PGA Tour Buick Open

By Brent Kelley, About.com Guide

Vijay Singh is the only 3-time winner of the Buick Open.

Photo © Rich Hodge; used with permission

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About the PGA Tour Buick Open:

The Buick Open is a former tournament played on the PGA Tour. The event debuted in 1958, and was played for the final time in 2009. The event dropped off the PGA Tour for a few years in the early to mid-1970s, then regained its official PGA Tour status in 1977 before coming to an end when General Motors ended Buick's sponsorship.

2009 Tournament
Tiger Woods struggled with his putting during an opening round of 71, but roared up the leaderboard with a 63 in the second round. On the weekend he shot 65-69 to beat Roland Thatcher, Greg Chalmers and John Senden by three strokes.

2008 Tournament
Kenny Perry shot 66 in the final round to finish at 19-under 269 and with his second win in this event. Woody Austin and Bubba Watson both had chances, but Austin bogied the final two holes and Watson missed a 12-footer to tie on the 72nd hole.

Official Web site
PGA Tour tournament site

PGA Tour Buick Open Records:

72-hole record: 262 - Robert Wrenn, 1987
Course record: 61 at Warwick Hills - Billy Mayfair, 2001; Tiger Woods, 2005

PGA Tour Buick Open Golf Courses:

Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club in Grand Blanc, Mich., was the location when the Buick Open debuted in 1958, and hosted all but one of the official PGA Tour iterations of this event.

For several years the Buick Open was not an official tournament (more below), and two courses were the sites in those years: Flint Elks Country Club in Flint, Mich., and Benton Harbor Elks Country Club in Benton Harbor, Mich.

PGA Tour Buick Open Trivia and Notes:

As noted above, the Buick Open was been played from 1958 through 2009, but in a few of those years was not an official PGA Tour tournament. In 1970-71, no tournament was played. The Buick Open returned in 1972, but was not part of the PGA Tour from 1972-76. In 1977, it returned to the PGA Tour schedule and remained through 2009.

In the first round of the 1987 tournament, Dewey Arnette tied the PGA Tour record for most consecutive birdies with eight in a row. Too bad for Arnette that Robert Wrenn was busy setting the 72-hole tournament scoring record en route to victory that year.

When Chip Beck won in 1990, he started the fourth round eight strokes off the lead. That makes it one of the biggest final-round comebacks in Tour history.

And another great scoring performance: Billy Mayfair shot 27 on the back nine in his final round at the 2001 Buick Open. That ties for second-best on the PGA Tour's list of lowest 9-hole scores.

Tiger Woods holds the PGA Tour record for most consecutive cuts made, and his streak of 142 straight began at the 1998 Buick Open.

Billy Casper won the first Buick Open in 1958.

Tony Lema was the first two-time winner and first back-to-back winner with victories in 1964-65.

Vijay Singh and Tiger Woods share the tournament record with three wins each. Singh is also the only golfer other than Lema to win this event in consecutive years.

Julius Boros and Kenny Perry are the only other multiple winners of the Buick Open.

PGA Tour Buick Open Winners:

(p-playoff)

Buick Open
2009 - Tiger Woods, 268
2008 - Kenny Perry, 269
2007 - Brian Bateman, 273
2006 - Tiger Woods, 264
2005 - Vijay Singh, 264
2004 - Vijay Singh, 265
2003 - Jim Furyk, 267
2002 - Tiger Woods, 271
2001 - Kenny Perry, 263
2000 - Rocco Mediate, 268
1999 - Tom Pernice Jr., 270
1998 - Billy Mayfair, 271
1997 - Vijay Singh, 273
1996 - Justin Leonard, 266
1995 - Woody Austin-p, 270
1994 - Fred Couples, 270
1993 - Larry Mize, 272
1992 - Dan Forsman-p, 276
1991 - Brad Faxon-p, 271
1990 - Chip Beck, 272
1989 - Leonard Thompson, 273
1988 - Scott Verplank, 268
1987 - Robert Wrenn, 262
1986 - Ben Crenshaw, 270
1985 - Ken Green, 268
1984 - Denis Watson, 271
1983 - Wayne Levi, 272
1982 - Lanny Wadkins, 273
1981 - Hale Irwin-p, 277

Buick Goodwrench Open
1980 - Peter Jacobsen, 276
1979 - John Fought-p, 280
1978 - Jack Newton-p, 280

Flint Elks Open
1977 - Bobby Cole, 271

1970-76 - No tournament, or unofficial tournament

Buick Open Invitational
1969 - Dave Hill, 277
1968 - Tom Weiskopf, 280
1967 - Julius Boros, 283
1966 - Phil Rodgers, 284
1965 - Tony Lema, 280
1964 - Tony Lema, 277
1963 - Julius Boros, 274
1962 - Bill Collins, 284
1961 - Jack Burke Jr.-p, 284
1960 - Mike Souchak, 282
1959 - Art Wall-p, 282
1958 - Billy Casper, 285

More PGA Tour Tournaments

Brent Kelley
Golf Guide

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