North and South Open

The North and South Open was one of the most prestigious professional golf tournaments in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century. It was played at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina, long the largest golf resort in the world, which also staged a series of other tournaments with the "North and South" name, some of which continue to this day.

North and South Open

Tournament information
Location	Pinehurst, North Carolina
Established	1902
Course(s)	Pinehurst Resort, Course No. 2
Par	72
Length	7,007 yards (6,407 m)[1]
Tour(s)	PGA Tour
Format	Stroke play - 72 holes
Prize fund	$7,500
Month played	November (1945–1951) March
Final year	1951
Final champion
Tommy Bolt
Location Map
Pinehurst Location in United States Show map of the United States Pinehurst Location in North Carolina Show map of North Carolina

The event ran from 1902 to 1951 and was won by many major champions, including three-time winners Walter Hagen, Ben Hogan, and Sam Snead. Played in March until 1944, the final seven events were held in early November. Hogan's win in 1940 at age 27 was his first as a professional; the winner's share was a thousand dollars.[2][3]

It was cancelled when the professionals asked the patrician patriarch of Pinehurst, Richard Tufts, who was a great champion of amateurism, to increase the prize money in line with PGA Tour rates. The final tourney's purse was $7,500 in 1951, with a winner's share of $1,500.[1] The Ryder Cup was held at the course the previous week,[4] but only five of the nine on the winning U.S. team stayed to play.[5]

Winners

• 1902 Alec Ross
• 1903 Donald Ross
• 1904 Alec Ross (2)[6]
• 1905 Donald Ross (2)
• 1906 Donald Ross (3)
• 1907 Alec Ross (3)
• 1908 Alec Ross (4)
• 1909 Fred McLeod
• 1910 Alec Ross (5)
• 1911 Gilbert Nicholls
• 1912 Tom McNamara (1)
• 1913 Tom McNamara (2)
• 1914 Gilbert Nicholls (2)
• 1915 Alec Ross (6)
• 1916 Jim Barnes
• 1917 Mike Brady
• 1918 Walter Hagen
• 1919 Jim Barnes (2)
• 1920 Fred McLeod
• 1921 Jock Hutchison
• 1922 Pat O'Hara
• 1923 Walter Hagen (2)
• 1924 Walter Hagen (3)
• 1925 Macdonald Smith
• 1926 Bobby Cruickshank
• 1927 Bobby Cruickshank (2)
• 1928 Billy Burke
• 1929 Horton Smith[7]
• 1930 Paul Runyan[8]
• 1931 Wiffy Cox
• 1932 Johnny Golden
• 1933 Joe Kirkwood, Sr.
• 1934 Henry Picard[9]
• 1935 Paul Runyan (2)[10]
• 1936 Henry Picard (2)[11]
• 1937 Horton Smith (2)[12]
• 1938 Vic Ghezzi[13]
• 1939 Byron Nelson[14]
• 1940 Ben Hogan[2][3]
• 1941 Sam Snead[15]
• 1942 Ben Hogan (2)[16]
• 1943 Bobby Cruickshank (3) - event limited to players 38 and older and members of the armed services[17]
• 1944 Bob Hamilton[18]
• 1945 Cary Middlecoff - as an amateur[19]
• 1946 Ben Hogan (3)[20]
• 1947 Jim Turnesa[21]
• 1948 Toney Penna[22]
• 1949 Sam Snead (2)[23]
• 1950 Sam Snead (3)[24]
• 1951 Tommy Bolt[1]

See also

• North and South Men's Amateur Golf Championship
• North and South Women's Amateur Golf Championship

References

1. "Tommy Bolt wins North and South golf tournament". Wilmington Morning Star. (North Carolina). Associated Press. November 12, 1951. p. 5.
2. Boni, Bill (March 22, 1940). "Hogan finally takes a title". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. p. 9.
3. "Hogan new threat to money golfers". Pittsburgh Press. United Press. March 22, 1940. p. 35.
4. Brown, Gwilym S. (September 10, 1962). "The southern resort of a proper Bostonian". Sports Illustrated. p. 86.
5. Pace, Lee (April 11, 2013). "The North and South Open: The Masters before there was a Masters". Pinehurst Resort. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
6. "Tied on Thirty-Six Holes". The Pinehurst Outlook. North Carolina. April 16, 1904. p. 1.
   - Travers, Jerome (December 26, 1915). "The Creeper That Cost a Championship". The Charlotte News. (North Carolina). p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Brietz, Eddie (March 28, 1929). "Horton Smith captures North and South title". Miami Daily News. Associated Press. p. 15.
8. "Runyan takes rich golf tourney". Prescott Evening Courier. (Arizona). Associated Press. March 29, 1930. p. 5.
9. "Picard wins golf tourney". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). Associated Press. March 30, 1934. p. 24.
10. "Runyan sets mark for North, South". Montreal Gazette. Associated Press. March 30, 1935. p. 23.
11. McLemore, Henry (March 29, 1936). "Picard beats Ray Mangrum for golf title". Miami Daily News. United Press. p. 16.
12. "Horton Smith shoots subpar round to capture North and South golf". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. March 26, 1937. p. 17.
13. "Victor Ghezzi wins North and South Open, first win of season". Lewiston Daily Sun. (Maine). March 26, 1938. p. 8.
14. "Byron Nelson wins North-South meet". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). United Press. March 24, 1939. p. 14.
15. "Snead cops top Pinehurst cash". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. March 21, 1941. p. 8.
16. "Benny Hogan victor in North-South". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. March 27, 1942. p. 16.
17. "Cruickshank triumphs in North-South". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). Associated Press. March 26, 1943. p. 13.
18. "North-South honors taken by Hamilton". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). Associated Press. March 17, 1944. p. 14.
19. "Middlecoff wins North and South Open event with 280 total". Schenectady Gazette. (New York). Associated Press. November 9, 1945. p. 19.
20. "Ben Hogan captures North-South Open meet". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). Associated Press. November 8, 1946. p. 24.
21. "Turnesa is winner in Pinehurst event". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. November 7, 1947. p. 16.
22. "Penna wins North-South". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). Associated Press. November 6, 1948. p. 11.
23. "Snead captures North-South Open golf title". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). Associated Press. November 5, 1949. p. 16.
24. "Snead takes North-South Open". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Associated Press. November 4, 1950. p. 7.

External links

• GolfWeb.com article on Pinehurst (cached at google.com)
• Golf Compendium: North and South Open