The Tacoma Open Invitational was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour that was played in 1948 and won by Ed Oliver in a one-hole playoff with Cary Middlecoff after the two had survived a five-man, 18-hole playoff — the first in tour history. Oliver eagled the final playoff hole; Middlecoff birdied it. Byron Nelson, who in 1945 won a record-setting 18 tournaments including 11 consecutively, ended up tied for ninth in the tournament — his worst finish of the year. In 1945, the event played as the Tacoma Open and was won by Jimmy Hines by one stroke over Harold "Jug" McSpaden.
Both events were held at Fircrest Golf Club, an 18-hole, par-71 private club located just west of Tacoma. Construction on the course began in 1923 under the direction of Arthur Vernon Macan. It opened in 1924. Fircrest hosted the Carling Open Invitational in 1960.
Winners
| Year | Player | Country | Score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up | Winner's share ($) |
Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tacoma Open Invitational | ||||||||
| 1948 | Ed Oliver |  United States |
274 | −10 | Playoff |  Chuck Congdon Vic Ghezzi Fred Haas Cary Middlecoff |
2,150 | |
| 1946–1947: No tournament | ||||||||
| Tacoma Open | ||||||||
| 1945 | Jimmy Hines | United States |
275 | −5 | 1 stroke | Jug McSpaden |
2,000 | |
References
- ^ Paul Nyhan (August 21, 2002). "Tour History in Washington". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2009-05-12.
- ^ "Fircrest Golf Club - About Us". Archived from the original on 2009-02-14. Retrieved 2009-05-13.
- "Welcome to Fircrest Golf Club". Archived from the original on 2010-02-10. Retrieved 2009-05-13.
- "Ed Oliver Wins 5-man Playoff". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. September 21, 1948. p. 16.
- "Jimmy Hines Tocama Winner". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. October 8, 1945. p. 7.