| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Lake Buena Vista, Florida |
| Established | 1971 |
| Course(s) | Walt Disney World Resort (Magnolia & Palm courses) |
| Par | 72 (both courses) |
| Length | 7,516 yards (Magnolia) 6,957 yards (Palm) |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | $4,700,000 |
| Month played | October |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 262 John Huston (1992) 262 Duffy Waldorf (2000) |
| To par |
-26 John Huston (1992) |
| Current champion | |
| Luke Donald | |
The Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic is an annual golf tournament on the PGA Tour. The tournament is played on the Palm and Magnolia courses at the Walt Disney World Resort. Starting in 2007, it was the final event in the PGA Tour Fall Series, and also the final official event of the PGA Tour season. The tournament is one of the players' favorites because of its proximity to Orlando, Florida; many players maintain homes in Florida, and whether or not they live in Florida, they can easily take their families to the parks while not playing. For a number of golfers, it is a final chance to earn or retain a Tour Card through winning or getting into the Top 125 on the Tour's money list.
The 2009 purse was $4,700,000, with $846,000 going to the winner. The tournament was founded in 1971 as the Walt Disney World Open Invitational. From 1974 to 1981, the tournament was played as a two-man team event with a better-ball format. After 36 years of having "Disney" in the tournament name, a new sponsor was announced in 2007, the Children's Miracle Network.[1]
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The 2005 FUNAI Classic was won by tour rookie Lucas Glover after he "holed" out a shot from a green-side bunker on Sunday. Prior to the bunker shot, Glover made a 40 foot putt on the 17th green. Tom Pernice, Jr. would miss his birdie putt which could have forced a play-off with Glover giver Glover his first tour win in dramatic fashion. Glover's victory was the third first-time winner on the PGA Tour in four years at the Disney Classic. Other drama continued on Sunday at Disney World as 2006 U.S. Open winner Geoff Ogilvy fell apart on the back nine to lose his share of the lead as Glover holed his bunker shot getting an unlucky bounce off of a rock on the 18th green. Ogilvy told reporters after the round about seeing Glover's shot, "I knew I was tied when I made the putt," Ogilvy said. "And I knew I was one behind before I hit my next tee shot."[2] The final rounds had been stripped of much potential press coverage due to the early departure of Tiger Woods, his second missed cut of the season, both coming within ten events.
The 2006 FUNAI Classic at WDW featured great media attention leading up to the event, as the decision of Tiger Woods to play or not play would determine whether or not he would be eligible for the Vardon Trophy. Woods needed a total of 60 official PGA Tour rounds to be eligible to win the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average, but chose not to play thus forfeiting his chance at winning the award. Despite no longer being eligible for the Vardon Trophy, Woods still won the Byron Nelson Award for lowest scoring average, which requires a total of 50 or more rounds. The 2006 event featured a purse of $4.6 million dollars with $828,000 going to the winner.[3]
The Magnolia Course at Walt Disney World is known as more "tour"-style then its sister the Palm Course. The Palm course is undeniably the prettier of the two, however. In the 2006 telecast, one commentator is quoted as saying that the Palm course has the better greens of the two courses. The Magnolia has grown to 7,516 yards to battle the usual low scores during the tournament's history.
The nearby Lake Buena Vista golf course has also been part of the tournament, along with the Palm and Magnolia.
Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic
Children's Miracle Network Classic
Children's Miracle Network Classic presented by Wal-Mart
FUNAI Classic at the Walt Disney World Resort
Disney Golf Classic
National Car Rental Golf Classic Disney
Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic
Walt Disney World Golf Classic
Walt Disney World National Team Championship
Walt Disney World Golf Classic
Walt Disney World Open Invitational