The Portland Open Invitational was a professional golf tournament in the northwest United States on the PGA Tour, played in Portland, Oregon. Established by Robert A. Hudson with a $10,000 purse in 1944, it was played from 1944 to 1948 and again from 1959 to 1966. The event was hosted eight times at the Portland Golf Club, and four times at the Columbia Edgewater Country Club. First played as the Portland Open, the revived 1959 event played as the Portland Centennial Open Invitational, in honor of Oregon's centennial of statehood.

Sam Snead won the inaugural event in 1944, and Ben Hogan won in 1945 by fourteen strokes, and also won the 1946 PGA Championship, then a match play event, held at the Portland Golf Club. The club also hosted the Ryder Cup in 1947; the U.S. team was captained by Hogan and won 11–1. Hogan was a runner-up in 1948, a stroke back in an 18-hole playoff.

The tournament was dominated by three-time winners Billy Casper (1959–61) and Jack Nicklaus (1962, 1964–65). Nicklaus' $3,500 win during his rookie season in 1962 concluded three weeks of victories; he took the massive winner's share of $50,000 in the exhibition World Series of Golf in Ohio, and then won his second tour title at the Seattle Open Invitational, which paid $4,300. Both Casper and Nicklaus won at both courses.

Bert Yancey won the last edition in 1966 and took only 102 putts. It stood as the tour's 72-hole record for fewest putts for over a decade, until Bob Menne had only 99 at the Tournament Players Championship in 1977, but tied for 47th.

Tournament hosts

VenueYears
Portland Golf Club1944, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1959, 1960, 1964, 1965
Columbia Edgewater Country Club1961, 1962, 1963, 1966

Winners

YearWinnerScoreTo parMargin of victoryRunner(s)-upPurse (US$)Winner's share ($)Ref.
Portland Open Invitational
1966United States Bert Yancey271−173 strokesUnited States Billy Casper50,0006,600
1965United States Jack Nicklaus (3)273−153 strokesUnited States Dave Marr50,0006,600
1964United States Jack Nicklaus (2)275−133 strokesUnited States Ken Venturi40,0005,800
1963Canada George Knudson272−16PlayoffUnited States Mason Rudolph30,0004,300
1962United States Jack Nicklaus269−191 strokeUnited States George Bayer25,0003,500
1961United States Billy Casper (3)273−151 strokeUnited States Dave Hill25,0003,500
1960United States Billy Casper (2)266−222 strokesUnited States Paul Harney27,5002,800
Portland Centennial Open Invitational
1959United States Billy Casper269−193 strokesUnited States Bob Duden United States Dave Ragan20,0002,800
Portland Open Invitational
1949–1958: No tournament
1948United States Fred Haas270−18PlayoffUnited States Ben Hogan (2nd) United States Johnny Palmer (3rd)15,0002,450
1947United States Charles Congdon270−186 strokesUnited States Clayton Heafner United States Herman Keiser United States Johnny Palmer United States George Payton10,0002,000
1946: No tournament'
1945United States Ben Hogan261−2714 strokesUnited States Byron Nelson14,3332,666
Portland Open
1944United States Sam Snead289+12 strokesUnited States Mike Turnesa16,0002,675

Playoffs

  • 1948: 18-hole Monday playoff: Haas 70 (−2), Hogan 71 (−1), Palmer 75 (+3).
  • 1963: Knudson chipped in for eagle on the first playoff hole, a par-5, for the win; Rudolph nearly matched it, but his bounced out.

See also

45°28′37″N 122°45′47″W/45.477°N 122.763°W/ 45.477; -122.763