Greater Jacksonville Open

Template:Short description Template:Short description Template:Template other The Greater Jacksonville Open was a PGA Tour event that was played from 1945 until 1976.

Shortly after World War II, the Jacksonville Open began play as a PGA Tour event in Jacksonville, Florida at the Hyde Park Golf Club until it was discontinued in the mid-1950s. In the mid-1960s, the PGA Tour came to town again. This time the event was initially named the Jacksonville Open again and changed for the 1968 event to the Jacksonville Open Invitational. The name was changed to the Greater Jacksonville Open for the 1969 event.

The Greater Jacksonville Open was discontinued after the 1976 tournament when the PGA Tour decided to relocate The Players Championship to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The PGA Tour had been looking for some time for a permanent home for the marquee event which has professional golf's highest prize fund and is sometimes referred to as the "fifth major". The Players Championship had been played at the Atlanta Country Club in Marietta, Georgia in 1974, the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth in 1975 and at the Inverrary Country Club in Ft. Lauderdale in 1976. The Greater Jacksonville Open laid the groundwork and provided much of the infrastructure for the modern Players Championship, which was first played in Ponte Vedra Beach in 1977.

Tournament highlights

• 1947: During his third round, Ben Hogan scores eleven on the par-3 6th hole.
• 1952: At the end of regulation play, Doug Ford and Sam Snead were tied for the lead. An 18-hole playoff was scheduled for the next day but rather than play, Snead forfeited. The forfeit stemmed from a ruling Snead received during the tournament's second round of play. On the 10th hole, Snead's drive landed behind an out of bounds stake. While Chick Harbert who was playing with Snead thought the ball was out of bounds, a rules official ruled differently due to the starter not telling players the stakes had been moved since the previous day's play had ended. Afterwards Snead explained why he forfeited even though Ford suggested they play sudden death for the title. "I want to be fair about it. I don't want anyone to think I took advantage of the ruling."
• 1965: Bert Weaver wins the first modern version of the tournament. He finishes one shot ahead of Bruce Devlin, Jack Nicklaus, Bob Charles, and Dave Marr.
• 1966: Jack Nicklaus makes a double eagle on the tournament's final hole but can finish no better than tied for eighth. Doug Sanders is the winner by one shot over Gay Brewer.
• 1967: Jacksonville native Dan Sikes wins by one shot over Bill Collins.
• 1968: Tony Jacklin becomes the first English golfer to win on the PGA Tour. He finishes two shots ahead of DeWitt Weaver, Chi-Chi Rodríguez, Doug Sanders, and Don January.
• 1972: Tony Jacklin takes home his second Jacksonville title via a sudden death playoff win over John Jacobs. No Englishman would win a PGA Tour event on US soil again till Nick Faldo triumphed at the 1983 Sea Pines Heritage.
• 1975: Larry Ziegler shoots a final round 65 to win by two shots over Mike Morley and Mac McLendon.
• 1976: Hubert Green wins the last edition of the tournament. He finishes two shots ahead of Miller Barber.

Winners

Year	Winner	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
Greater Jacksonville Open
1976	Template:Flagicon Hubert Green (2)	276	−12	2 strokes	Template:Flagicon Miller Barber
1975	Template:Flagicon Larry Ziegler	276	−12	2 strokes	Template:Flagicon Mac McLendon Template:Flagicon Mike Morley
1974	Template:Flagicon Hubert Green	276	−12	3 strokes	Template:Flagicon John Mahaffey
1973	Template:Flagicon Jim Colbert	279	−9	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Lou Graham Template:Flagicon Johnny Miller Template:Flagicon Dan Sikes Template:Flagicon Jim Wiechers
1972	Template:Flagicon Tony Jacklin (2)	283	−5	Playoff	Template:Flagicon John Jacobs
1971	Template:Flagicon Gary Player	281	−7	Playoff	Template:Flagicon Hal Underwood
1970	Template:Flagicon Don January	279	−9	Playoff	Template:Flagicon Dale Douglass
1969	Template:Flagicon Raymond Floyd	278	−10	Playoff	Template:Flagicon Gardner Dickinson
Jacksonville Open Invitational
1968	Template:Flagicon Tony Jacklin	273	−15	2 strokes	Template:Flagicon Gardner Dickinson Template:Flagicon Don January Template:Flagicon Chi-Chi Rodríguez Template:Flagicon Doug Sanders Template:Flagicon DeWitt Weaver
Jacksonville Open
1967	Template:Flagicon Dan Sikes	279	−9	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Bill Collins
1966	Template:Flagicon Doug Sanders	273	−15	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Gay Brewer
1965	Template:Flagicon Bert Weaver	285	−3	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Bob Charles Template:Flagicon Bruce Devlin Template:Flagicon Dave Marr Template:Flagicon Jack Nicklaus
1954–1964: No tournament
1953	Template:Flagicon Lew Worsham	272	−16	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Jim Ferrier
1952	Template:Flagicon Doug Ford	280	−8	Playoff	Template:Flagicon Sam Snead
1951	Template:Flagicon Jim Ferrier	272	−16	11 strokes	Template:Flagicon Lloyd Mangrum Template:Flagicon Jack Shields
1950	Template:Flagicon Cary Middlecoff (2)	279	−9	2 strokes	Template:Flagicon George Fazio
1949	Template:Flagicon Cary Middlecoff	274	−10	2 strokes	Template:Flagicon Jerry Barber
1948	Template:Flagicon Chick Harbert	284	−4	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Skip Alexander Template:Flagicon Vic Ghezzi
1947	Template:Flagicon Clayton Heafner	281	−3	Playoff	Template:Flagicon Lew Worsham
1946	Template:Flagicon Sam Snead (2)	264	−24	4 strokes	Template:Flagicon Jimmy Demaret
1945	Template:Flagicon Sam Snead	266	−22	4 strokes	Template:Flagicon Bob Hamilton

External links

• Tournament results (1970–76) at GolfObserver.com