NEC World Series of Golf

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NEC World Series of Golf
Tournament information
Location Akron, Ohio
Established 1976
Course(s) Firestone Country Club
South Course
Par 70
Tour(s) PGA Tour
Format Stroke play
Month played August
Tournament record score
Aggregate 262 José María Olazábal (1990)
To par −18 as above
Final champion
United States David Duval

The World Series of Golf was a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, played at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. From its inception in 1962 through 1975, it was an unofficial 36-hole event matching the winners of the four major championships.[1] In 1976 it became an official PGA Tour event; the field expanded to 20 players and the event was lengthened to 72 holes.[2] the victory and $100,000 winner's share went to Nicklaus.[3] The field increased further in later years, though it never exceeded fifty. NEC began sponsoring the event in 1984.

The tournament was last played in 1998. In 1999 Firestone Country Club became the host of the newly-created WGC-NEC Invitational, and has since hosted that tournament (now known as the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational) every year except one.

History

The World Series of Golf was founded as a four-man invitational event in 1962, comprising the winners of the four major championships in a 36-hole event.[1] A made-for-television exhibition, the competitors played in one group for $75,000 in unofficial prize money, televised by NBC.

1962–1975

The inaugural edition in September 1962 included only the "Big Three" of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player. Palmer had won two majors that year and a fourth competitor was not added. Palmer shot a course record 65 in the first round on Saturday, but fell back with a 74 on Sunday. Nicklaus won with 135, four strokes ahead of Palmer and Player. Nicklaus, age 22, won a then-staggering $50,000, with $15,000 for second and $5,000 each for third and fourth, split between the other two for $12,500 each.[4][5] The highest paying major at the time was the Masters with a winner's share of $20,000; Nicklaus had won $17,500 at the U.S. Open at Oakmont, which included a sizable $2,500 playoff bonus from the extra day's gate receipts, well-attended due to the presence of favorite son Palmer.

In 1963, Nicklaus won two majors, so a fourth player was added to the World Series via an 18-hole playoff between the three men who had lost playoffs in that year's majors; Palmer and Jacky Cupit in the U.S. Open and Phil Rodgers in the Open Championship.[6] Palmer prevailed in the August playoff by five strokes.[7] Nicklaus repeated as the World Series winner in September, one stroke ahead of Julius Boros, with Palmer in third and Bob Charles in fourth.[8]

The first year with four players as reigning major champions was 1964, the first without Nicklaus.[9] Tony Lema took the top spot, followed by Ken Venturi, Bobby Nichols, and Palmer.[10][11]

In the final year of the four-man format in 1975, Tom Watson won with a two-stroke advantage over runner-up Nicklaus. The money was the same as in 1962, except that third place received $7,500, claimed by Tom Weiskopf.[12] Nicklaus had won his second major of the year, the PGA Championship, at the same course a month earlier. In the fourteen editions of the event, Nicklaus played in ten, won four, and finished as runner-up in six.

In subsequent years, if one man won more than one major, the alternate was the Western Open or Canadian Open winner.[13][14][15][16][17]

The format of the four major winners in a 36-hole competition was later adopted by the PGA of America in 1979 for its PGA Grand Slam of Golf.

1976–1998

In 1976, it became a 72-hole, $300,000 PGA Tour event and its field was initially expanded to twenty;[2] the victory and $100,000 winner's share went to Nicklaus.[3] The largest first prize at a major in 1976 was $45,000 at the PGA Championship.

The World Series of Golf quickly became a leading event on the tour. For many years a victory in it gave a 10-year exemption on the PGA Tour, the same as was granted for a victory in a major championship at that time, and twice as long as is given even for winning a major now. The field consisted of the winners of all the high status men's professional golf tournaments around the world in the previous twelve months.

Winners

Year Winner Country Score To par Margin
of victory
Runner(s)-up Winner's
share ($)
NEC World Series of Golf
1998 David Duval  United States 269 −11 2 strokes United States Phil Mickelson 405,000
1997 Greg Norman (2)  Australia 273 −7 4 strokes United States Phil Mickelson 396,000
1996 Phil Mickelson  United States 274 −6 3 strokes United States Billy Mayfair
United States Duffy Waldorf
United States Steve Stricker
378,000
1995 Greg Norman  Australia 278 −2 Playoff United States Billy Mayfair
Zimbabwe Nick Price
360,000
1994 José María Olazábal (2)  Spain 269 −15 1 stroke United States Scott Hoch 360,000
1993 Fulton Allem  South Africa 270 −10 5 strokes United States Jim Gallagher, Jr.
Zimbabwe Nick Price
United States Craig Stadler
360,000
1992 Craig Stadler (2)  United States 273 −7 1 stroke United States Corey Pavin 252,000
1991 Tom Purtzer  United States 279 −1 Playoff United States Jim Gallagher, Jr.
United States Davis Love III
216,000
1990 José María Olazábal  Spain 262 −18 12 strokes United States Lanny Wadkins 198,000
1989 David Frost  South Africa 276 −4 Playoff United States Ben Crenshaw 180,000
1988 Mike Reid  United States 275 −5 Playoff United States Tom Watson 162,000
1987 Curtis Strange  United States 275 −5 3 strokes South Africa Fulton Allem 144,000
1986 Dan Pohl  United States 277 −3 1 stroke United States Lanny Wadkins 126,000
1985 Roger Maltbie  United States 268 −12 4 strokes Zimbabwe Denis Watson 126,000
1984 Denis Watson  Zimbabwe 271 −9 2 strokes United States Bruce Lietzke 126,000
World Series of Golf
1983 Nick Price  Zimbabwe 270 −10 4 strokes United States Jack Nicklaus 100,000
1982 Craig Stadler  United States 278 −2 Playoff United States Raymond Floyd 100,000
1981 Bill Rogers  United States 275 −5 1 stroke United States Tom Kite 100,000
1980 Tom Watson  United States 270 −10 2 strokes United States Raymond Floyd 100,000
1979 Lon Hinkle  United States 272 −8 1 stroke United States Larry Nelson
United States Bill Rogers
United States Lee Trevino
100,000
1978 Gil Morgan  United States 278 −2 Playoff United States Hubert Green 100,000
1977 Lanny Wadkins  United States 267 −13 5 strokes United States Hale Irwin
United States Tom Weiskopf
100,000
1976 Jack Nicklaus  United States 275 −5 4 strokes United States Hale Irwin 100,000
Pre-1976 (unofficial event)
Year Winner Second Third Fourth
1975 Tom Watson (O) Jack Nicklaus (MP) Tom Weiskopf (C[17]) Lou Graham (U)
1974 Lee Trevino (P) Gary Player (MO) Bobby Nichols (C[16]) Hale Irwin (U)
1973 Tom Weiskopf (O) (tie) Johnny Miller (U) & Jack Nicklaus (P) Tommy Aaron (M)
1972 Gary Player (P) (tie) Jack Nicklaus (MU) & Lee Trevino (O) Gay Brewer (C[15])
1971 Charles Coody (M) Jack Nicklaus (P) Lee Trevino (UO) Bruce Crampton (W[14])
1970 Jack Nicklaus (O) (tie) Billy Casper (M) & Dave Stockton (P) Tony Jacklin (U)
1969 Orville Moody (U) George Archer (M) (tie) Tony Jacklin (O) & Raymond Floyd (P)
1968 Gary Player (O) Bob Goalby (M) Julius Boros (P) Lee Trevino (U)
1967 Jack Nicklaus (U) Gay Brewer (M) Roberto De Vicenzo (O) Don January (P)
1966 Gene Littler (C[13]) (tie) Jack Nicklaus (MO) & Al Geiberger (P) Billy Casper (U)
1965 Gary Player (U) Jack Nicklaus (M) Peter Thomson (O) Dave Marr (P)
1964 Tony Lema (O) Ken Venturi (U) Bobby Nichols (P) Arnold Palmer (M)[11]
1963 Jack Nicklaus (MP) Julius Boros (U) Arnold Palmer (playoff)[6] Bob Charles (O)[8]
1962 Jack Nicklaus (U) (tie) Arnold Palmer (MO) & Gary Player (P)

Major winners: M = Masters, U = U.S. Open, O = Open Championship, P = PGA Championship
Alternate winners: C = Canadian Open, W = Western Open

  • Palmer won an 18-hole playoff between the three runners-up of the two majors' playoffs in 1963.
Place Money ($)
1 50,000
2 15,000
3 7,500
4 5,000
  • Third place was $5,000 in first three editions.

References

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