| Fred Meyer Challenge | |
| Location: | Portland metropolitan area |
| Establishment: | 1986 |
| Course: | Portland Golf Club (1986–91) The Oregon Golf Club (1992–97) The Reserve (1998–2002) |
| Format: | Best ball |
| Purse: | $180,000 |
| Final Year: | 2002 |
| Final Champion: | Brian Henninger and Scott McCarron |
The Fred Meyer Challenge was a charity golf tournament played in the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon. Held from 1986 to 2002, it was organized by Portland native and PGA Tour golfer Peter Jacobsen and sponsored by the then-locally owned hypermarket chain Fred Meyer.[1] [2] [3] The field included active and retired PGA Tour players. It was always played as a two-man team best ball event. In its inaugural year, it was played as in a match play format, with four teams competing. For the rest of its tenure, it was played in a stroke play format, with 8 to 12 teams competing.
From 1986 to 1997, the winning team split a $100,000 first prize. In 1998, this increased to $150,000 and in 2000 to $180,000. In the tournament's heyday, many high-profile golfers participated, and attendance neared 40,000 fans.[4] After Fred Meyer was acquired by Kroger, it discontinued sponsorship of the event and the tournament was also discontinued.[3] [5]
After the end of the Challenge, Jacobsen brought The Tradition, a PGA Tour Champions event, to Oregon starting in 2003. It was played at The Reserve from 2003-2006 before moving to the Crosswater Club in Sunriver, Oregon through 2010.[6]
In 2011, Jacobsen's company Peter Jacobsen Sports revived the challenge-style exhibition tournament with the Umpqua Bank Challenge, which drew 15,000 to the Portland Golf Club for the 2011 tournament and 10,000 spectators to the 2012 edition at The Reserve.[5] [6] In October 2012, Jacobsen announced that the 2012 edition of the tournament may have been the last one, as both attendance and sponsorship had fallen short of expectations.[6]
| Years | Venue | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986–1991 | Portland, Oregon | ||
| 1992–1997 | The Oregon Golf Club | West Linn, Oregon | |
| 1998–2002 | Aloha, Oregon |
| Year | Winners | Score | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 122 (−22) | [7] | ||
| 2001 | 120 (−24) | [8] | ||
| 2000 | 125 (−19) | [9] | ||
| 1999 | 122 (−22) | [10] | ||
| 1998 | 126 (−18) | [11] | ||
| 1997 | 123 (−19) | [12] | ||
| 1996 | 124 (−18) | [13] | ||
| 1995 | 129 (−13) | [14] | ||
| 1994 | 125 (−17) | [15] | ||
| 1993 | 126 (−16) | [16] | ||
| 1992 | 128 (−16) | [17] | ||
| 1991 | 125 (−19) | [18] | ||
| 1990 | 122 (−22) | [19] | ||
| 1989 | 125 (−19) | [20] | ||
| 1988 | 125 (−19) | [21] | ||
| 1987 | 127 (−17) | [22] | ||
| 1986 | Tie | [23] |
1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001
1986, 1995, 1996, 1997
1992, 1999, 2001
1988, 1991
1994, 2000
1994, 2000