Buick Open Explained

Buick Open
Location:Grand Blanc, Michigan
Establishment:1958
Course:Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club
Par:72
Yardage:7085yd
Tour:PGA Tour
Format:Stroke play
Month Played:July/August
Final Year:2009
Aggregate:262 Robert Wrenn (1987)
To-Par:−26 as above
Final Champion: Tiger Woods
Coordinates:42.901°N -83.599°W
Map:United States#USA Michigan
Map Label:Warwick Hills G&CC
Map Relief:yes
Map Size:200px

The Buick Open was a PGA Tour golf tournament from 1958 to 2009. In 2007, the tournament was held at the end of June, a change from its traditional spot between The Open Championship and the PGA Championship. Regardless, many prominent players used it as a "tune-up" for the subsequent major.

For the event's first decade, the Buick Open Invitational was played at Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club in Grand Blanc, Michigan. After 1969, professional golf events in the area fell off the PGA Tour schedule and a series of pro-ams and other similarly unofficial events took place, mostly at Flint Golf Club in Flint, Michigan.

Flint native, and PGA touring professional Larry Mancour had returned to Michigan to play in the Buick Open and stayed to build the Grand Blanc Golf Club. He then added nine holes at the Flint Elks Golf Club where he remained the professional for 20 years. He rescued the Buick Open when General Motors dropped sponsorship of the tournament. With local Buick dealers Mancour started the Little Buick Open in 1969. It drew players and fans and led to the rebirth of the Buick Open in 1977.

The Buick Open officially made its return to the PGA Tour in 1977 at the Flint Elks Club, and in 1978 the event returned to Warwick Hills G&CC, where it remained until its demise.

The Associated Press reported July 28, 2009, that General Motors would end its sponsorship of the Buick Open after the 2009 tournament, in order to devote its marketing resources to cars and trucks.[1] The PGA Tour replaced the tournament with the Greenbrier Classic at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.[2]

As in the 1970s, a series of pro-ams and other unofficial events now take place in Grand Blanc, with the AJGA's Randy Wise Open taking place at Warwick Hills and most pro-ams and a golf festival at the Jewel of Grand Blanc (the former Grand Blanc Golf Club).

In 2014, an unrelated tournament with the same name was started in China. The event is played on PGA Tour China.

In 2018, the former General Motors financing arm, now Ally Bank, returned to Warwick Hills to sponsor a PGA Tour Champions event, The Ally Challenge. Jim Furyk (2003, 2020) and Vijay Singh (2004, 2005, 2023) have won both events.

Long hitters

In its final years, the tournament was dominated by long hitters. Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Brian Bateman, and Kenny Perry combined for eight wins in its final nine years. Several other players ranked highly in driving distance finished second during that span, including Woods, Jason Gore, Geoff Ogilvy, Bubba Watson, and John Daly.[3]

Winners

YearTourWinnerScoreTo parMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-upWinner's
share ($)
Buick Open
2009 Tiger Woods (3) 268 −20 3 strokes 918,000
2008 Kenny Perry (2) 269 −19 1 stroke 900,000
2007 273 −15 1 stroke 882,000
2006 Tiger Woods (2) 264 −24 3 strokes 864,000
2005 Vijay Singh (3) 264 −24 4 strokes 828,000
2004 Vijay Singh (2) 265 −23 1 stroke 810,000
2003 267 −21 2 strokes 720,000
2002 271 −17 4 strokes 594,000
2001 263 −25 2 strokes 558,000
2000 268 −20 1 stroke 486,000
1999 270 −18 1 stroke 432,000
1998 271 −17 2 strokes 324,000
1997 273 −15 4 strokes 270,000
1996 266 −22 5 strokes 216,000
1995 270 −18 Playoff 216,000
1994 270 −18 2 strokes 198,000
1993 272 −16 1 stroke 180,000
1992 276 −12 Playoff 180,000
1991 271 −17 Playoff 180,000
1990 272 −16 1 stroke 180,000
1989 273 −15 1 stroke 180,000
1988 268 −20 2 strokes 126,000
1987 262 −26 7 strokes 108,000
1986 270 −18 1 stroke 90,000
1985 268 −20 4 strokes 81,000
1984 271 −17 1 stroke 72,000
1983 272 −16 1 stroke 63,000
1982 273 −15 1 stroke 63,000
1981 277 −11 Playoff 63,000
Buick-Goodwrench Open
1980 276 −12 1 stroke 45,000
1979 280 −8 Playoff 27,000
1978 280 −8 Playoff 20,000
Buick Open
1977 271 −17 1 stroke 20,000
1976 279 −9 Playoff 12,000
1975 208 −8 1 stroke 4,200
Flint Elks Open
1974 136 −8 Playoff 2,000
Lake Michigan Classic
1973 215 −1 Playoff 3,200
Vern Parsell Buick Open
1972 273 −15 2 strokes 4,000
Buick Open Invitational
1970–1971: No tournament
1969 277 −11 2 strokes 25,000
1968 280 −8 1 stroke 25,000
1967 Julius Boros (2) 283 −5 3 strokes 20,000
1966 284 −4 2 strokes 20,000
1965 Tony Lema (2) 280 −8 2 strokes 20,000
1964 277 −11 1 stroke 8,000
1963 274 −14 5 strokes 9,000
1962 284 −4 1 stroke 9,000
1961 284 −4 Playoff 9,000
1960 282 −6 1 stroke 9,000
1959 282 −6 Playoff 9,000
1958 285 −3 1 stroke 9,000

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: AP Source: GM to End Sponsorship of Buick Open. 2009-07-28 . The New York Times. (Defunct prior to 7/10)
  2. News: Greenbrier Classic Announcement. 2009-08-05 . Bloomberg. 2009-08-05.
  3. Web site: Buick Open Winners. 2008-06-23. dead. https://archive.today/20120907040858/http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/r035/winners.html. 2012-09-07.