The St. Petersburg Open Invitational, first played as the St. Petersburg Open, was a PGA Tour event that was held at three St. Petersburg, Florida area clubs for 29 years from 1930 until 1964.[1] The clubs that hosted the event were: Lakewood Country Club (now known as St. Petersburg Country Club),[2] Pasadena Country Club (now known as Pasadena Yacht and Country Club), and Sunset Golf Club of the Vinoy Park Hotel (now known as the Renaissance Vinoy Resort & Golf Club).[1]
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | St. Petersburg, Florida |
| Established | 1930 |
| Course(s) | Lakewood Country Club |
| Par | 72 |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | US$25,000 |
| Month played | March |
| Final year | 1964 |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 261 Bob Goalby (1961) |
| To par | −23 as above |
| Final champion | |
 Bruce Devlin | |
| Location map | |
  Lakewood Country Club Location in the United States  Lakewood Country Club Location in Florida | |
Bob Goalby won[3] the 1961 event after making eight consecutive birdies in the final round, a PGA Tour record at the time. Other golfers tied Goalby's mark but nobody surpassed it till 2009.[4] In 1963, Raymond Floyd won the event at 20 years 6 months of age becoming the youngest player to win a PGA Tour event since 1928.[1][5]
Bruce Devlin, an Australian golfer who had recently moved to the United States, won the first of his eight PGA Tour titles at the last one in 1964. The tournament succumbed to financial pressure when the St. Petersburg City Council voted to postpone a decision on sponsorship of the 1965 event, and then Jacksonville announced the resumption of the Jacksonville Open during week the tournament was to be held.[1]
Tournament hosts
| Course | Years |
|---|---|
| Lakewood Country Club | 1930 (co-host), 1933 (co-host), 1936 (co-host), 1938, 1940, 1942, 1948, 1952, 1955–56, 1959–60, 1962–64 |
| Jungle Country Club | 1930 (co-host) |
| Pasadena Country Club | 1932, 1933 (co-host), 1934, 1936 (co-host), 1937, 1939, 1941, 1947, 1949–51, 1953, 1957–58, 1961 |
| Sunset Golf Club at Vinoy Park | 1946 |
Winners
| Year | Winner | Score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up | Winner's share ($) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Petersburg Open Invitational | ||||||||
| 1964 | Bruce Devlin | 272 | −16 | 4 strokes |  Dan Sikes | 3,300 | ||
| 1963 | Raymond Floyd | 274 | −14 | 1 stroke | Dave Marr | 3,500 | ||
| 1962 | Bobby Nichols | 272 | −16 | 2 strokes | Frank Boynton | 2,800 | ||
| 1961 | Bob Goalby | 261 | −23 | 3 strokes | Ted Kroll | 2,800 | ||
| 1960 | George Bayer | 282 | −6 | Playoff | Jack Fleck | 2,000 | ||
| 1959 | Cary Middlecoff (2) | 275 | −13 | 3 strokes | Pete Cooper | 2,000 | ||
| 1958 | Arnold Palmer | 276 | −8 | 1 stroke | Dow Finsterwald Fred Hawkins | 2,000 | ||
| St. Petersburg Open | ||||||||
| 1957 | Pete Cooper | 269 | −15 | 4 strokes | Jack Burke Jr. | 1,700 | ||
| 1956 | Mike Fetchick | 275 | −13 | Playoff | Lionel Hebert | 2,200 | ||
| 1955 | Cary Middlecoff | 274 | −14 | 2 strokes | Jay Hebert | 2,200 | ||
| 1954: No tournament | ||||||||
| 1953 | Dutch Harrison | 266 | −18 | 1 stroke | Chick Harbert Dick Mayer | 2,000 | ||
| 1952 | Jack Burke Jr. (2) | 266 | −22 | 8 strokes | Al Besselink | 2,000 | ||
| 1951 | Jim Ferrier | 268 | −16 | 6 strokes | Al Brosch | 2,000 | ||
| 1950 | Jack Burke Jr. | 272 | −12 | 1 stroke | Chick Harbert | 2,000 | ||
| 1949 | Pete Cooper | 275 | −9 | 1 stroke | Cary Middlecoff | 2,000 | ||
| 1948 | Lawson Little | 272 | −16 | 3 strokes |  Bobby Locke | 2,000 | ||
| 1947 | Jimmy Demaret (2) | 280 | −4 | 3 strokes | Jim Ferrier | 2,000 | ||
| 1946 | Ben Hogan | 269 | −15 | 5 strokes | Sam Snead | 2,000 | ||
| 1943–1945: No tournament due to World War II | ||||||||
| 1942 | Sam Snead (3) | 286 | −2 | 3 strokes | Sam Byrd Chick Harbert Byron Nelson | 1,000 | ||
| 1941 | Sam Snead (2) | 279 | −5 | 2 strokes | Herman Barron Chick Harbert Ben Hogan Jug McSpaden | 1,200 | ||
| 1940 | Jimmy Demaret | 211 | −2 | 1 stroke | Byron Nelson | 700 | ||
| 1939 | Sam Snead | 207 | −9 | Playoff | Henry Picard | 700 | ||
| 1938 | Johnny Revolta | 282 | −2 | Playoff | Chandler Harper | 700 | ||
| 1937 |  Harry Cooper | 284 | −4 | Playoff | Ralph Guldahl Horton Smith | 700 | ||
| 1936 | Leonard Dodson | 283 | −3 | Playoff | Harry Cooper | 500 | ||
| 1935: No tournament | ||||||||
| 1934 | Paul Runyan | 141 | −3 | 3 strokes | Bill Mehlhorn | 200 | ||
| 1933 | Bob Stupple | 144 | +1 | 1 stroke | Denny Shute Al Watrous | 275 | ||
| 1932 |  Willie Macfarlane | 209 | −7 | 1 stroke | Dave Hackney | 500 | ||
| 1931: No tournament | ||||||||
| 1930 | Jock Collins | 141 | +1 | 1 stroke | Horton Smith Frank Walsh | 1,000 | ||