Tucson Open

The Tucson Open was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour from 1945 to 2006. It was played annually in February in Tucson, Arizona. The tournament was last held at the Omni Tucson National Golf Resort.

The 2006 purse was $3,000,000, with $540,000 going to the winner.

Since the event's inception in 1945, it had been played at a series of courses in Tucson. From 1945–62, it was at El Rio Golf & Country Club (now known as El Rio Golf Course since the City bought it in 1968); in 1963 and again in 1964, the event moved to Forty Niner Country Club. In 1965, the event began its lengthy relationship with its last location, known at the time as Tucson National Golf Club. It was played there annually until 1980, with the exception of 1979 when it was played at Randolph Park Golf Course. From 1981–86 the event stayed at Randolph Park. From 1984 to 1986 it was contested at match play and was held concurrently with a Senior PGA Tour match play event, the Seiko-Tucson Senior Match Play Championship. In 1987 and 1988 the event was played at the TPC at Starr Pass before not being contested in 1989.

When the event resumed in 1990, it was played at two courses each year from that year's event until 1996. One used every year was the TPC at Starr Pass (renamed Starr Pass Golf Club before the 1993 event). The TPC at Starr Pass shared time with Randolph Park in 1990; from 1991–96 the Tucson National GC was the other course used. In 1997, the event changed to the more traditional format of 72 holes played at only one course, and has been played since that year at the renamed Omni Tucson National Golf Resort & Spa. In recent years, this tournament has played as an opposite field event to the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. Because the top 64 ranked players in the world are invited to the match play tournament, it weakened the field considerably for Tucson. However, the Accenture tournament was held in Tucson in 2007, as a "merging" of sorts between the two tournaments.

Winners

Year	Player	Country	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
Chrysler Classic of Tucson
2006	Kirk Triplett	United States	266	−22	1 stroke	Jerry Kelly
2005	Geoff Ogilvy	Australia	269	−19	Playoff	Mark Calcavecchia Kevin Na
2004	Heath Slocum	United States	266	−22	1 stroke	Aaron Baddeley
2003	Frank Lickliter	United States	269	−19	2 strokes	Chad Campbell
Touchstone Energy Tucson Open
2002	Ian Leggatt	Canada	268	−20	2 strokes	David Peoples Loren Roberts
2001	Garrett Willis	United States	273	−15	1 stroke	Kevin Sutherland
2000	Jim Carter	United States	269	−19	2 strokes	Chris DiMarco Tom Scherrer Jean van de Velde
1999	Gabriel Hjertstedt	Sweden	276	−12	Playoff	Tommy Armour III
Tucson Chrysler Classic
1998	David Duval	United States	269	−19	4 strokes	Justin Leonard David Toms
1997	Jeff Sluman	United States	275	−13	1 stroke	Steve Jones
Nortel Open
1996	Phil Mickelson (3)	United States	273	−14	2 strokes	Bob Tway
Northern Telecom Open
1995	Phil Mickelson (2)	United States	269	−19	1 stroke	Jim Gallagher, Jr. Scott Simpson
1994	Andrew Magee	United States	270	−18	2 strokes	Jay Don Blake Loren Roberts Vijay Singh Steve Stricker
1993	Larry Mize	United States	271	−17	2 strokes	Jeff Maggert
1992	Lee Janzen	United States	270	−18	1 stroke	Bill Britton
1991	Phil Mickelson (a)	United States	272	−16	1 stroke	Tom Purtzer Bob Tway
Northern Telecom Tucson Open
1990	Robert Gamez	United States	270	−18	4 strokes	Mark Calcavecchia Jay Haas
1989	No tournament
1988	David Frost	South Africa	266	−22	5 strokes	Mark Calcavecchia Mark O'Meara
Seiko Tucson Open
1987	Mike Reid	United States	268	−20	4 strokes	Chip Beck Mark Calcavecchia Hal Sutton Fuzzy Zoeller
Seiko-Tucson Match Play Championship
1986	Jim Thorpe (2)	United States	4 strokes			Scott Simpson
1985	Jim Thorpe	United States	4 & 3			Jack Renner
1984	Tom Watson (2)	United States	2 & 1			Gil Morgan
Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open
1983	Gil Morgan	United States	271	−9	Playoff	Curtis Strange Lanny Wadkins
1982	Craig Stadler	United States	266	−14	3 strokes	Vance Heafner John Mahaffey
1981	Johnny Miller (4)	United States	265	−15	2 strokes	Lon Hinkle
1980	Jim Colbert	United States	270	−22	4 strokes	Dan Halldorson
1979	Bruce Lietzke (2)	United States	265	−15	2 strokes	Buddy Gardner Jim Thorpe Tom Watson
1978	Tom Watson	United States	274	−14	3 strokes	Bobby Wadkins
1977	Bruce Lietzke	United States	275	−13	Playoff	Gene Littler
NBC Tucson Open
1976	Johnny Miller (3)	United States	274	−14	3 strokes	Howard Twitty
Dean Martin Tucson Open
1975	Johnny Miller (2)	United States	263	−25	9 strokes	John Mahaffey
1974	Johnny Miller	United States	272	−16	3 strokes	Ben Crenshaw
1973	Bruce Crampton	Australia	277	−11	5 strokes	George Archer Gay Brewer Labron Harris, Jr. Bobby Nichols
1972	Miller Barber	United States	273	−15	Playoff	George Archer
Tucson Open Invitational
1971	J. C. Snead	United States	273	−15	1 stroke	Dale Douglass
1970	Lee Trevino (2)	United States	275	−13	Playoff	Bob Murphy
1969	Lee Trevino	United States	271	−17	7 strokes	Miller Barber
1968	George Knudson	Canada	273	−15	1 stroke	Frank Beard Frank Boynton
1967	Arnold Palmer	United States	273	−15	1 stroke	Chuck Courtney
1966	Joe Campbell	United States	278	−10	Playoff	Gene Littler
1965	Bob Charles	New Zealand	271	−17	4 strokes	Al Geiberger
1964	Jacky Cupit	United States	274	−14	2 strokes	Rex Baxter
1963	Don January	United States	266	−22	11 strokes	Gene Littler Phil Rodgers
1962	Phil Rodgers	United States	263	−17	3 strokes	Jim Ferrier
Home of the Sun Open
1961	Dave Hill	United States	269	−11	Playoff	Tommy Bolt Bud Sullivan
Tucson Open Invitational
1960	Don January	United States	271	−9	3 strokes	Bob Harris
1959	Gene Littler	United States	266	−14	1 stroke	Joe Campbell Art Wall, Jr.
1958	Lionel Hebert	United States	265	–15	2 strokes	Don January
1957	Dow Finsterwald	United States	269	–11	Playoff	Don Whitt
1956	Ted Kroll	United States	264	−16	3 strokes	Dow Finsterwald
Tucson Open
1955	Tommy Bolt (2)	United States	266	−14	3 strokes	Bud Holscher Art Wall, Jr.
1954	No tournament
1953	Tommy Bolt	United States	265	−15	1 stroke	Chandler Harper
1952	Henry Williams, Jr.	United States	274	−6	2 strokes	Cary Middlecoff
1951	Lloyd Mangrum (2)	United States	269	−11	2 strokes	Jack Burke, Jr. Jim Turnesa Lew Worsham
1950	Chandler Harper	United States	267	−13	2 strokes	Sam Snead
1949	Lloyd Mangrum	United States	263	−17	5 strokes	Al Smith
1948	Skip Alexander	United States	264	−16	1 stroke	Johnny Palmer
1947	Jimmy Demaret (2)	United States	264	−16	3 strokes	Ben Hogan
1946	Jimmy Demaret	United States	268	−12	4 strokes	Herman Barron
1945	Ray Mangrum	United States	268	−12	1 stroke	Byron Nelson

Multiple winners

Nine men won this tournament more than once.

• 4 wins
  • Johnny Miller: 1974, 1975, 1976, 1981
• 3 wins
  • Phil Mickelson: 1991, 1995, 1996
• 2 wins
  • Jim Thorpe: 1985, 1986
  • Bruce Lietzke: 1977, 1979
  • Lee Trevino: 1969, 1970
  • Don January: 1960, 1963
  • Tommy Bolt: 1953, 1955
  • Lloyd Mangrum: 1949, 1951
  • Jimmy Demaret, 1946, 1947

Tournament highlights

• 1945: Ray Mangrum shoots a final round 64 to win the inaugural version of the tournament.
• 1947: Jimmy Demaret becomes the first Tucson champion to successfully defend a title. A final round 65 allows him to finish three shots ahead of Ben Hogan.
• 1949: Lloyd Mangrum shoots a tournament record 263. He wins by five shots over Al Smith.
• 1955: Tommy Bolt eagles the 72nd hole to successfully defend his Tucson Open title.
• 1959: Gene Littler wins for the second consecutive week on the PGA Tour. He finishes one shot ahead of Joe Campbell and Art Wall, Jr.
• 1961: Controversial pro golfer Dave Hill wins for the first time on the PGA Tour. He defeats Tommy Bolt and Bud Sullivan on the third hole of a sudden death playoff.
• 1962: Phil Rodgers holes a wedge shot from 65-feet for eagle on the 72nd hole to edge Bud Sullivan by one shot.
• 1965: Only after deciding to play the tournament five minutes before its deadline for entries, New Zealand born Bob Charles makes Tucson his second ever win in the United States. He beats Al Geiberger by four shots.
• 1968: George Knudson wins for the second consecutive week on the PGA Tour. He finishes one shot ahead of Frank Beard and Frank Boynton.
• 1970: Lee Trevino successfully defends his Tucson Open title. He birdies the first hole of a sudden death playoff to defeat Bob Murphy.
• 1974: Johnny Miller becomes the first ever golfer in PGA Tour history to win three consecutive tournaments to start the season. He shoots a first round 62 on his way to a three shot triumph over Ben Crenshaw.
• 1975: Tom Weiskopf misses the 36 hole cut with scores of 70 and 78. Afterwards tournament director Biff Baker made a telephone complaint to PGA Tour Commissioner Deane Beman accusing Weiskopf of backhanding putts and not playing in a professional manner. Weiskopf denied the allegations by saying "All they have to do is ask my playing partners."
• 1976: Johnny Miller wins at Tucson for the third consecutive year. He finishes three shots ahead of Howard Twitty.
• 1977: Bruce Lietzke earns the first of his thirteen career PGA Tour wins by defeating Gene Littler on the fourth hole of a sudden death playoff.
• 1980: Poor weather causes the tournament to finish on a Tuesday. Jim Colbert is the winner by four shots over Dan Halldorson.
• 1981: Johnny Miller wins Tucson for the fourth time. He shoots a final round 65 to finish two shots ahead of Lon Hinkle.
• 1984: For the first of three consecutive years, Tucson is conducted as a match play event. Tom Watson wins by defeating defending champion Gil Morgan in the finals by the score of 2 and 1.
• 1986: Defending champion Jim Thorpe wins the last match play edition of Tucson. He defeats Scott Simpson 67 to 71 in the finals.
• 1990: Robert Gamez wins on the PGA Tour in his first ever event. He finishes four shots ahead of Mark Calcavecchia and Jay Haas. During the tournament's second round, 1988 Tucson champion David Frost, becomes the first PGA Tour player in 33 years to shoot a 60.
• 1991: Twenty-year-old amateur Phil Mickelson birdies the 72nd hole to win by one shot over Bob Tway and Tom Purtzer. Purtzer made double bogey on the tournament's final hole. Hal Sutton hits a six-iron for his second shot on the 9th hole directly at the green. The ball slammed into the cup without touching the green and embedded itself in the lip of the hole. Since part of the ball remained above the level of the hole, it was ruled that Sutton had not holed out. He had to replace the ball and putt it in for a birdie.
• 1992: Future two-time U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen collects his first ever PGA Tour title. He edges Bill Britton by one shot.
• 1995: Phil Mickelson wins his second Tucson title by one shot over Jim Gallagher, Jr. and Scott Simpson after Gallagher three putts the 72nd hole.
• 1997: Jeff Sluman earns his first PGA Tour title since the 1988 PGA Championship. He wins by one shot over Steve Jones.
• 2000: After playing in 292 PGA Tour events, Jim Carter finally reaches the winner's circle. He finishes two shots ahead of Jean van de Velde, Chris DiMarco, and Tom Scherrer.
• 2001: Like Robert Gamez did at the 1990 Tucson, Garrett Willis wins on the PGA Tour in his first ever event. He wins by one shot over Kevin Sutherland.
• 2005: Future U.S. Open winner Geoff Ogilvy notches his first ever PGA Tour win. He defeats Mark Calcavecchia and Kevin Na in a sudden death playoff.