Suvarna Garge (Editor)

Michelob Championship

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Length
  
6,853 yards (6,266 m)

Month played
  
October

Established
  
1968 PGA Tour

Par
  
71

Format
  
Stroke play - 72 holes

Final year
  
2002, 15 years ago

Prize fund
  
3.7 million USD

Michelob Championship httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

Location
  
Williamsburg, Virginia Napa, California (1968–1980)

Course(s)
  
Kingsmill Golf Club, River Course (1981–2002) Silverado Country Club North Course (1968–1980)

The Michelob Championship at Kingsmill was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour from 1968 to 2002. It was played in Virginia at the River Course of Kingsmill Golf Club outside of Williamsburg, from 1981 to 2002. From 1977 through 1995, it was known as the Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic.

Contents

The event was founded in 1968 as the Kaiser International Open Invitational, which was played in northern California at Silverado Country Club in Napa through 1980. In its second year, it was played twice. In January 1969, three days of rain washed out the final two rounds of play and 36-hole leader Miller Barber was declared the winner, but only half the prize money was distributed. The tournament was rescheduled for late October/early November and Jack Nicklaus was the winner in a four-man playoff, decided on the second extra hole on Monday.

The purse of the inaugural event in 1968 was $125,000, and Kermit Zarley took the winner's share of $25,000 in January for his first tour win. The final event in 2002 had a purse of $3.7 million, with a winner's share of $666,000 to Charles Howell III in early October.

From 2003 to 2009, a popular LPGA Tour event, the Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill, was played at the same location. In 2012, the LPGA Tour event returned, renamed as the Kingsmill Championship.

Winners

*The January 1969 edition of the tournament was shortened to 36 holes, and the tournament was rescheduled for November.

Tournament highlights

  • 1968: Kermit Zarley shot a final round 65 (–7) to win $25,000 at the inaugural event, a stroke ahead of Dave Marr.
  • January 1969: For the first time ever, due to three days of steady rain a 72-hole PGA Tour tourney is called off after only 36 holes. Miller Barber is the winner by one shot over Bruce Devlin.
  • November 1969: The Kaiser International is decided in a four-way playoff. Jack Nicklaus sank a 12-foot (3.7 m) birdie putt on the second hole of sudden death to defeat George Archer and Billy Casper. Don January was eliminated on the first playoff hole. Darkness after the first hole caused play to be called until Monday morning, which had a fog delay.
  • 1970: Ken Still makes a birdie on the first hole of sudden death to defeat Lee Trevino and Bert Yancey. Dave Hill misses the playoff by one shot after making a triple bogey on the 11th hole during the final round of play. Just before his disastrous hole, Hill and his playing partner Chi Chi Rodriguez exchanged angry words which required an official to settle their clash.
  • 1974: Johnny Miller collects his 8th triumph of the year. He wins by eight shots over Casper and Trevino.
  • 1975: Johnny Miller successfully defends his Kaiser title. He finishes three shots ahead of Rod Curl.
  • 1976: J. C. Snead foils Johnny Miller's attempt to win three consecutive Kaiser International titles. Snead shoots a final round 68 to finish two shots ahead of Miller and Gibby Gilbert.
  • 1977: Miller Barber wins in Napa for the second time. He shoots a final round 65 to rally from six shots back and defeat George Archer by two shots.
  • 1979: John Fought birdies the 72nd hole to win by one shot over Alan Tapie, Bobby Wadkins, and Buddy Gardner. It is Fought's second straight win on the PGA Tour.
  • 1981: John Mahaffey wins the first edition of the tournament after its transfer from California to Virginia. He beats Andy North by two shots.
  • 1983: Calvin Peete rallies from six shots back to successfully defend his Anheuser-Busch title, one shot in front of Tim Norris. Hal Sutton squandered the large lead, but wins the PGA Championship two weeks later.
  • 1984: Ronnie Black, seven shots behind when final round play began, shoots a 63 to win by one shot over Willie Wood.
  • 1986: Fuzzy Zoeller shoots a final round 64 to win by two shots over Jodie Mudd.
  • 1992: David Peoples makes bogey on both the 71st and 72nd holes but still holds on to win by one shot over Ed Dougherty, Jim Gallagher, and Bill Britton.
  • 1996: Scott Hoch sets the 72 hole scoring mark, 265, on his way to a four shot victory over Tom Purtzer.
  • 1997: Future #1 ranked player in the world and 2001 Open Championship winner David Duval wins for the first time ever on the PGA Tour. He birdies the first hole of a sudden death playoff to defeat Grant Waite and Duffy Waldorf.
  • 1998: David Duval successfully defends his Michelob Championship title. He finishes three shots ahead of Phil Tataurangi.
  • 1999: Tour rookie Notah Begay III notches his second victory. He defeats Tom Byrum in a sudden death playoff.
  • 2001: David Toms successfully defends his Michelob title. He finishes one shot ahead of Kirk Triplett.
  • 2002: Charles Howell III wins $666,000 at the final edition of the tournament, two shots ahead of Brandt Jobe and Scott Hoch.

    • References

    Michelob Championship Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA