Motor City Open
Encyclopedia
The Motor City Open was a PGA Tour
event played at various clubs in and around Detroit
for just under two decades. The PGA Tour record for the longest sudden-death playoff was established at the 1949 Motor City Open. Cary Middlecoff
and Lloyd Mangrum
played 11 holes at Meadowbrook Country Club in Northville, Michigan and were still stalemated when darkness arrived. Tournament officials, with their mutual consent, declared them co-winners.
In 1955, the Motor City Open was originally to be played at Meadowbrook Country Club. This was abandoned however, when Meadowbrook club professional, Chick Harbert, won the PGA Championship
in 1954. Meadowbrook petitioned for and won the opportunity to host the 1955 PGA Championship. Due to this development, the Motor City Open was not held in 1955. This is the only time that a defending champion of a major championship has hosted the tournament the following year.
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
event played at various clubs in and around Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
for just under two decades. The PGA Tour record for the longest sudden-death playoff was established at the 1949 Motor City Open. Cary Middlecoff
Cary Middlecoff
Emmett Cary Middlecoff was a dentist who gave up his practice to become a professional golfer on the PGA Tour in the 1940s....
and Lloyd Mangrum
Lloyd Mangrum
Lloyd Eugene Mangrum was an American professional golfer. He was known for his smooth swing and his relaxed demeanour on the course, which earned him the nickname "Mr. Icicle".Mangrum was born in Trenton, Texas...
played 11 holes at Meadowbrook Country Club in Northville, Michigan and were still stalemated when darkness arrived. Tournament officials, with their mutual consent, declared them co-winners.
In 1955, the Motor City Open was originally to be played at Meadowbrook Country Club. This was abandoned however, when Meadowbrook club professional, Chick Harbert, won the PGA Championship
PGA Championship
The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
in 1954. Meadowbrook petitioned for and won the opportunity to host the 1955 PGA Championship. Due to this development, the Motor City Open was not held in 1955. This is the only time that a defending champion of a major championship has hosted the tournament the following year.
Tournament hosts
- 1948, 1949, 1954, 1959 Meadowbrook Country ClubMeadowbrook Country ClubMeadowbrook Country Club is a country club in Northville Township, Wayne County, near Northville, Michigan. The idea for Meadowbrook Country Club, a private golf and social club, came about in 1916 when three Northville businessmen purchased of the Fred C. Cochran Farm. The club was named after a...
(Northville, MichiganNorthville, MichiganNorthville is a city located in and divided by Oakland and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of Michigan and a suburb in Metro Detroit. The population was 5,970 at the 2010 census. The Oakland County portion is surrounded by the city of Novi. The Wayne County portion is surrounded by Northville...
) - 1950, 1952 Red Run Golf Club (Royal Oak, MichiganRoyal Oak, MichiganRoyal Oak is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a suburb of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 57,236. It should not be confused with Royal Oak Charter Township, a separate community located nearby....
) - 1956 Western Golf and Country Club (Redford, Michigan)
- 1962 Knollwood Country Club (West Bloomfield, Michigan)
Winners
this list is possibly incomplete before 1948- 1962 Bruce CramptonBruce CramptonBruce Crampton is an Australian professional golfer.Crampton was born in Sydney, New South Wales, and attended Kogarah High School from 1948-1950. He turned professional in 1953....
- 1960-61 No tournament
- 1959 Mike SouchakMike SouchakMichael Souchak was an American professional golfer who won 15 times on the PGA Tour in the 1950s and 1960s, and played for the 1959 and 1961 Ryder Cup teams.-Early years, college:...
- 1957-58 No tournament
- 1956 Bob RosburgBob RosburgRobert Reginald "Rossie" Rosburg was an American professional golfer who later became a sports color analyst for ABC television.-Early years, college:Rosburg was born in San Francisco, California...
- 1955 No tournament
- 1954 Cary MiddlecoffCary MiddlecoffEmmett Cary Middlecoff was a dentist who gave up his practice to become a professional golfer on the PGA Tour in the 1940s....
- 1953 No tournament
- 1952 Cary MiddlecoffCary MiddlecoffEmmett Cary Middlecoff was a dentist who gave up his practice to become a professional golfer on the PGA Tour in the 1940s....
- 1951 No tournament
- 1950 Lloyd MangrumLloyd MangrumLloyd Eugene Mangrum was an American professional golfer. He was known for his smooth swing and his relaxed demeanour on the course, which earned him the nickname "Mr. Icicle".Mangrum was born in Trenton, Texas...
- 1949 Cary MiddlecoffCary MiddlecoffEmmett Cary Middlecoff was a dentist who gave up his practice to become a professional golfer on the PGA Tour in the 1940s....
, Lloyd MangrumLloyd MangrumLloyd Eugene Mangrum was an American professional golfer. He was known for his smooth swing and his relaxed demeanour on the course, which earned him the nickname "Mr. Icicle".Mangrum was born in Trenton, Texas...
(co-winners) - 1948 Ben HoganBen HoganWilliam Ben Hogan was an American golfer, generally considered one of the greatest players in the history of the game...