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PGA Tour AT&T Classic

By Brent Kelley, About.com

Phil Mickelson - 2007 WGC CA Championship

Phil Mickelson is the only 3-time winner of the AT&T Classic.

Photo © Patrick Micheletti; used with permission

About the PGA Tour AT&T Classic:

The AT&T Classic was played - under various names - in the Atlanta area beginning in 1967. AT&T ceased its sponsorship following the 2008 tournament, and no replacement title sponsor was forthcoming, so the PGA Tour announced the end of the event. The Atlanta stop on the PGA Tour is no longer played.

2008 Tournament
Ryuji Imada won on the first playoff hole when Kenny Perry's approach shot flew the green, struck a tree, bounced back across the green and into water. Imada and Perry had finished at 15-under 273.

2007 Recap
Zach Johnson defeated Ryuji Imada in a playoff for his second victory in this event. The first was in 2005. Johnson posted rounds of 71-66-69-67 for a 273 total, the won with a birdie on the first playoff hole.

Official Web site
PGA Tour tournament site

PGA Tour AT&T Classic Records:

  • Overall record: 260 - Phil Mickelson, 2006
  • TPC Sugarloaf course record: 63 - Tiger Woods, 1998; Duffy Waldorf, 1999; Ben Crane, 2003; Phil Mickelson, 2006
  • Tournament course record: 61 - Andy Bean, 1979, Atlanta Country Club

PGA Tour AT&T Classic Golf Courses:

Over the course of its history, this event has been played at only two courses. The first was Atlanta Country Club, in the suburb of Marietta, which was host site from 1967 through 1996.

In 1997, the tournament moved to TPC Sugarloaf, a little farther outside of Atlanta in Duluth, Ga.

PGA Tour AT&T Classic Trivia and Notes:

  • This tournament was first played in 1967, and Bob Charles was the first winner.
  • Bob Lunn was the first two-time winner, claiming victory in 1968 and 1972.
  • In 1971, Gardner Dickinson defeated Jack Nicklaus in a playoff. But Nicklaus got his only win here two years later, in 1973. Nicklaus is sometimes credited with two wins in this tournament because he won at Atlanta Country Club in 1974. However, that win came in The Players Championship, not in the Atlanta Classic.
  • This event was played at Atlanta Country Club for about the first 30 years of its life. Twice in the 1970s, however, Atlanta Country Club was the site for another tournament, and thus what was then called the Atlanta Classic was not played. In 1974 The Players Championship was held at Atlanta CC, canceling the Atlanta Classic; and in 1976, the U.S. Open was played at Atlanta CC, canceling the Atlanta Classic.
  • Phil Mickelson was the first golfer to win this event in back-to-back years (2005-06) - but he wasn't the first back-to-back winner. Hale Irwin won in 1975, the tournament wasn't played in 1976, then Irwin won again in 1977 for two straight.
  • Mickelson is the only three-time winner of the tournament. In addition to his back-to-back victories, Mickelson also won in 2000.
  • Two of Mickelson's wins here - 2000 and 2005 - were in playoffs after weather forced the tournament to finish after just 54 holes. In 2006, Phil went the distance (72 holes) and set a tournament scoring record of 260. He won by 13 strokes that year.
  • Jack Nicklaus' son Gary never won the PGA Tour, but he came closest at the 2000 BellSouth Classic. That was one of the year Mickelson won in a playoff after 54 holes, and Gary Nicklaus is the player Mickelson defeated in that playoff.

    PGA Tour AT&T Classic - Past Winners:

    (p-playoff; w-weather shortened)

    AT&T Classic
    2008 - Ryuji Imada-p, 273
    2007 - Zach Johnson-p, 273

    BellSouth Classic
    2006 - Phil Mickelson, 260
    2005 - Phil Mickelson-p-w, 208
    2004 - Zach Johnson, 275
    2003 - Ben Crane, 272
    2002 - Retief Goosen, 272
    2001 - Scott McCarron, 280
    2000 - Phil Mickelson-p-w, 205
    1999 - David Duval, 270
    1998 - Tiger Woods, 271
    1997 - Scott McCarron, 274
    1996 - Paul Stankowski-p, 280
    1995 - Mark Calcavecchia, 271
    1994 - John Daly, 274
    1993 - Nolan Henke, 271
    1992 - Tom Kite, 272

    BellSouth Atlanta Golf Glassic
    1991 - Corey Pavin-p, 272
    1990 - Wayne Levi, 275
    1989 - Scott Simpson, 278

    Georgia-Pacific Atlanta Golf Classic
    1988 - Larry Nelson, 268
    1987 - Dave Barr, 265
    1986 - Bob Tway, 269
    1985 - Wayne Levi-p, 273
    1984 - Tom Kite, 269
    1983 - Calvin Peete-w, 206
    1982 - Keith Fergus-p, 273

    Atlanta Classic
    1981 - Tom Watson-p, 277
    1980 - Larry Nelson, 270
    1979 - Andy Bean, 265
    1978 - Jerry Heard, 269
    1977 - Hale Irwin, 273
    1976 - No tournament (U.S. Open played at host location instead)
    1975 - Hale Irwin, 271
    1974 - No tournament (Players Championship played at host location instead)
    1973 - Jack Nicklaus, 272
    1972 - Bob Lunn, 275
    1971 - Gardner Dickinson-p, 275
    1970 - Tommy Aaron, 275
    1969 - Bert Yancey-p, 277
    1968 - Bob Lunn, 280
    1967 - Bob Charles, 282

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