra hole to win.^[6] In 1962, it was renamed the Seattle World's Fair Open Invitational as part of the region's celebration of the 1962 Seattle World's Fair. The victor by two strokes was a 22-year-old rookie from Ohio named Jack Nicklaus.^[7][8] It was his second tour win and first non-major, following a playoff victory over Arnold Palmer in June at the U.S. Open at Oakmont. Nicklaus had won $50,000 in the exhibition World Series of Golf the week before,^[9][10] and won in Portland the following week for his third tour title.^[11]

The last event in 1966, the Greater Seattle-Everett Classic, was held at the Everett Golf & Country Club. It was won by Homero Blancas, one stroke ahead of Cupit, a two-time runner-up.^[12][13]

Inglewood later hosted the GTE Northwest Classic on the Senior PGA Tour, from 1987 through 1995.

Venues

Years	Course	Par	Location	Coordinates
1966	Everett Golf & Country Club	71	Everett	47.947°N 122.21°W / 47.947; -122.21
1936,[a] 1963, 1965	Inglewood Golf Club	72	Kenmore	47.75°N 122.255°W / 47.75; -122.255
1945, 1961, 1962, 1964	Broadmoor Golf Club	70	Seattle	47.64°N 122.292°W / 47.64; -122.292

Winners

Year	Winner	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up	Purse (US$)	Winner's share ($)	Ref.
Greater Seattle-Everett Classic
1966	Homero Blancas	266	−18	1 stroke	Jacky Cupit	50,000	6,600	[12]
Greater Seattle Open Invitational
1965	Gay Brewer	279	−9	Playoff	Doug Sanders	45,000	6,600	[14]
1964	Billy Casper	265	−15	2 strokes	Mason Rudolph	40,000	5,800	[15]
Seattle Open Invitational
1963	Bobby Nichols	272	−16	2 strokes	Raymond Floyd Stan Leonard	35,000	5,300	[16]
Seattle World's Fair Open Invitational
1962	Jack Nicklaus	265	−15	2 strokes	Tony Lema	30,000	4,300	[7][8]
Greater Seattle Open Invitational
1961	Dave Marr	265	−15	Playoff	Jacky Cupit Bob Rosburg	25,000	3,500	[6]
Seattle Open
1946–1960: No tournament
1945	Byron Nelson	259	−21	13 strokes	Harry Givan (a) Jug McSpaden	10,250	2,000	[4][5]
1937–1944: No tournament
1936	Macdonald Smith	285	−7	Playoff	Ralph Guldahl	5,000	1,200	[1][2][3]

Playoffs

• 1936: 18-hole playoff, Smith 65 (–8), Guldahl 71 (–2).^[1][2][3]
• 1961: Marr sank a 3-foot (0.9 m) birdie putt on the first playoff hole, a par-5, for the win.^[6]
• 1965: Brewer had a tap-in par on the first playoff hole, a par-4, and Sanders bogeyed.^[14]

Notes

1. Par 73 in 1936.