Former golf tournament on the PGA Tour
The Kemper Open was a
golf tournament on the
PGA Tour from
1968 to
2006.
Perhaps more so than any other "regular" PGA Tour stop, the event wandered about, not just from course to course within a given metropolitan area, but along the East Coast. Originally sponsored by the
Kemper Corporation, the inaugural event was played in 1968 at
Pleasant Valley Country Club in
Sutton, Massachusetts, before moving to the
Quail Hollow Club in
Charlotte, North Carolina the following year, where it stayed through 1979. (The
Wells Fargo Championship is now held in Charlotte.) The event moved in
1980 to
Congressional Country Club in
Bethesda, Maryland, a suburb northwest of
Washington, D.C., and to
TPC at Avenel in
1987 in neighboring
Potomac.
Kemper Insurance dropped out as sponsor after the
2002 edition and was replaced by
Friedman Billings Ramsey, which renamed the event the FBR Capital Open for a single year in
2003.
Booz Allen Hamilton became the main sponsor in
2004, with the tournament being titled the Booz Allen Classic. The event returned to Congressional for a year in 2005 to accommodate renovations at Avenel.
The purse in 2006 was $5.0 million, with $900,000 going to the winner; due to rain delays it concluded on Tuesday without a gallery.
[1] In
1992,
Washington Redskins
quarterback
Mark Rypien, the reigning
Super Bowl MVP, was given a sponsor's exemption into the tournament,
[2] but shot rounds of 80 and 91 and missed the cut by 28 strokes.
[3]
[4] As the Kemper Open, it was often played two or three weeks prior to the
U.S. Open, making it a prime tune-up event; later it was either the week prior or after and many top players skipped it.. For 2007, the PGA Tour announced that it would reschedule the event for the fall, and Booz Allen declined to renew its sponsorship. The fall date was in turn canceled to make way for the new
AT&T National, to take place at the same time as the Classic had.
Also in 2006, the tournament ended on Tuesday due to persistent storms in the D.C. area. The conclusion of what turned out to be the final Booz Allen Classic was not televised.
A new format (invitation only), new host for the tournament (
Tiger Woods), and a return to
Congressional Country Club marked the July
2007 stop in Washington for the FedEx Cup, the
AT&T National. For record-keeping purposes, it is not a "successor" tournament officially, even though it is the "new" tour stop in the same region.
During the 1970s, the Kemper Open was among the highest purses on tour, exceeding the
majors.
Tournament highlights
- 1968:
Arnold Palmer shoots a final round 67 to win the inaugural version of the tournament. He finishes four shots ahead of
Bruce Crampton and
Art Wall Jr.
[5]
- 1971:
Tom Weiskopf wins his first Kemper Open title in a four-way sudden death playoff. He makes an eight-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole to beat
Lee Trevino,
Gary Player, and
Dale Douglass.
[6]
- 1972:
Doug Sanders rolls in a 30-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to edge Lee Trevino by one shot.
[7] It would be Sanders 20th and final PGA Tour triumph.
- 1975:
Raymond Floyd holes a 100-foot
chip shot for eagle during the final round on his way to a three-shot victory over Gary Player and
John Mahaffey. It is Floyd's first PGA Tour win since his
1969 PGA Championship triumph.
[8]
- 1977: Tom Weiskopf wins the Kemper Open for a third time. He beats
Bill Rogers and
George Burns by two shots.
[9]
- 1980: John Mahaffey wins the first Kemper Open played at the Congressional Country Club. He beats
Craig Stadler by three shots.
[10]
- 1982: Craig Stadler becomes the first Kemper Open winner to successfully defend his title. He beats
Seve Ballesteros by seven shots.
[11]
- 1983: This edition of the tournament may have been the most bizarre.
Fred Couples,
Scott Simpson, and
Chen Tze-chung playing together in the final group finished over one hour later than the previous group on the golf course. In spite of rounds of 77, 76, and 77 all three players finished tied for first along with
Gil Morgan and
Barry Jaeckel who had finished their rounds several hours earlier. Jaeckel, who spent time in a bar waiting for regulation play to conclude, is eliminated on the first playoff hole after he hits a wild tee shot.
[12] On the second hole, Couples scores a birdie to win his first PGA Tour title.
[13]
- 1984:
Greg Norman wins his first PGA Tour event, beating out Mark O'Meara by five shots, despite shooting a final round 73.
- 1985:
Bill Glasson sinks a 50-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to finish a 7-shot comeback and earn his first PGA Tour triumph. He beats
Larry Mize and
Corey Pavin by one shot.
[14]
- 1986:
Greg Norman wins the Kemper Open for a second time by defeating Larry Mize on the sixth hole of a sudden death playoff.
[15] Less than one year later, Mize would avenge his loss to Norman at the
1987 Masters Tournament.
- 1988:
Tom Kite's bid to successfully defend his Kemper Open title is foiled when
Morris Hatalsky beats him on the second hole of a sudden death playoff.
[16]
- 1992: Bill Glasson becomes the first and only tournament champion to win an edition of the tournament at both Congressional Country Club and TPC at Avenel. Glasson wins by one shot over
Howard Twitty,
Ken Green,
Mike Springer, and
John Daly.
[17]
- 1995:
Lee Janzen birdies the 72nd hole to earn a spot in a sudden death playoff with Corey Pavin. Janzen then birdies the first playoff hole to earn the victory.
[18]
- 1996: Future number two ranked player in the world,
Steve Stricker, wins for the first time on the PGA Tour. He beats
Mark O'Meara,
Grant Waite,
Scott Hoch, and
Brad Faxon by three shots.
[19]
- 1997:
Justin Leonard wins for the second time on the PGA Tour after
Mark Wiebe misses two-foot par putts on both the 71st and 72nd holes to finish one shot behind.
[20]
- 1999:
Rich Beem becomes the first PGA Tour rookie to win the tournament. His four round scoring total of 274 (−10) is good enough for a one-stroke triumph over
Bradley Hughes and Bill Glasson.
[21]
- 2004:
Adam Scott shoots a 72-hole tournament scoring record 263 on his way to a four-shot victory over
Charles Howell III.
[22]
Winners
Year |
Winner |
Score |
To par |
Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
Winner's share ($) |
Venue
|
Booz Allen Classic
|
2006 |
Ben Curtis |
264 |
−20 |
5 strokes |
Billy Andrade
Nick O'Hern
Pádraig Harrington
Steve Stricker |
900,000 |
TPC at Avenel
|
2005 |
Sergio García |
270 |
−14 |
2 strokes |
Ben Crane
Davis Love III
Adam Scott |
900,000 |
Congressional (Blue Course)
|
2004 |
Adam Scott |
263 |
−21 |
4 strokes |
Charles Howell III |
864,000 |
TPC at Avenel
|
FBR Capital Open
|
2003 |
Rory Sabbatini |
270 |
−14 |
4 strokes |
Joe Durant
Fred Funk
Duffy Waldorf |
810,000 |
TPC at Avenel
|
Kemper Insurance Open
|
2002 |
Bob Estes |
273 |
−11 |
1 stroke |
Rich Beem |
648,000 |
TPC at Avenel
|
2001 |
Frank Lickliter |
268 |
−16 |
1 stroke |
J. J. Henry |
630,000 |
TPC at Avenel
|
2000 |
Tom Scherrer |
271 |
−13 |
2 strokes |
Greg Chalmers
Kazuhiko Hosokawa
Franklin Langham
Justin Leonard
Steve Lowery |
540,000 |
TPC at Avenel
|
Kemper Open
|
1999 |
Rich Beem |
274 |
−10 |
1 stroke |
Bill Glasson
Bradley Hughes |
450,000 |
TPC at Avenel
|
1998 |
Stuart Appleby |
274 |
−10 |
1 stroke |
Scott Hoch |
360,000 |
TPC at Avenel
|
1997 |
Justin Leonard |
274 |
−10 |
1 stroke |
Mark Wiebe |
270,000 |
TPC at Avenel
|
1996 |
Steve Stricker |
270 |
−14 |
3 strokes |
Brad Faxon
Scott Hoch
Mark O'Meara
Grant Waite |
270,000 |
TPC at Avenel
|
1995 |
Lee Janzen |
272 |
−12 |
Playoff |
Corey Pavin |
252,000 |
TPC at Avenel
|
1994 |
Mark Brooks |
271 |
−13 |
3 strokes |
Bobby Wadkins
D. A. Weibring |
234,000 |
TPC at Avenel
|
1993 |
Grant Waite |
275 |
−9 |
1 stroke |
Tom Kite |
234,000 |
TPC at Avenel
|
1992 |
Bill Glasson (2) |
276 |
−8 |
1 stroke |
John Daly
Ken Green
Mike Springer
Howard Twitty |
198,000 |
TPC at Avenel
|
1991 |
Billy Andrade |
263 |
−21 |
Playoff |
Jeff Sluman |
180,000 |
TPC at Avenel
|
1990 |
Gil Morgan |
274 |
−10 |
1 stroke |
Ian Baker-Finch |
180,000 |
TPC at Avenel
|
1989 |
Tom Byrum |
268 |
−16 |
5 strokes |
Tommy Armour III
Billy Ray Brown
Jim Thorpe |
162,000 |
TPC at Avenel
|
1988 |
Morris Hatalsky |
274 |
−10 |
Playoff |
Tom Kite |
144,000 |
TPC at Avenel
|
1987 |
Tom Kite |
270 |
−14 |
7 strokes |
Chris Perry
Howard Twitty |
126,000 |
TPC at Avenel
|
1986 |
Greg Norman (2) |
277 |
−11 |
Playoff |
Larry Mize |
90,000 |
Congressional
|
1985 |
Bill Glasson |
278 |
−10 |
1 stroke |
Larry Mize
Corey Pavin |
90,000 |
Congressional
|
1984 |
Greg Norman |
280 |
−8 |
5 strokes |
Mark O'Meara |
72,000 |
Congressional
|
1983 |
Fred Couples |
287 |
−1 |
Playoff |
Chen Tze-chung
Barry Jaeckel
Gil Morgan
Scott Simpson |
72,000 |
Congressional
|
1982 |
Craig Stadler (2) |
275 |
−13 |
7 strokes |
Seve Ballesteros |
72,000 |
Congressional
|
1981 |
Craig Stadler |
270 |
−10 |
6 strokes |
Tom Watson
Tom Weiskopf |
72,000 |
Congressional
|
1980 |
John Mahaffey |
275 |
−5 |
3 strokes |
Craig Stadler |
72,000 |
Congressional
|
1979 |
Jerry McGee |
272 |
−16 |
1 stroke |
Jerry Pate |
63,000 |
Quail Hollow Club
|
1978 |
Andy Bean |
273 |
−15 |
5 strokes |
Mark Hayes
Andy North |
60,000 |
Quail Hollow Club
|
1977 |
Tom Weiskopf (3) |
277 |
−11 |
2 strokes |
George Burns
Bill Rogers |
50,000 |
Quail Hollow Club
|
1976 |
Joe Inman |
277 |
−11 |
1 stroke |
Grier Jones
Tom Weiskopf |
50,000 |
Quail Hollow Club
|
1975 |
Raymond Floyd |
278 |
−10 |
3 strokes |
John Mahaffey
Gary Player |
50,000 |
Quail Hollow Club
|
1974 |
Bob Menne |
270 |
−18 |
Playoff |
Jerry Heard |
50,000 |
Quail Hollow Club
|
1973 |
Tom Weiskopf (2) |
271 |
−17 |
3 strokes |
Lanny Wadkins |
40,000 |
Quail Hollow Club
|
1972 |
Doug Sanders |
275 |
−13 |
1 stroke |
Lee Trevino |
35,000 |
Quail Hollow Club
|
1971 |
Tom Weiskopf |
277 |
−11 |
Playoff |
Dale Douglass
Gary Player
Lee Trevino |
30,000 |
Quail Hollow Club
|
1970 |
Dick Lotz |
278 |
−10 |
1 stroke |
Lou Graham
Larry Hinson
Grier Jones
Tom Weiskopf |
30,000 |
Quail Hollow Club
|
1969 |
Dale Douglass |
274 |
−14 |
4 strokes |
Charles Coody |
30,000 |
Quail Hollow Club
|
1968 |
Arnold Palmer |
276 |
−12 |
4 strokes |
Bruce Crampton
Art Wall Jr. |
30,000 |
Pleasant Valley
|
References
External links
38°59′20″N 77°12′07″W / 38.989°N 77.202°W / 38.989; -77.202