Buick Open pin flag Rocco Mediate Warwick Hills G&CC ryder british pga

Description

The
Buick Open
was a
PGA Tour
golf
tournament from 1958 to 2009. In 2007, the tournament was held at the end of June, a change from its traditional spot between
The Open Championship
and the
PGA Championship
. Regardless, many prominent players used it as a "tune-up" for the subsequent major.
For the event's first decade, the Buick Open Invitational was played at
Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club
in
Grand Blanc, Michigan
. After 1969, professional golf events in the area fell off the PGA Tour schedule and a series of pro-ams and other similarly unofficial events took place, mostly at Flint Golf Club in
Flint, Michigan
.
Flint native, and PGA touring professional Larry Mancour had returned to Michigan to play in the Buick Open and stayed to build the Grand Blanc Golf Club. He then added nine holes at the Flint Elks Golf Club where he remained the professional for 20 years. He rescued the Buick Open when General Motors dropped sponsorship of the tournament. With local Buick dealers Mancour started the Little Buick Open in 1969. It drew players and fans and led to the rebirth of the Buick Open in 1977.
The Buick Open officially made its return to the PGA Tour in 1977 at the Flint Elks Club, and in 1978 the event returned to Warwick Hills G&CC, where it remained until its demise.
The Associated Press
reported July 28, 2009 that
General Motors
would end its sponsorship of the Buick Open after the 2009 tournament, in order to devote its marketing resources to cars and trucks.
[1]
The PGA Tour replaced the tournament with the
Greenbrier Classic
at
The Greenbrier
in
White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
.
[2]
As in the 1970s, a series of pro-ams and other unofficial events now take place in Grand Blanc, with the
AJGA
's Randy Wise Open taking place at Warwick Hills and most pro-ams and a golf festival at the Jewel of Grand Blanc (the former Grand Blanc Golf Club).
In 2014, an unrelated tournament with the same name was started in China. The event is played on
PGA Tour China
.
In 2018, the former General Motors financing arm, now
Ally Bank
, returned to Warwick Hills to sponsor a
PGA Tour Champions
event,
The Ally Challenge
.
Buick Open
2009
Tiger Woods
(3)
United States
268
−20
3 strokes
Greg Chalmers
John Senden
Roland Thatcher
918,000
2008
Kenny Perry
(2)
United States
269
−19
1 stroke
Woody Austin
Bubba Watson
900,000
2007
Brian Bateman
United States
273
−15
1 stroke
Woody Austin
Jason Gore
Justin Leonard
882,000
2006
Tiger Woods
(2)
United States
264
−24
3 strokes
Jim Furyk
864,000
2005
Vijay Singh
(3)
Fiji
264
−24
4 strokes
Zach Johnson
Tiger Woods
828,000
2004
Vijay Singh
(2)
Fiji
265
−23
1 stroke
John Daly
810,000
2003
Jim Furyk
United States
267
−21
2 strokes
Briny Baird
Chris DiMarco
Geoff Ogilvy
Tiger Woods
720,000
2002
Tiger Woods
United States
271
−17
4 strokes
Fred Funk
Brian Gay
Mark O'Meara
Esteban Toledo
594,000
2001
Kenny Perry
United States
263
−25
2 strokes
Chris DiMarco
Jim Furyk
558,000
2000
Rocco Mediate
United States
268
−20
1 stroke
Chris Perry
486,000
1999
Tom Pernice, Jr.
United States
270
−18
1 stroke
Tom Lehman
Ted Tryba
Bob Tway
432,000
1998
Billy Mayfair
United States
271
−17
2 strokes
Scott Verplank
324,000
1997
Vijay Singh
Fiji
273
−15
4 strokes
Tom Byrum
Russ Cochran
Ernie Els
Brad Fabel
Naomichi Ozaki
Curtis Strange
270,000
1996
Justin Leonard
United States
266
−22
5 strokes
Chip Beck
216,000
1995
Woody Austin
United States
270
−18
Playoff
Mike Brisky
216,000
1994
Fred Couples
United States
270
−18
2 strokes
Corey Pavin
198,000
1993
Larry Mize
United States
272
−16
1 stroke
Fuzzy Zoeller
180,000
1992
Dan Forsman
United States
276
−12
Playoff
Steve Elkington
Brad Faxon
180,000
1991
Brad Faxon
United States
271
−17
Playoff
Chip Beck
180,000
1990
Chip Beck
United States
272
−16
1 stroke
Mike Donald
Hale Irwin
Fuzzy Zoeller
180,000
1989
Leonard Thompson
United States
273
−15
1 stroke
Billy Andrade
Payne Stewart
Doug Tewell
180,000
1988
Scott Verplank
United States
268
−20
2 strokes
Doug Tewell
126,000
1987
Robert Wrenn
United States
262
−26
7 strokes
Dan Pohl
108,000
1986
Ben Crenshaw
United States
270
−18
1 stroke
J. C. Snead
Doug Tewell
90,000
1985
Ken Green
United States
268
−20
4 strokes
Wayne Grady
81,000
1984
Denis Watson
Zimbabwe
271
−17
1 stroke
Payne Stewart
72,000
1983
Wayne Levi
United States
272
−16
1 stroke
Isao Aoki
Calvin Peete
63,000
1982
Lanny Wadkins
United States
273
−15
1 stroke
Tom Kite
63,000
1981
Hale Irwin
United States
277
−11
Playoff
Bobby Clampett
Peter Jacobsen
Gil Morgan
63,000