Havana Invitational

The Havana Invitational was a pro-am golf tournament held from 1948 to 1958. It was played at Havana Country Club in Havana, Cuba. In 1958 a second unrelated event was held two weeks before the pro-am, the Havana International Invitational. This was held at the Villa Real Golf Club.

Havana Invitational

Tournament information
Location	Havana, Cuba
Established	1948
Format	Stroke play
Month played	November/December
Final year	1958
Final champion
Billy Casper

The 1948 event was a 54 hole event played from Monday 13 December to Wednesday 15 December immediately after the Miami Open which had finished on 12 December. Sam Snead won the individual event with a score of 209 and also won the best-ball with a score of 193.[1] Later events were part of the PGA schedule.

Winners

Year	Venue	Player	Country	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up	Winner's share ($)	Ref
Havana Invitational
1958	Havana CC	Billy Casper	United States	278	−10	2 strokes	Bo Wininger	2,400	[2]
Havana International Invitational
1958	Villa Real GC	George Bayer	United States	286	+6	Playoff[lower-alpha 1]	Sam Snead	6,500	[3]
Havana Invitational
1957	Havana CC	Al Balding	Canada	281	−7	Playoff[lower-alpha 2]	Al Besselink	2,400	[4]
1956	Havana CC	Al Besselink	United States	276	−12	2 strokes	Ed Furgol	2,500	[5]
1955	Havana CC	Mike Souchak	United States	273	−15	2 strokes	Porky Oliver	2,000	[6]
1954	Havana CC	Ed Furgol	United States	273	−15	1 stroke	Walter Burkemo	2,000	[7]
1953	Havana CC	Bob Toski	United States	272	−16	1 stroke	Al Besselink Walter Burkemo Fred Haas	1,500	[8]
1952	Havana CC	Dutch Harrison	United States	270	−18	6 strokes	Al Besselink Tommy Bolt Fred Haas	1,500	[9]
1951	Havana CC	Jimmy Demaret	United States	275	−13	1 stroke	Bob Toski	1,500	[10]
1950	Havana CC	Jim Turnesa	United States	267	−21	3 strokes	Pete Cooper	1,500	[11]
1949	Havana CC	Claude Harmon	United States	271	−17	2 strokes	Chick Harbert	1,200	[12]
1948	Havana CC	Sam Snead	United States	209	−7	1 strokes	Jimmy Demaret	1,500	[1]

1. Bayer won with a par on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.
2. Balding won with a par on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.

References

1. "Snead Captures Havana Crown". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. 16 December 1948. p. 14. Retrieved 10 May 2020 – via Google News Archive.
2. "Casper Victor In Havana Golf". The Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 1 December 1958. p. 28. Retrieved 10 May 2020 – via Google News Archive.
3. "Sam Snead Wilts; Bayer Takes Win". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. AP. 17 November 1958. p. 10. Retrieved 11 May 2020 – via Google News Archive.
4. "Al Balding Wins Havana Open After Extra Hole". The Gazette (Montreal). Montreal, Canada. 9 December 1957. p. 31. Retrieved 10 May 2020 – via Google News Archive.
5. "Al Besselink Wins Havana Golf Tourney". The Gazette (Montreal). Montreal, Canada. 10 December 1956. p. 29. Retrieved 10 May 2020 – via Google News Archive.
6. "Havana Golf Tourney Play". The Gazette (Montreal). Montreal, Canada. 5 December 1955. p. 30. Retrieved 10 May 2020 – via Google News Archive.
7. "Furgol Wins Havana Golf To Souchak". The Gazette (Montreal). Montreal, Canada. 20 December 1954. p. 26. Retrieved 10 May 2020 – via Google News Archive.
8. "Bob's Late Birdie Wins Havana". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. 7 December 1953. p. 8. Retrieved 10 May 2020 – via Google News Archive.
9. "Harrison Shoots 69 Wins Havana Open". The Gazette (Montreal). Montreal, Canada. 8 December 1952. p. 26. Retrieved 10 May 2020 – via Google News Archive.
10. "Demaret Shares Golfing Money". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. 17 December 1951. p. 9. Retrieved 10 May 2020 – via Google News Archive.
11. "Turnesa Triumphs In Havana Event". The Gazette (Montreal). Montreal, Canada. 18 December 1950. p. 23. Retrieved 10 May 2020 – via Google News Archive.
12. "Claude Harmon Wins Havana Golf Title". The Gazette (Montreal). Montreal, Canada. 19 December 1949. p. 22. Retrieved 10 May 2020 – via Google News Archive.