The Hershey Open was a golf tournament in Pennsylvania on the PGA Tour from 1933 to 1941. It was played at the Hershey Country Club in Hershey on what is now called the West Course.[2] It was played as a 72-hole stroke play event every year except 1938. That year, it was played as a 126-hole round-robin match play tournament with eight two-man teams and called the Hershey Four-Ball;[3] its format was identical to the one used by the Inverness Invitational Four-Ball. The event was not held in 1940, when the club hosted the PGA Championship.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Hershey, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Established | 1933 |
| Course(s) | Hershey Country Club |
| Par | 73 |
| Length | 7,000 yards (6,400 m)[1] |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Prize fund | $5,000 |
| Final year | 1941 |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 275 Ben Hogan (1941) |
| To par | −17 same |
| Final champion | |
 Ben Hogan | |
| Location map | |
  Hershey Location in United States  Hershey Location in Pennsylvania | |
Three times it was won by the resident golf pro—Henry Picard in 1936 and 1937 and Ben Hogan in his first year at Hershey in 1941.[1] His win in 1938 in the team event with Vic Ghezzi was Hogan's first as a professional;[3] his first win as an individual came in March 1940 in North Carolina.[4][5]
Winners
edit| Year | Player | Country | Score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up | Winner's share ($) |
Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hershey Open | ||||||||
| 1941 | Ben Hogan | 275 | −17 | 5 strokes | 1,200 | [1] | ||
| 1940 | No tournament – hosted PGA Championship | |||||||
| 1939 | Felix Serafin | 284 | −8 | 2 strokes | 1,200 | [6] | ||
| Hershey Four-Ball | ||||||||
| 1938 | Vic Ghezzi and Ben Hogan |
+17 | 15 points | 550 (each) |
[7][3] | |||
| Hershey Open | ||||||||
| 1937 | Henry Picard (2) | 280 | −12 | 3 strokes | 1,200 | [8] | ||
| 1936 | Henry Picard | 287 | −5 | 1 stroke | 1,200 | [9] | ||
| 1935 | Ted Luther | 290 | −2 | Playoff | 1,000 | [10][11] | ||
| 1934 | Ky Laffoon | 286 | −6 | 5 strokes | [12] | |||
| 1933 | Ed Dudley | 288 | −4 | 10 strokes | 500 | [13] | ||
References
edit- ^ a b c "Hogan's 275 routs field at Hershey". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). United Press. September 1, 1941. p. 7.
- ^ "Golf Course Review - Hershey Country Club (East/West Courses)". Golf News. The Sports Network. Archived from the original on March 22, 2012. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
- ^ a b c "Third money deadlock for Byron Nelson". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). September 5, 1938. p. 6.
- ^ Boni, Bill (March 22, 1940). "Hogan finally takes a title". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. p. 9.
- ^ "Hogan new threat to money golfers". Pittsburgh Press. United Press. March 22, 1940. p. 35.
- ^ "Serafin surprises in Hershey victory". Pittsburgh Press. United Press. September 4, 1939. p. 10.
- ^ "Ghezzi-Horan Golf Duo Wins". The Spokesman-Review. AP. September 5, 1938. p. 8.
- ^ "Picard Sets Record To Win Hershey Open". The Pittsburgh Press. United Press. September 6, 1937. p. 12.
- ^ "Henry Picard Triumphs In Hershey Open Event". The Pittsburgh Press. United Press. September 7, 1936. p. 12.
- ^ "Ted Luther, Serafin Tie". The Pittsburgh Press. August 25, 1935. p. 12.
- ^ "Luther Takes Hershey Golf". The Pittsburgh Press. August 26, 1935. p. 12.
- ^ "Ky Laffoon Winner". The Spokesman-Review. AP. September 2, 1934. p. Part Two 1.
- ^ "DudleyTakes Hershey Meet". Youngtown Vindicator. AP. September 3, 1933. p. C-1.