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Buick Open

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Buick Open
Tournament information
LocationGrand Blanc, Michigan
Established1958
Course(s)Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club
Par72
Length7,085 yards (6,479 m)
Tour(s)PGA Tour
FormatStroke play
Prize fundUS$5,100,000
Month playedJuly/August
Final year2009
Tournament record score
Aggregate262 Robert Wrenn (1987)
To par−26 as above
Final champion
United States Tiger Woods
Location map
Warwick Hills G&CC is located in the United States
Warwick Hills G&CC
Warwick Hills G&CC
Location in the United States
Warwick Hills G&CC is located in Michigan
Warwick Hills G&CC
Warwick Hills G&CC
Location in Michigan

The Buick Open was a PGA Tour golf tournament from 1958 to 2009. In 2007, the tournament was held at the end of June, a change from its traditional spot between The Open Championship and the PGA Championship. Regardless, many prominent players used it as a "tune-up" for the subsequent major.

For the event's first decade, the Buick Open Invitational was played at Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club in Grand Blanc, Michigan. After 1969, professional golf events in the area fell off the PGA Tour schedule and a series of pro-ams and other similarly unofficial events took place, mostly at Flint Golf Club in Flint, Michigan.

Flint native, and PGA touring professional Larry Mancour had returned to Michigan to play in the Buick Open and stayed to build the Grand Blanc Golf Club. He then added nine holes at the Flint Elks Golf Club where he remained the professional for 20 years. He rescued the Buick Open when General Motors dropped sponsorship of the tournament. With local Buick dealers Mancour started the Little Buick Open in 1969. It drew players and fans and led to the rebirth of the Buick Open in 1977.

The Buick Open officially made its return to the PGA Tour in 1977 at the Flint Elks Club, and in 1978 the event returned to Warwick Hills G&CC, where it remained until its demise.

The Associated Press reported July 28, 2009, that General Motors would end its sponsorship of the Buick Open after the 2009 tournament, in order to devote its marketing resources to cars and trucks.[1] The PGA Tour replaced the tournament with the Greenbrier Classic at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.[2]

As in the 1970s, a series of pro-ams and other unofficial events now take place in Grand Blanc, with the AJGA's Randy Wise Open taking place at Warwick Hills and most pro-ams and a golf festival at the Jewel of Grand Blanc (the former Grand Blanc Golf Club).

In 2014, an unrelated tournament with the same name was started in China. The event is played on PGA Tour China.

In 2018, the former General Motors financing arm, now Ally Bank, returned to Warwick Hills to sponsor a PGA Tour Champions event, The Ally Challenge. Jim Furyk (2003, 2020) and Vijay Singh (2004, 2005, 2023) have won both events.

Long hitters

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In its final years, the tournament was dominated by long hitters. Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Brian Bateman, and Kenny Perry combined for eight wins in its final nine years. Several other players ranked highly in driving distance finished second during that span, including Woods, Jason Gore, Geoff Ogilvy, Bubba Watson, and John Daly.[3]

Winners

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Year Tour[a] Winner Score To par Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up Winner's
share ($)
Buick Open
2009 PGAT United States Tiger Woods (3) 268 −20 3 strokes Australia Greg Chalmers
Australia John Senden
United States Roland Thatcher
918,000
2008 PGAT United States Kenny Perry (2) 269 −19 1 stroke United States Woody Austin
United States Bubba Watson
900,000
2007 PGAT United States Brian Bateman 273 −15 1 stroke United States Woody Austin
United States Jason Gore
United States Justin Leonard
882,000
2006 PGAT United States Tiger Woods (2) 264 −24 3 strokes United States Jim Furyk 864,000
2005 PGAT Fiji Vijay Singh (3) 264 −24 4 strokes United States Zach Johnson
United States Tiger Woods
828,000
2004 PGAT Fiji Vijay Singh (2) 265 −23 1 stroke United States John Daly 810,000
2003 PGAT United States Jim Furyk 267 −21 2 strokes United States Briny Baird
United States Chris DiMarco
Australia Geoff Ogilvy
United States Tiger Woods
720,000
2002 PGAT United States Tiger Woods 271 −17 4 strokes United States Fred Funk
United States Brian Gay
United States Mark O'Meara
Mexico Esteban Toledo
594,000
2001 PGAT United States Kenny Perry 263 −25 2 strokes United States Chris DiMarco
United States Jim Furyk
558,000
2000 PGAT United States Rocco Mediate 268 −20 1 stroke United States Chris Perry 486,000
1999 PGAT United States Tom Pernice Jr. 270 −18 1 stroke United States Tom Lehman
United States Ted Tryba
United States Bob Tway
432,000
1998 PGAT United States Billy Mayfair 271 −17 2 strokes United States Scott Verplank 324,000
1997 PGAT Fiji Vijay Singh 273 −15 4 strokes United States Tom Byrum
United States Russ Cochran
South Africa Ernie Els
United States Brad Fabel
Japan Naomichi Ozaki
United States Curtis Strange
270,000
1996 PGAT United States Justin Leonard 266 −22 5 strokes United States Chip Beck 216,000
1995 PGAT United States Woody Austin 270 −18 Playoff United States Mike Brisky 216,000
1994 PGAT United States Fred Couples 270 −18 2 strokes United States Corey Pavin 198,000
1993 PGAT United States Larry Mize 272 −16 1 stroke United States Fuzzy Zoeller 180,000
1992 PGAT United States Dan Forsman 276 −12 Playoff Australia Steve Elkington
United States Brad Faxon
180,000
1991 PGAT United States Brad Faxon 271 −17 Playoff United States Chip Beck 180,000
1990 PGAT United States Chip Beck 272 −16 1 stroke United States Mike Donald
United States Hale Irwin
United States Fuzzy Zoeller
180,000
1989 PGAT United States Leonard Thompson 273 −15 1 stroke United States Billy Andrade
United States Payne Stewart
United States Doug Tewell
180,000
1988 PGAT United States Scott Verplank 268 −20 2 strokes United States Doug Tewell 126,000
1987 PGAT United States Robert Wrenn 262 −26 7 strokes United States Dan Pohl 108,000
1986 PGAT United States Ben Crenshaw 270 −18 1 stroke United States J. C. Snead
United States Doug Tewell
90,000
1985 PGAT United States Ken Green 268 −20 4 strokes Australia Wayne Grady 81,000
1984 PGAT Zimbabwe Denis Watson 271 −17 1 stroke United States Payne Stewart 72,000
1983 PGAT United States Wayne Levi 272 −16 1 stroke Japan Isao Aoki
United States Calvin Peete
63,000
1982 PGAT United States Lanny Wadkins 273 −15 1 stroke United States Tom Kite 63,000
1981 PGAT United States Hale Irwin 277 −11 Playoff United States Bobby Clampett
United States Peter Jacobsen
United States Gil Morgan
63,000
Buick-Goodwrench Open
1980 PGAT United States Peter Jacobsen 276 −12 1 stroke United States Billy Kratzert
United States Mark Lye
45,000
1979 PGAT United States John Fought 280 −8 Playoff United States Jim Simons 27,000
1978 PGAT Australia Jack Newton 280 −8 Playoff United States Mike Sullivan 20,000
Buick Open
1977 PGAT South Africa Bobby Cole 271 −17 1 stroke United States Fred Marti 20,000
1976 United States Ed Sabo 279 −9 Playoff United States Randy Erskine 12,000
1975 United States Spike Kelley 208 −8 1 stroke United States Randy Erskine
United States Jim Marshall
United States Mike McCullough
4,200
Flint Elks Open
1974 United States Bryan Abbott 136 −8 Playoff United States Joe Porter 2,000
Lake Michigan Classic
1973 Canada Wilf Homenuik 215 −1 Playoff United States Jim Ferriell 3,200
Vern Parsell Buick Open
1972 United States Gary Groh 273 −15 2 strokes United States John Mahaffey 4,000
Buick Open Invitational
1970–1971: No tournament
1969 PGAT United States Dave Hill 277 −11 2 strokes United States Frank Beard 25,000
1968 PGAT United States Tom Weiskopf 280 −8 1 stroke United States Mike Hill 25,000
1967 PGAT United States Julius Boros (2) 283 −5 3 strokes United States Bob Goalby
United States R. H. Sikes
United States Bert Yancey
20,000
1966 PGAT United States Phil Rodgers 284 −4 2 strokes United States Johnny Pott
United States Kermit Zarley
20,000
1965 PGAT United States Tony Lema (2) 280 −8 2 strokes United States Johnny Pott 20,000
1964 PGAT United States Tony Lema 277 −11 1 stroke United States Dow Finsterwald 8,000
1963 PGAT United States Julius Boros 274 −14 5 strokes United States Dow Finsterwald 9,000
1962 PGAT United States Bill Collins 284 −4 1 stroke United States Dave Ragan 9,000
1961 PGAT United States Jack Burke Jr. 284 −4 Playoff United States Billy Casper
United States Johnny Pott
9,000
1960 PGAT United States Mike Souchak 282 −6 1 stroke United States Gay Brewer
United States Art Wall Jr.
9,000
1959 PGAT United States Art Wall Jr. 282 −6 Playoff United States Dow Finsterwald 9,000
1958 PGAT United States Billy Casper 285 −3 1 stroke United States Ted Kroll
United States Arnold Palmer
9,000

Notes

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  1. ^ PGAT − PGA Tour.

References

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  1. ^ "AP Source: GM to End Sponsorship of Buick Open". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-07-28. [dead link] (Defunct prior to 7/10)
  2. ^ "Greenbrier Classic Announcement". Bloomberg. 2009-08-05. Retrieved 2009-08-05.
  3. ^ "Buick Open Winners". Archived from the original on 2012-09-07. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
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