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Motor City Open
Tournament information
Location Detroit, Michigan
Established1948
Course(s)Knollwood Country Club
Par71
Tour(s) PGA Tour
Format Stroke play
Prize fund US$35,000
Month playedJuly
Final year1962
Tournament record score
Aggregate267 Bruce Crampton (1962)
To par−17 as above
Final champion
Australia Bruce Crampton
Location map
Knollwood CC is located in the United States
Knollwood CC
Knollwood CC
Location in the United States
Knollwood CC is located in Michigan
Knollwood CC
Knollwood CC
Location in Michigan

The Motor City Open was a PGA Tour event played at various clubs in and around Detroit for just under two decades. The PGA Tour record for the longest sudden-death playoff was established at the 1949 Motor City Open. Cary Middlecoff and Lloyd Mangrum played 11 holes at Meadowbrook Country Club in Northville, Michigan and were still stalemated when darkness arrived. Tournament officials, with their mutual consent, declared them co-winners. [1] [2]

In 1955, the Motor City Open was originally to be played at Meadowbrook Country Club. This was abandoned however, when Meadowbrook CC professional, Chick Harbert, won the PGA Championship in 1954. Meadowbrook petitioned for and won the opportunity to host the 1955 PGA Championship. Due to this development, the Motor City Open was not held in 1955. This is the only time that a defending champion of a major championship has hosted the tournament the following year.

In 2019 the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club in the city of Detroit replaced The National in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

Tournament hosts

Winners

Year Winner Score To par Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1962 Australia Bruce Crampton 267 −17 3 strokes United States Dave Hill
United States Don Massengale
1960–61: No tournament
1959 United States Mike Souchak 268 −16 9 strokes United States Billy Casper
United States Doug Ford
1957–58: No tournament
1956 United States Bob Rosburg 284 −4 Playoff United States Ed Furgol
1955: No tournament
1954 United States Cary Middlecoff (3) 278 −6 2 strokes United States Tommy Bolt
United States Marty Furgol
United States Gene Littler
1953: No tournament
1952 United States Cary Middlecoff (2) 274 −14 Playoff United States Ted Kroll
1951: No tournament
1950 United States Lloyd Mangrum (2) 274 −14 1 stroke United States Sam Snead
1949 United States Lloyd Mangrum
United States Cary Middlecoff
273 −11 Title shared [a]
1948 United States Ben Hogan 275 −9 Playoff United States Dutch Harrison

Notes

  1. ^ Title shared when darkness ended play with Mangrum and Middlecoff still tied after eleven holes of a sudden-death playoff.

References

  1. ^ "World Golf Hall of Fame Cary Middlecoff bio". Retrieved 2007-11-05.
  2. ^ "Longest Sudden-Death Playoffs". Retrieved 2007-11-05.