The Thunderbird Invitational was a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, played from 1952 to 1959 in Rancho Mirage, California. Held in late January at Thunderbird Country Club, the tournament's purse was a modest $15,000; it was the direct predecessor of today's CareerBuilder Challenge, which began in 1960. Thunderbird hosted the Ryder Cup in 1955.
Arnold Palmer, 29, was the event's final champion in 1959; he won the next year at the first edition of the "Palm Springs Desert Classic," which had a $100,000 purse and a winner's share of 12,000, his largest tour check to date.
Ken Venturi, 26, won the 1958 event and was awarded a $1,500 check and a $4,500 automobile. He backed it up with another win the following week at Phoenix.
Jimmy Demaret won the event three times; his first was a 54-hole midweek event in 1953, and the last was an 18-hole playoff on Monday in 1957 for consecutive titles.
Video Thunderbird Invitational
Winners
Maps Thunderbird Invitational
References
External links
- Winners list on the PGA Tour's official site
- Thunderbird Country Club - history
Source of article : Wikipedia
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