B.C. Open
The B.C. Open was a PGA Tour golf tournament in New York, held annually from 1971 to 2006. In 1971, it was called the Broome County Open, and the next year it switched to the B.C. Open. In 1973, it became a PGA Tour regular 72-hole money event. It took place simultaneously with The Open Championship from 2000 to 2006, so the leading players were not available and it was one of the smaller events on the PGA Tour schedule. The purse for the final edition in 2006 was $3 million.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Endicott, New York, U.S. Verona, New York (2006) |
| Established | 1971, 1973 (PGA Tour) |
| Course(s) | En-Joie Golf Club Turning Stone (2006) |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Format | Stroke play – 72 holes |
| Prize fund | $3 million |
| Month played | July |
| Final year | 2006 |
| Final champion | |
 | |
The tournament was played at the En-Joie Golf Course in Endicott in Upstate New York for every event through 2005. In 2006, severe flooding of the adjacent Susquehanna River forced the event to move to the Atunyote Golf Club at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona. The event was operated by Broome County Community Charities, Inc. Since its inception, the B.C. Open has turned back to local charities in excess of $7.4 million through 2003.
It was named after the comic strip B.C., created by Johnny Hart, who was born and raised in Endicott. Johnny Hart's B.C. characters were used in advertising the event.
The B.C. Open was held for the last time on the PGA Tour in 2006 due to a schedule revamp based on the introduction of the FedEx Cup.[1] The success of the Turning Stone event in 2006 led to that venue hosting a "Fall Series" event beginning in 2007, the Turning Stone Resort Championship.
The Broome County Community Charities has hosted a Champions Tour event at the En-Joie Golf Course beginning in 2007, the Dick's Sporting Goods Open.[2]
Winners
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- Prior to becoming a PGA Tour event
B.C. Open
- 1972 Bob Payne (two round satellite tournament)
Broome County Open
- 1971 Butch Harmon (one round satellite tournament)
Tournament highlights
- 1973: Hubert Green wins the B.C. Open the first time it is considered an official PGA Tour event. He finishes six shots ahead of Dwight Nevil.[3]
- 1974: En Joie Golf Club assistant pro Richie Karl birdies the first hole of a sudden death playoff to defeat Bruce Crampton.[4]
- 1978: Tom Kite shoots a first round 66[5] on his way to a wire-to-wire five shot victory over Mark Hayes.[6]
- 1979: Howard Twitty earns his first PGA Tour triumph after Tom Purtzer and Doug Tewell each come to the 72nd hole tied for the lead but falter by making bogey and double bogey respectively.[7]
- 1982: Calvin Peete opens the final round with a double bogey but still wins the tournament easily by seven shots over Jerry Pate.[8]
- 1984: Wayne Levi birdies the 71st and 72nd holes to finish one shot ahead of Hal Sutton and Russ Cochran.[9]
- 1987: Joey Sindelar becomes the first person to win the B.C. Open twice. He finishes four shots ahead of Jeff Sluman.[10]
- 1991: Fred Couples tunes up for the Ryder Cup matches by competing at the B.C. Open. He beats Peter Jacobsen by three shots.[11]
- 1992: John Daly wins for the first time since his 1991 PGA Championship victory. He finishes six shots ahead of Joel Edwards, Ken Green, Jay Haas, and Nolan Henke.[12]
- 1993: Blaine McCallister birdies the 72nd hole to win by one shot over Denis Watson.[13]
- 1995: Hal Sutton shoots a final round 61 to claim his first PGA Tour win in over nine years. He finishes one shot ahead of Jim McGovern.[14]
- 1997: Gabriel Hjertstedt becomes the first Swedish born golfer to win on the PGA Tour. He finishes one shot ahead of Andrew Magee, Chris Perry, and Lee Rinker.[15]
- 2000: Brad Faxon becomes the only B.C. Open winner to successfully defend his title. He beats Esteban Toledo by one shot.[16]
- 2002: Spike McRoy shoots a final round 65 to overcome a seven-stroke deficit and finish one shot ahead of Fred Funk.[17]
- 2003: Coming off a Champions Tour triumph just two weeks earlier, Craig Stadler shoots a final round 63 to win the B.C. Open by one shot over Alex Cejka and Steve Lowery.[18]
- 2006: John Rollins shoots a final round 63 to win the last B.C. Open. He finishes one shot ahead of Bob May.[19]
References
- PGA TOUR unveils inaugural FedEx Cup schedule
- Champions Tour to come to site of B.C. Open next year
- Green captures B.C. golf
- B.C. Open winner almost quit
- Duo shares B.C. lead
- Kite lands a winner
- Twitty wins B.C. golf as opponents falter
- Peete recovers to claim B.C. Open title
- Levi winner of B.C. Open title
- Sindelar's 69 wins B.C. Open by four shots over Jeff Sluman
- Fred Couples B.C. winner
- Daly grabs 6-shot win in B.C. Open
- McCallister wins B.C. Open title
- Results Plus
- Golf Roundup
- Faxon wins again at B.C. Open
- GOLF: ROUNDUP; McRoy, Down 7, Rallies To Earn His First Title
- Stadler captures B.C. Open
- Rollins nips May to win B.C. Open