| Greater Seattle-Everett Classic | |
| Location: | Everett, Washington |
| Establishment: | 1936 |
| Course: | Everett Golf & Country Club |
| Par: | 71 |
| Tour: | PGA Tour |
| Format: | Stroke play |
| Month Played: | September |
| Final Year: | 1966 |
| Final Champion: |  Homero Blancas |
| Map: | USA#USA Washington |
| Map Label: | Everett G&CC |
| Map Relief: | yes |
| Map Size: | 200 |
| Coordinates: | 47.947°N -122.21°W |
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.
The first Seattle Open was held in 1936 at Inglewood Golf Club in Kenmore in early August. Macdonald Smith won an 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 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. 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 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.[6] [7] 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 $50,000 in the exhibition World Series of Golf the week before,[8] [9] and won in Portland the following week for his third tour title.[10]
The last event in 1966, the Greater Seattle-Everett Classic, was held at the Everett Golf & Country Club. It was won by Homero Blancas, one stroke ahead of Cupit, a two-time runner-up.[11] [12]
Inglewood later hosted the GTE Northwest Classic on the Senior PGA Tour, from 1987 through 1995.
| Years | Course | Par | Location | Coordinates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Everett Golf & Country Club | 71 | Everett | 47.947°N -122.21°W | ||
| 1936, 1963, 1965 | Inglewood Golf Club | 72 | Kenmore | 47.75°N -122.255°W | ||
| 1945, 1961, 1962, 1964 | 70 |
| Year | Winner | Score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up | Purse (US$) | Winner's share ($) | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Seattle-Everett Classic | |||||||||
| 266 | −18 | 1 stroke | Jacky Cupit | 50,000 | 6,600 | ||||
| Greater Seattle Open Invitational | |||||||||
| 279 | −9 | Playoff | Doug Sanders | 45,000 | 6,600 | [13] | |||
| 265 | −15 | 2 strokes | Mason Rudolph | 40,000 | 5,800 | [14] | |||
| Seattle Open Invitational | |||||||||
| 272 | −16 | 2 strokes | Raymond Floyd Stan Leonard | 35,000 | 5,300 | [15] | |||
| Seattle World's Fair Open Invitational | |||||||||
| 265 | −15 | 2 strokes | Tony Lema | 30,000 | 4,300 | ||||
| Greater Seattle Open Invitational | |||||||||
| 265 | −15 | Playoff | Jacky Cupit Bob Rosburg | 25,000 | 3,500 | ||||
| Seattle Open | |||||||||
| align=center colspan=9 | 1946–1960: No tournament | ||||||||
| 1945 | 259 | −21 | 13 strokes | 10,250 | 2,000 | ||||
| align=center colspan=9 | 1937–1944: No tournament | ||||||||
| 1936 | 285 | −7 | Playoff | Ralph Guldahl | 5,000 | 1,200 | |||