Western Open

Western Open
Tournament information
Location	Lemont, Illinois
Established	1899
Course(s)	Cog Hill Golf & Country Club; (Dubsdread Course)
Par	71
Length	7,309 yards (6,683 m)
Organized by	Western Golf Association
Tour(s)	PGA Tour
Format	Stroke play
Prize fund	US$5,000,000
Month played	July
Final year	2006
Tournament record score
Aggregate	267 Scott Hoch (2001); 267 Tiger Woods (2003)
To par	−21 as above
Final champion
	Trevor Immelman
Location map
	Cog Hill G&CC Location in the United States Cog Hill G&CC Location in Illinois

The Western Open was a professional golf tournament in the United States, for most of its history an event on the PGA Tour.

The tournament's founding in 1899 actually pre-dated the start of the Tour, which is generally dated from 1916, the year the PGA of America was founded. The Western Open, organized by the Western Golf Association, was first played in September 1899 at the Glen View Club in Golf, Illinois the week preceding the U.S. Open. At the time of its final edition in 2006, it was the third-oldest active PGA Tour tournament, after The Open (1860) and U.S. Open (1895). The tournament was held a total of 103 times over the course of 108 years. The event was not held in 1900, 1918 (World War I), and 1943–45 (World War II). Players from the U.S. won the tournament 77 times, followed by Scotland with fifteen wins. Walter Hagen had the most victories with five, and seventeen others won the event at least twice. The champions' list includes two amateurs: Chick Evans in 1910 and Scott Verplank in 1985.

Beginning in 2007, the Western Open was renamed the BMW Championship, the penultimate event of the FedEx Cup playoff series. Played with the PGA Tour's point system as the sole qualification standard, it is no longer open to amateurs.

Title sponsorship was introduced in 1987, and included Beatrice, Centel, Sprint, Motorola, Advil, Golf Digest, and Cialis.

History

The Western Open, founded and run by the Western Golf Association, was first played in 1899 in Illinois at the Glen View Club in Golf, a northern suburb of Chicago^[2] Like the U.S. Open, in its early days it was almost exclusively won by immigrant golf professionals from the British Isles, most of whom gained full citizenship to the United States. In its early decades it was widely regarded as one of the premier golf tournaments in the USA, along with other notables of the day like the North and South Open, the PGA Championship and the Shawnee Open.

The Western Golf Association was, in some ways, and for some years, something of a rival to the United States Golf Association, especially in the midwestern and western sections of the country.^[3]

From the event's inception through 1961, it was played at a variety of midwestern locations, as well as places such as Arizona (Phoenix), Utah (Salt Lake City) and California (San Francisco, Los Angeles). In 1923, it was held in Tennessee at the Colonial Country Club in Memphis.^[2]

Beginning in 1962, the Western Open settled within the Chicago metropolitan area and was held at a variety of courses through 1973. In 1974, it found an annual home at the Butler National Golf Club in Oak Brook, a western suburb. It was played here through 1990, when the PGA Tour adopted a policy of holding events only at clubs which allowed minorities and women to be members.^[4]^[5] It moved in 1991 to Cog Hill Golf & Country Club in Lemont, southwest of Chicago.^[4]^[6] A 72-hole public complex, its Dubsdread Course hosted the Western Open for sixteen editions, through 2006.^[2]

In 1899, the prize fund was $150, and Willie Smith's winner's share was fifty dollars. The purse in 2006 was $5 million, with $900,000 to the final winner, Trevor Immelman.

During the second round of the 1975 tournament on Friday, June 27, Lee Trevino and Jerry Heard were struck by lightning on the 13th green of Butler National while waiting out a rain delay.^[7]^[8]^[9] Also struck at other parts of the course were Bobby Nichols, Jim Ahern, and Tony Jacklin.^[10]^[11]^[12]

BMW Championship

In 2007, the Western Open was renamed—and changed in terms of invitational criteria—to the BMW Championship, part of the four-event FedEx Cup Playoff Series. The Western Golf Association continues to run the tournament. The BMW Championship is the last FedEx Cup playoff event before The Tour Championship

Winners

Year	Winner	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up	Venue	Location
Cialis Western Open
2006	Trevor Immelman	271	−13	2 strokes	Mathew Goggin Tiger Woods	Cog Hill	Lemont, Illinois
2005	Jim Furyk	270	−14	2 strokes	Tiger Woods	Cog Hill	Lemont, Illinois
2004	Stephen Ames	274	−10	2 strokes	Steve Lowery	Cog Hill	Lemont, Illinois
Western Open
2003	Tiger Woods (3)	267	−21	5 strokes	Rich Beem	Cog Hill	Lemont, Illinois
Advil Western Open
2002	Jerry Kelly	269	−19	2 strokes	Davis Love III	Cog Hill	Lemont, Illinois
2001	Scott Hoch	267	−21	1 stroke	Davis Love III	Cog Hill	Lemont, Illinois
2000	Robert Allenby	274	−14	Playoff	Nick Price	Cog Hill	Lemont, Illinois
Motorola Western Open
1999	Tiger Woods (2)	273	−15	3 strokes	Mike Weir	Cog Hill	Lemont, Illinois
1998	Joe Durant	271	−17	2 strokes	Vijay Singh	Cog Hill	Lemont, Illinois
1997	Tiger Woods	275	−13	3 strokes	Frank Nobilo	Cog Hill	Lemont, Illinois
1996	Steve Stricker	270	−18	8 strokes	Billy Andrade Jay Don Blake	Cog Hill	Lemont, Illinois
1995	Billy Mayfair	279	−9	1 stroke	Jay Haas Justin Leonard Jeff Maggert Scott Simpson	Cog Hill	Lemont, Illinois
1994	Nick Price (2)	277	−11	1 stroke	Greg Kraft	Cog Hill	Lemont, Illinois
Sprint Western Open
1993	Nick Price	269	−19	5 strokes	Greg Norman	Cog Hill	Lemont, Illinois
Centel Western Open
1992	Ben Crenshaw	276	−12	1 stroke	Greg Norman	Cog Hill	Lemont, Illinois
1991	Russ Cochran	275	−13	2 strokes	Greg Norman	Cog Hill	Lemont, Illinois
1990	Wayne Levi	275	−13	4 strokes	Payne Stewart	Butler National	Oak Brook, Illinois
Beatrice Western Open
1989	Mark McCumber (2)	275	−13	Playoff	Peter Jacobsen	Butler National	Oak Brook, Illinois
1988	Jim Benepe	278	−10	1 stroke	Peter Jacobsen	Butler National	Oak Brook, Illinois
1987	D. A. Weibring	207	−9	1 stroke	Larry Nelson Greg Norman	Butler National	Oak Brook, Illinois
Western Open
1986	Tom Kite	286	−2	Playoff	Fred Couples David Frost Nick Price	Butler National	Oak Brook, Illinois
1985	Scott Verplank (a)	279	−9	Playoff	Jim Thorpe	Butler National	Oak Brook, Illinois
1984	Tom Watson (3)	280	−8	Playoff	Greg Norman	Butler National	Oak Brook, Illinois
1983	Mark McCumber	284	−4	1 stroke	Tom Watson	Butler National	Oak Brook, Illinois
1982	Tom Weiskopf	276	−12	1 stroke	Larry Nelson	Butler National	Oak Brook, Illinois
1981	Ed Fiori	277	−11	4 strokes	Jim Colbert Greg Powers Jim Simons	Butler National	Oak Brook, Illinois
1980	Scott Simpson	281	−7	5 strokes	Andy Bean	Butler National	Oak Brook, Illinois
1979	Larry Nelson	286	−2	Playoff	Ben Crenshaw	Butler National	Oak Brook, Illinois
1978	Andy Bean	282	−6	Playoff	Bill Rogers	Butler National	Oak Brook, Illinois
1977	Tom Watson (2)	283	−5	1 stroke	Wally Armstrong Johnny Miller	Butler National	Oak Brook, Illinois
1976	Al Geiberger	288	+4	1 stroke	Joe Porter	Butler National	Oak Brook, Illinois
1975	Hale Irwin	283	−1	1 stroke	Bobby Cole	Butler National	Oak Brook, Illinois
1974	Tom Watson	287	+3	2 strokes	J. C. Snead Tom Weiskopf	Butler National	Oak Brook, Illinois
1973	Billy Casper (4)	272	−12	1 stroke	Larry Hinson Hale Irwin	Midlothian	Midlothian, Illinois
1972	Jim Jamieson	271	−13	6 strokes	Labron Harris Jr.	Sunset Ridge	Northfield, Illinois
1971	Bruce Crampton	279	−5	2 strokes	Bobby Nichols	Olympia Fields	Olympia Fields, Illinois
1970	Hugh Royer Jr.	273	−11	1 stroke	Dale Douglass	Beverly	Chicago, Illinois
1969	Billy Casper (3)	276	−8	4 strokes	Rocky Thompson	Midlothian	Midlothian, Illinois
1968	Jack Nicklaus (2)	273	−11	3 strokes	Miller Barber	Olympia Fields	Olympia Fields, Illinois
1967	Jack Nicklaus	274	−10	2 strokes	Doug Sanders	Beverly	Chicago, Illinois
1966	Billy Casper (2)	283	−1	3 strokes	Gay Brewer	Medinah	Medinah, Illinois
1965	Billy Casper	270	−14	2 strokes	Jack McGowan Chi-Chi Rodríguez	Tam O'Shanter	Niles, Illinois
1964	Chi-Chi Rodríguez	268	−16	1 stroke	Arnold Palmer	Tam O'Shanter	Niles, Illinois
1963	Arnold Palmer (2)	280	−4	Playoff	Julius Boros Jack Nicklaus	Beverly	Chicago, Illinois
1962	Jacky Cupit	281	−3	2 strokes	Billy Casper	Medinah	Medinah, Illinois
1961	Arnold Palmer	271	−13	2 strokes	Sam Snead	Blythefield	Belmont, Michigan
1960	Stan Leonard	278	−10	Playoff	Art Wall Jr.	Western	Redford, Michigan
1959	Mike Souchak	272	−8	1 stroke	Arnold Palmer	Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1958	Doug Sanders	275	−13	1 stroke	Dow Finsterwald	Red Run	Royal Oak, Michigan
1957	Doug Ford	279	−5	Playoff	George Bayer Gene Littler Billy Maxwell	Plum Hollow	Southfield, Michigan
1956	Mike Fetchick	284	−4	Playoff	Doug Ford Jay Hebert Don January	Presidio	San Francisco, California
1955	Cary Middlecoff	272	−16	2 strokes	Mike Souchak	Portland	Portland, Oregon
1954	Lloyd Mangrum (2)	277	−7	Playoff	Ted Kroll	Kenwood	Cincinnati, Ohio
1953	Dutch Harrison	278	−2	4 strokes	Ed Furgol Fred Haas Lloyd Mangrum	Bellerive	Saint Louis, Missouri
1952	Lloyd Mangrum	274	−6	8 strokes	Bobby Locke	Westwood	Saint Louis, Missouri
1951	Marty Furgol	270	−10	1 stroke	Cary Middlecoff	Davenport	Pleasant Valley, Iowa
1950	Sam Snead (2)	282	−2	1 stroke	Jim Ferrier Dutch Harrison	Brentwood	Los Angeles, California
1949	Sam Snead	268	−20	4 strokes	Cary Middlecoff	Keller	Saint Paul, Minnesota
1948	Ben Hogan (2)	281	−7	Playoff	Ed Oliver	Brookfield	Clarence, New York
1947	Johnny Palmer	270	−18	1 stroke	Bobby Locke Ed Oliver	Salt Lake City	Salt Lake City, Utah
1946	Ben Hogan	271	−17	4 strokes	Lloyd Mangrum	Sunset	Saint Louis, Missouri
1943–1945: No tournament due to World War II
1942	Herman Barron	276	−8	2 strokes	Henry Picard	Phoenix	Phoenix, Arizona
1941	Ed Oliver	275	−9	3 strokes	Ben Hogan Byron Nelson	Phoenix	Phoenix, Arizona
1940	Jimmy Demaret	293	+9	Playoff	Toney Penna	River Oaks	Houston, Texas
1939	Byron Nelson	281	−2	1 stroke	Lloyd Mangrum	Medinah	Medinah, Illinois
1938	Ralph Guldahl (3)	279	−5	7 strokes	Sam Snead	Westwood	Saint Louis, Missouri
1937	Ralph Guldahl (2)	288	E	Playoff	Horton Smith	Canterbury	Beachwood, Ohio
1936	Ralph Guldahl	274	−10	3 strokes	Ray Mangrum	Davenport	Pleasant Valley, Iowa
1935	Johnny Revolta	290	+6	4 strokes	Willie Goggin	South Bend	South Bend, Indiana
1934	Harry Cooper	274	−14	Playoff	Ky Laffoon	Country Club of Peoria	Peoria Heights, Illinois
1933	Macdonald Smith (3)	282	E	6 strokes	Tommy Armour	Olympia Fields	Olympia Fields, Illinois
1932	Walter Hagen (5)	287	−1	1 stroke	Olin Dutra	Canterbury	Beachwood, Ohio
1931	Ed Dudley	280	−4	4 strokes	Walter Hagen	Miami Valley	Dayton, Ohio
1930	Gene Sarazen	278	−10	7 strokes	Al Espinosa	Indianwood	Lake Orion, Michigan
1929	Tommy Armour	273	−7	8 strokes	Horton Smith	Ozaukee	Mequon, Wisconsin
1928	Abe Espinosa	291	+3	3 strokes	Johnny Farrell	North Shore	Glenview, Illinois
1927	Walter Hagen (4)	281	−1	4 strokes	Al Espinosa Bill Mehlhorn	Olympia Fields	Olympia Fields, Illinois
1926	Walter Hagen (3)	279	−1	9 strokes	Harry Cooper Gene Sarazen	Highland	Indianapolis, Indiana
1925	Macdonald Smith (2)	281	−7	6 strokes	Leo Diegel Johnny Farrell Emmet French Walter Hagen Bill Mehlhorn	Youngstown	Youngstown, Ohio
1924	Bill Mehlhorn	293	+5	8 strokes	Al Watrous	Calumet	Homewood, Illinois
1923	Jock Hutchison (2)	281	−3	6 strokes	Bobby Cruickshank Leo Diegel Walter Hagen Joe Kirkwood, Sr.	Colonial	Cordova, Tennessee
1922	Mike Brady	291	+3	10 strokes	Laurie Ayton, Snr Jock Hutchison	Oakland Hills	Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
1921	Walter Hagen (2)	287	+3	5 strokes	Jock Hutchison	Oakwood	Cleveland Heights, Ohio
1920	Jock Hutchison	296	+4	1 stroke	Jim Barnes Clarence Hackney Harry Hampton	Olympia Fields	Olympia Fields, Illinois
1919	Jim Barnes (3)	283	+3	3 strokes	Leo Diegel	Mayfield	Lyndhurst, Ohio
1918: No tournament due to World War I
1917	Jim Barnes (2)	283	−5	2 strokes	Walter Hagen	Westmoreland	Wilmette, Illinois
1916	Walter Hagen	286	−2	1 stroke	Jock Hutchison George Sargent	Blue Mound	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
1915	Tom McNamara	304	+4	2 strokes	Alex Cunningham	Glen Oak	Glen Ellyn, Illinois
1914	Jim Barnes	293	−3	1 stroke	Willie Kidd	Interlachen	Edina, Minnesota
1913	John McDermott	295	−1	7 strokes	Mike Brady	Memphis	Memphis, Tennessee
1912	Macdonald Smith	299	+11	3 strokes	Alex Robertson	Idlewild	Flossmoor, Illinois
1911	Bobby Simpson (2)	2 and 1			Tom McNamara	Kent	Grand Rapids, Michigan
1910	Chick Evans (a)	6 and 5			George Simpson	Beverly	Chicago, Illinois
1909	Willie Anderson (4)	288		9 strokes	Stewart Gardner	Skokie	Glencoe, Illinois
1908	Willie Anderson (3)	299		1 stroke	Fred McLeod	Normandie	Saint Louis, Missouri
1907	Bobby Simpson	307		2 strokes	Willie Anderson Fred McLeod	Hinsdale	Clarendon Hills, Illinois
1906	Alex Smith (2)	306		3 strokes	Jack Hobens	Homewood	Flossmoor, Illinois
1905	Arthur Smith	278		2 strokes	James Maiden	Cincinnati	Cincinnati, Ohio
1904	Willie Anderson (2)	304		4 strokes	Alex Smith	Kent	Grand Rapids, Michigan
1903	Alex Smith	318		2 strokes	Laurie Auchterlonie David Brown	Milwaukee	River Hills, Wisconsin
1902	Willie Anderson	299		5 strokes	Willie Smith Bert Way	Euclid	Cleveland Heights, Ohio
1901	Laurie Auchterlonie	160		2 strokes	David Bell	Midlthian	Midlothian, Illinois
1900: No tournament
1899	Willie Smith	156		Playoff	Laurie Auchterlonie	Glen View	Golf, Illinois

References

^ "Scoreboard: PGA Tour". Eugene Register-Guard. July 10, 2006. p. D4.
^ ^a ^b ^c Lis, Walter (September 6, 2011). "Western Open Golf Tournament". ChicagoGolfReport.com. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
^ "History of the PGA Tour", by Al Barkow, 1989.
^ ^a ^b Hanley, Reid (September 12, 1990). "Western moves to Cog Hill". Chicago Tribune. p. 3, sec. 4.
^ "Western to move to Cog Hill". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. September 12, 1990. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
^ Green, Bob (July 4, 1991). "Norman's entry helps Western". The Item. (Sumter, South Carolina). Associated Press. p. 3B.
^ Husar, John; Jauss, Bill (June 28, 1975). "Lightning fells 3 at Western Open". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, sec. 1.
^ Husar, John (June 29, 1975). "Heard may still play in Western". Chicago Tribune. p. 6, sec. 3.
^ "Trevino's survival a minor miracle". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. June 29, 1975. p. 1B.
^ "Trevino, two others survive lightning bolts". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. June 28, 1975. p. 1B.
^ "Lightning hits Trevino, 4 other golfers". Milwaukee Journal. press dispatches. June 28, 1975. p. 11.
^ "Lightning is a big shocker for 3 golfers". Miami News. Chicago Daily News Service. June 28, 1975. p. 3B.