Kansas City Open Invitational
Encyclopedia
The Kansas City Open Invitational, which played as the Kansas City Open for most of its history, was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour
that was played in the greater Kansas City
area in the late 1940s and 1950s. A total of four different clubs hosted the event. The first event was held at Kansas City's Swope Park Golf Course, now known as Swope Memorial Golf Course
, and is the only public course in the Kansas City area ever to have hosted a PGA Tour event. The Milburn Country Club in Overland Park, Kansas
, a par-72, 18-hole championship course built in 1917, hosted the event five times. Kansas City's Hillcrest Country Club, a par-72, 18-hole course built in 1916, hosted the event three times. Two events were held at Blue Hills Country Club, which is also in Kansas City and was built in 1912.
Kansas City Open
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
that was played in the greater Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
area in the late 1940s and 1950s. A total of four different clubs hosted the event. The first event was held at Kansas City's Swope Park Golf Course, now known as Swope Memorial Golf Course
Swope Memorial Golf Course
Swope Memorial Golf Course is a golf course that was founded in 1934 and previously designed by golf course architect A. W. Tillinghast. It hosted the 1949 Kansas City Open Invitational, a PGA Tour event at the time, which made it the only public golf in the area to do so.-Course layout:...
, and is the only public course in the Kansas City area ever to have hosted a PGA Tour event. The Milburn Country Club in Overland Park, Kansas
Overland Park, Kansas
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 149,080 people, 59,703 households, and 39,702 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,627.0 people per square mile . There were 62,586 housing units at an average density of 1,102.9 per square mile...
, a par-72, 18-hole championship course built in 1917, hosted the event five times. Kansas City's Hillcrest Country Club, a par-72, 18-hole course built in 1916, hosted the event three times. Two events were held at Blue Hills Country Club, which is also in Kansas City and was built in 1912.
Tournament hosts
| Years | Course |
|---|---|
| 1955, 1957-58 | Hillcrest Country Club |
| 1954, 1959 | Blue Hills Country Club |
| 1950-53, 1956 | Milburn Country Club |
| 1949 | Swope Park Golf Course |
Winners
Kansas City Open Invitational- 1959 Dow FinsterwaldDow FinsterwaldDow Henry Finsterwald, Sr. is an American professional golfer who is best known for winning the 1958 PGA Championship. He won 11 Tour titles between 1955 and 1963, played on four Ryder Cup teams, and served as non-playing captain for the 1977 U.S. Ryder Cup team.Finsterwald was born and raised in...
Kansas City Open
- 1958 Ernie VosslerErnie VosslerErnest Orville Vossler is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour; he later prospered in the fields of golf course design and construction, golf course management services and real estate development....
- 1957 Al BesselinkAl BesselinkAlbert Cornelius Besselink is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1950s and 1960s.Besselink grew up in Merchantville, New Jersey. He attended the University of Miami and was the first UM golfer to win a national tournament. He won the Southern Invitational...
- 1956 Bo WiningerBo WiningerFrancis G. "Bo" Wininger was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1950s and 1960s....
- 1955 Dick MayerDick MayerAlvin Richard Mayer was an American professional golfer.Mayer was born in Stamford, Connecticut. He apprenticed with renowned player and teacher Claude Harmon at the Winged Foot Golf Club in suburban New York City....
- 1954 Wally UlrichWally UlrichWallace William "Wally" Ulrich was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1940s and 1950s....
- 1953 Ed Oliver
- 1952 Cary MiddlecoffCary MiddlecoffEmmett Cary Middlecoff was a dentist who gave up his practice to become a professional golfer on the PGA Tour in the 1940s....
- 1951 Cary MiddlecoffCary MiddlecoffEmmett Cary Middlecoff was a dentist who gave up his practice to become a professional golfer on the PGA Tour in the 1940s....
- 1950 Lloyd MangrumLloyd MangrumLloyd Eugene Mangrum was an American professional golfer. He was known for his smooth swing and his relaxed demeanour on the course, which earned him the nickname "Mr. Icicle".Mangrum was born in Trenton, Texas...
- 1949 Jim FerrierJim FerrierJames B. Ferrier was an Australian professional golfer from Manly, New South Wales. He became an American citizen in 1944.-Early years:...