Мировая серия гольфа: История турнира в Акронe

Golf tournament

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. In 1976 it became an official PGA Tour event; the field expanded to 20 players and the event was lengthened to 72 holes. the victory and $100,000 winner's share went to Nicklaus. The field was increased to over 40 players in 1983, though it never exceeded 50; NEC began sponsoring the event in 1984. The tournament was last played in 1998, but was replaced by the newly created WGC NEC Invitational in 1999. Firestone Country Club had hosted that tournament (now known as the WGC Bridgestone Invitational) every year until 2019, except for 2002.

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. Opposite this competition was the regular tour event in Denver, which had a winner's share of $4,300. 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. At the time of his big Akron payday, the U. S. Open was Nicklaus' only tour victory as a rookie, but he won the next two events at Seattle ($4,300) and Portland ($3,500). 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. Palmer prevailed by five strokes in the August playoff. Nicklaus repeated as the World Series winner in September, one stroke ahead of Julius Boros, with Palmer in third and Bob Charles in fourth. The opposite tour event in 1963 was the Utah Open in Salt Lake City, with a winner's share of $6,400. The first year with four players as reigning major champions was 1964, the first without Nicklaus. Tony Lema took the top spot, followed by Ken Venturi, Bobby Nichols, and Palmer. This was also the first year without a concurrent PGA Tour event. 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. 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 had won multiple majors, the alternate was the winner of the Western Open or Canadian Open.

In 1976, it became a 72 hole, $300,000 PGA Tour event and its field was initially expanded to twenty; the victory and $100,000 winner's share went to Nicklaus. 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. The field was expanded in 1984 to include some international players, all tour event winners, and the top fifteen on the current money list, with 47 players eligible.

YearWinnerScoreTo parMargin ofvictoryRunner(s) upWinner'sshare ($)NEC World Series of Golf 1998 David Duval 269 −11 2 strokes Phil Mickelson 405,000 1997 Greg Norman (2) 273 −7 4 strokes Phil Mickelson 396,000 1996 Phil Mickelson 274 −6 3 strokes Billy Mayfair Duffy Waldorf Steve Stricker 378,000 1995 Greg Norman 278 −2 Playoff Billy Mayfair Nick Price 360,000 1994 José María Olazábal (2) 269 −11 1 stroke Scott Hoch 360,000 1993 Fulton Allem 270 −10 5 strokes Jim Gallagher Jr. Nick Price Craig Stadler 360,000 1992 Craig Stadler (2) 273 −7 1 stroke Corey Pavin 252,000 1991 Tom Purtzer 279 −1 Playoff Jim Gallagher Jr. Davis Love III 216,000 1990 José María Olazábal 262 −18 12 strokes Lanny Wadkins 198,000 1989 David Frost 276 −4 Playoff Ben Crenshaw 180,000 1988 Mike Reid 275 −5 Playoff Tom Watson 162,000 1987 Curtis Strange 275 −5 3 strokes Fulton Allem 144,000 1986 Dan Pohl 277 −3 1 stroke Lanny Wadkins 126,000 1985 Roger Maltbie 268 −12 4 strokes Denis Watson 126,000 1984 Denis Watson 271 −9 2 strokes Bruce Lietzke 126,000World Series of Golf 1983 Nick Price 270 −10 4 strokes Jack Nicklaus 100,000 1982 Craig Stadler 278 −2 Playoff Raymond Floyd 100,000 1981 Bill Rogers 275 −5 1 stroke Tom Kite 100,000 1980 Tom Watson 270 −10 2 strokes Raymond Floyd 100,000 1979 Lon Hinkle 272 −8 1 stroke Larry Nelson Bill Rogers Lee Trevino 100,000 1978 Gil Morgan 278 −2 Playoff Hubert Green 100,000 1977 Lanny Wadkins 267 −13 5 strokes Hale Irwin Tom Weiskopf 100,000 1976 Jack Nicklaus 275 −5 4 strokes Hale Irwin 100,000