Milwaukee Open Invitational
The Milwaukee Open Invitational was a professional golf tournament in Wisconsin on the PGA Tour. It was played seven times from 1955 through 1961 at different courses in the Milwaukee area.
During its final year, Arnold Palmer skipped the tournament to prepare for the British Open,[3] which he won. The field at North Hills Country Club in Menomonee Falls did include 21-year-old Jack Nicklaus of Ohio State,[1] already a veteran of eight majors and the reigning NCAA champion, he won his second U.S. Amateur a month later.[4] The purse was $30,000 and Bruce Crampton won by a stroke; his winner's share was $4,300.[2] Nicklaus was three strokes back at 275 (−5), tied for sixth.
Two won the event twice, both at different courses: Cary Middlecoff (1955, 1958) and Ken Venturi (1957, 1960).
Miller Brewing Company was the title sponsor for the first five editions; the tournament was initiated in 1955 with a five-year agreement, part of the company's centennial celebration.[5][6]
Venues
The tournament was played at three courses in the Milwaukee area:
Venue | City | Events | Years | Coordinates |
---|---|---|---|---|
Blue Mound Country Club | Wauwatosa | 1 | 1955 | 43°04′05″N 88°02′28″W / 43.068°N 88.041°W / 43.068; -88.041 |
Tripoli Country Club | Milwaukee | 4 | 1956–1959 | 43°09′11″N 87°58′01″W / 43.153°N 87.967°W / 43.153; -87.967 |
North Hills Country Club | Menomonee Falls | 2 | 1960–1961 | 43°09′04″N 88°04′37″W / 43.151°N 88.077°W / 43.151; -88.077 |
Blue Mound hosted the PGA Championship in 1933. The PGA Tour returned in 1968 with the Greater Milwaukee Open, which was played for 42 years, through 2009; it was played twice at Tripoli (1971, 1972).
Winners
Year | Winner | Score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Milwaukee Open Invitational | |||||
1961 | Bruce Crampton | 272 | −8 | 1 stroke | Gay Brewer Bob Goalby |
1960 | Ken Venturi (2) | 271 | −9 | 2 strokes | Billy Casper |
Miller Open Invitational | |||||
1959 | Gene Littler | 265 | −15 | 1 stroke | Bob Rosburg Bo Wininger |
1958 | Cary Middlecoff (2) | 264 | −16 | 2 strokes | Bob Rosburg |
Miller High Life Open | |||||
1957 | Ken Venturi | 267 | −13 | 5 strokes | Al Balding Sam Snead |
1956 | Ed Furgol | 265 | −15 | 4 strokes | Gene Littler |
1955 | Cary Middlecoff | 265 | −15 | 4 strokes | Julius Boros Ted Kroll Mike Souchak |
See also
Other former PGA Tour events in Milwaukee
- Greater Milwaukee Open, 1968–2009
- Blue Ribbon Open, 1951
- Milwaukee Open, 1940
References
- ^ a b "Massengale, Hawkins knotted". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. July 21, 1961. p. 2B.
- ^ a b "Aussie wins Milwaukee with 272". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. (Florida). Associated Press. July 24, 1961. p. 9.
- ^ "Palmer bypasses Milwaukee event". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. (Florida). Associated Press. July 19, 1961. p. 7.
- ^ "Nicklaus-Nicklaus set to compete in Milwaukee Open". Ocala Star-Banner. (Florida). Associated Press. September 11, 1985. p. 4C.
- ^ "Miller to quit Open golf meet". Milwaukee Sentinel. September 23, 1959. p. 2 part 2.
- ^ "Miller Open golf tourney dropped by brewery". Milwaukee Journal. September 23, 1959. p. 17, part 2.
External links
- North Hills Country Club – 1960–61 host
- Tripoli Country Club – 1956–59 host
- Blue Mound Golf and Country Club – 1955 host
- v
- t
- e
- 500 Festival Open Invitation
- Agua Caliente Open
- Alameda County Open
- Alcan Open
- All American Open
- Almaden Open
- American Golf Classic
- Ardmore Open
- Arlington Hotel Open
- Atlanta Classic
- Azalea Open Invitational
- Bahamas National Open
- Bakersfield Open Invitational
- Baton Rouge Open Invitational
- B.C. Open
- Beaumont Open Invitational
- Bellevue Country Club Open
- Blue Ribbon Open
- Buick Open
- Cajun Classic Open Invitational
- California State Open
- Carling World Open
- Cavalcade Of Golf
- Chattanooga Classic
- Chicago Open
- CIMB Classic
- CJ Cup
- Cleveland Open
- Colgate Hall of Fame Classic
- Connecticut Open
- Coral Gables Open Invitational
- Coral Springs Open Invitational
- Dallas Open
- Danny Thomas-Diplomat Classic
- Dapper Dan Open
- Dell Technologies Championship
- Denver Open Invitational
- De Soto Open Invitational
- Doral Open
- Dow Jones Open Invitational
- Durham Open
- Eastern Open Invitational
- El Paso Open
- Empire State Open
- Esmeralda Open
- Fig Garden Village Open Invitational
- Florida Open
- Fort Wayne Open
- Frank Sinatra Open Invitational
- Gasparilla Open
- Ginn sur Mer Classic
- Glens Falls Open
- Golden Gate Championship
- Goodall Palm Beach Round Robin
- Greater Jacksonville Open
- Greater Milwaukee Open
- Greater St. Louis Golf Classic
- Greater Vancouver Open
- Greenbrier Classic
- Gulfport Open
- Haig Open Invitational
- Hale America National Open Golf Tournament
- Hershey Open
- Hesperia Open Invitational
- Houston Open
- Indian Ridge Hospital Open Invitational
- The International
- Inverness Invitational Four-Ball
- IVB-Philadelphia Golf Classic
- Kansas City Open Invitational
- Kemper Open
- Kentucky Derby Open
- Knoxville Invitational
- La Gorce Open
- Labatt Open
- Liggett & Myers Open
- Long Beach Open
- Long Island Open
- Lucky International Open
- Maryland Open
- Massachusetts Open
- Mayakoba Golf Classic
- Mayfair Inn Open
- Memphis Invitational
- Metropolitan Open
- Metropolitan PGA Championship
- Miami Beach Open
- Miami International Four-Ball
- Miami Open
- Michelob Championship
- Michigan Golf Classic
- Milwaukee Open
- Milwaukee Open Invitational
- Mobile Sertoma Open Invitational
- Motor City Open
- Mountain View Open
- Nashville Invitational
- Nassau Bahamas Open
- Nassau Open
- The National
- National Airlines Open Invitational
- National Celebrities Open
- National Team Championship
- NEC World Series of Golf
- New England Classic
- New Jersey PGA Championship
- New Jersey State Open
- New York State Open
- North and South Open
- Northern California Open
- Oakland Open
- Ohio Kings Island Open
- Ohio Open
- Oklahoma City Open Invitational
- Oklahoma Open
- Ontario Open
- Orange County Open Invitational
- Oregon Open
- Orlando Open
- Palmetto Championship
- Pasadena Open
- Pennsylvania Classic
- Pennsylvania Open Championship
- Pensacola Open
- Pepsi Championship
- Philadelphia Daily News Open
- Philadelphia Inquirer Open
- Philadelphia Open Championship
- Portland Open Invitational
- Reading Open
- Rebel Yell Open
- Rio Grande Valley Open
- Robinson Open
- Rubber City Open Invitational
- Sacramento Open
- Sahara Invitational
- St. Jude Classic
- St. Paul Open Invitational
- St. Petersburg Open Invitational
- Seattle Open Invitational
- Shawnee Open
- Sioux City Open
- Southern Open
- Southern (Spring) Open
- Southwest Golf Classic
- Sunset-Camellia Open Invitational
- Sunshine Open Invitational
- Tacoma Open Invitational
- Tallahassee Open
- Thomasville Open
- Thunderbird Classic
- Thunderbird Invitational
- Tournament of the Gardens Open
- Tucson Open
- Turning Stone Resort Championship
- U.S. Professional Match Play Championship
- Utah Open
- Virginia Beach Open
- Virginia Open
- Waco Turner Open
- Walt Disney World Golf Classic
- West End Classic
- West Palm Beach Open Invitational
- Westchester Open
- Western Open
- WGC Championship
- WGC Match Play
- WGC-HSBC Champions
- WGC Invitational
- White Sulphur Springs Open
- Wisconsin State Open
- Workday Charity Open
- World Championship of Golf
- Yorba Linda Open Invitational
43°09′04″N 88°04′37″W / 43.151°N 88.077°W / 43.151; -88.077