Buick Open

Buick Open
Tournament information
Location Grand Blanc, Michigan
Established 1958
Course(s) Warwick Hills G&CC
Tour(s) PGA Tour
Format Stroke play
Final year 2009
Tournament record score
Aggregate 262 Robert Wrenn (1987)
To par −26 Robert Wrenn (1987)
Final champion
Tiger Woods

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.

Fans

The 17th hole at Warwick, a par 3, was known for having one of the rowdiest galleries in professional golf. Fans often created chants directed at particular golfers. The famed 17th hole was also known by locals as the second largest outdoor cocktail party in the world (presumably deferring to the annual Florida–Georgia college football game as the largest). Players at the tournament loved the hole because of the atmosphere it creates. "This is a great tournament to play in, it's a beer drinkers tournament," said John Daly.

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

YearPlayerCountryScoreTo parMargin
of victory
Runner(s)-up
Buick Open
2009 Tiger Woods (3)  United States 268 −20 3 strokes Australia Greg Chalmers
Australia John Senden
United States Roland Thatcher
2008 Kenny Perry (2)  United States 269 −19 1 stroke United States Woody Austin
United States Bubba Watson
2007 Brian Bateman  United States 273 −15 1 stroke United States Woody Austin
United States Jason Gore
United States Justin Leonard
2006 Tiger Woods (2)  United States 264 −24 3 strokes United States Jim Furyk
2005 Vijay Singh (3)  Fiji 264 −24 4 strokes United States Zach Johnson
United States Tiger Woods
2004 Vijay Singh (2)  Fiji 265 −23 1 stroke United States John Daly
2003 Jim Furyk  United States 267 −21 2 strokes United States Briny Baird
United States Chris DiMarco
Australia Geoff Ogilvy
United States Tiger Woods
2002 Tiger Woods  United States 271 −17 4 strokes United States Fred Funk
United States Brian Gay
United States Mark O'Meara
Mexico Esteban Toledo
2001 Kenny Perry  United States 263 −25 2 strokes United States Chris DiMarco
United States Jim Furyk
2000 Rocco Mediate  United States 268 −20 1 stroke United States Chris Perry
1999 Tom Pernice, Jr.  United States 270 −18 1 stroke United States Tom Lehman
United States Ted Tryba
United States Bob Tway
1998 Billy Mayfair  United States 271 −17 2 strokes United States Scott Verplank
1997 Vijay Singh  Fiji 273 −15 4 strokes United States Tom Byrum
United States Russ Cochran
South Africa Ernie Els
United States Brad Fabel
Japan Naomichi Ozaki
United States Curtis Strange
1996 Justin Leonard  United States 266 −22 5 strokes United States Chip Beck
1995 Woody Austin  United States 270 −18 Playoff United States Mike Brisky
1994 Fred Couples  United States 270 −18 2 strokes United States Corey Pavin
1993 Larry Mize  United States 272 −16 1 stroke United States Fuzzy Zoeller
1992 Dan Forsman  United States 276 −12 Playoff Australia Steve Elkington
United States Brad Faxon
1991 Brad Faxon  United States 271 −17 Playoff United States Chip Beck
1990 Chip Beck  United States 272 −16 1 stroke United States Mike Donald
United States Hale Irwin
United States Fuzzy Zoeller
1989 Leonard Thompson  United States 273 −15 1 stroke United States Billy Andrade
United States Payne Stewart
United States Doug Tewell
1988 Scott Verplank  United States 268 −20 2 strokes United States Doug Tewell
1987 Robert Wrenn  United States 262 −26 7 strokes United States Dan Pohl
1986 Ben Crenshaw  United States 270 −18 1 stroke United States J. C. Snead
United States Doug Tewell
1985 Ken Green  United States 268 −20 4 strokes Australia Wayne Grady
1984 Denis Watson  Zimbabwe 271 −17 1 stroke United States Payne Stewart
1983 Wayne Levi  United States 272 −16 1 stroke Japan Isao Aoki
United States Calvin Peete
1982 Lanny Wadkins  United States 273 −15 1 stroke United States Tom Kite
1981 Hale Irwin  United States 277 −11 Playoff United States Bobby Clampett
United States Peter Jacobsen
United States Gil Morgan
Buick-Goodwrench Open
1980 Peter Jacobsen  United States 276 −12 1 stroke United States Billy Kratzert
United States Mark Lye
1979 John Fought  United States 280 −8 Playoff United States Jim Simons
1978 Jack Newton  Australia 280 −8 Playoff United States Mike Sullivan
Buick Open
1977 Bobby Cole  South Africa 271 −17 1 stroke United States Fred Marti
1970–76: No official tournaments
Buick Open Invitational
1969 Dave Hill  United States 277 −11 2 strokes United States Frank Beard
1968 Tom Weiskopf  United States 280 −8 1 stroke United States Mike Hill
1967 Julius Boros (2)  United States 283 −5 3 strokes United States Bob Goalby
United States R. H. Sikes
United States Bert Yancey
1966 Phil Rodgers  United States 284 −4 2 strokes United States Johnny Pott
United States Kermit Zarley
1965 Tony Lema (2)  United States 280 −8 2 strokes United States Johnny Pott
1964 Tony Lema  United States 277 −11 1 stroke United States Dow Finsterwald
1963 Julius Boros  United States 274 −14 5 strokes United States Dow Finsterwald
1962 Bill Collins  United States 284 −4 1 stroke United States Dave Ragan
1961 Jack Burke, Jr.  United States 284 −4 Playoff United States Billy Casper
United States Johnny Pott
1960 Mike Souchak  United States 282 −6 1 stroke United States Gay Brewer
United States Art Wall, Jr.
1959 Art Wall, Jr.  United States 282 −6 Playoff United States Dow Finsterwald
1958 Billy Casper  United States 285 −3 1 stroke United States Ted Kroll
United States Arnold Palmer

Unofficial events in the 1970s

Flint Elks Open

Lake Michigan Classic

Vern Parsell Buick Open

References

  1. "AP Source: GM to End Sponsorship of Buick Open". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-07-28. (Defunct prior to 7/10)
  2. "Greenbrier Classic Announcement". Bloomberg. 2009-08-05. Retrieved 2009-08-05.
  3. "Buick Open Winners". Retrieved 2008-06-23.
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