The Chicago Open was a golf tournament played in the

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

area. A Chicago District Open was first held in 1914. From 1926 to 1928 it became a national event. It was held again from 1937 to 1941, although there was no event in 1939. The

Hale America National Open Golf Tournament The Hale America National Open Golf Tournament was a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour that played for a single year, 1942. After the attack on Pearl Harbor and America's entry into World War II, the United States Golf Association's Exec ...

was held in Chicago in 1942 and the Chicago Victory Open was played from 1943 to 1948. It was revived again as the Gleneagles-Chicago Open Invitational in 1958 and 1959.

History

The 1937 event was played at

Medinah Country Club Medinah Country Club is a private country club in Medinah, Illinois, with nearly 600 members and containing three golf courses, Lake Kadijah, swimming facilities, a golf learning center, golf shop, gun club, racket center and a mosque-evoking B ...

Medinah, Illinois Medinah is an unincorporated community in the state of Illinois and is a northwest suburb of Chicago, located in DuPage County. It is neighbored by the three villages of Roselle, Itasca, and Bloomingdale along old Chicago-Galena highway between ...

from July 23 to 25 and was won by

Gene Sarazen Gene Sarazen (; born Eugenio Saraceni, February 27, 1902 – May 13, 1999) was an American professional golfer, one of the world's top players in the 1920s and 1930s, and the winner of seven major championships. He is one of five players (along ...

with a score of 290. Two courses, numbers 1 and 2, were used for the opening two rounds with the final 36 holes played on the number 3 course. The 1938 event was played at

Olympia Fields Country Club Olympia Fields Country Club is a private golf club in the central United States, located in Olympia Fields, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, about south of The Loop. It contains two eighteen-hole courses, North and South. The North Course is cons ...

Olympia Fields, Illinois Olympia Fields is a village and a south suburb of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,718 as of the 2020 census. The municipality grew up around the prestigious Olympia Fields Country Club, originally established ...

from July 22 to 24 and was won by

Sam Snead Samuel Jackson Snead (pronounced English_phonology">sni:d.html" ;"title="English_phonology.html" ;"title="nowiki/>English phonology">sni:d">English_phonology.html" ;"title="nowiki/>English phonology">sni:d May 27, 1912 – May 23, 2002) was an ...

with a score of 207, a stroke ahead of

Ralph Guldahl Ralph J. Guldahl (November 22, 1911 – June 11, 1987) was an American professional golfer, one of the top five players in the sport from 1936 to 1940. He won sixteen PGA Tour-sanctioned tournaments, including three majors (two U.S. Opens and one ...

. Two courses, numbers 1 and 4, were used for the opening two rounds. Heavy rain affected play on the opening day and the scores were canceled, reducing the event to 54 holes with a cut after 18 holes. The final 36 holes were played on the number 4 course. The 1940 event was played at

Tam O'Shanter Country Club The Tam O'Shanter Golf Course is located in Niles, Illinois. The north branch of the Chicago River flows through the course. The course and clubhouse were previously owned by George S. May and are currently under the ownership of the Niles Park D ...

Niles, Illinois Niles is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, located in the townships of Maine and Niles, directly neighboring the City of Chicago's far northwest border. Per the 2020 census, the population was 30,912. The current mayor of Niles ...

from July 19 to 21 and was won by

Dick Metz Richard C. Metz (May 29, 1908 – May 5, 1993) was an American professional golfer. Metz won 10 times on the PGA Tour in the 1930s and 1940s. He had continued success as a senior golfer winning the Senior PGA Championship and World Seniors Champ ...

with a score of 278. Amateur

Jim Ferrier James Bennett Elliott Ferrier (24 February 1915 – 13 June 1986) was an Australian professional golfer from Manly, New South Wales. After compiling a fine record as an amateur golfer in Australia during the 1930s, he moved to the United States ...

led after the first round with a 66, while

Johnny Revolta John F. Revolta (April 5, 1911 – March 3, 1991) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1930s, 1940s, and early 1950s. He won a major title, the 1935 PGA Championship, and had 18 career wins on tour. Born in St. Lo ...

led after two rounds on 136. Revolta had round 74 and 69 on the final day while Metz scored 69 and 70.

Ben Hogan William Ben Hogan (August 13, 1912 – July 25, 1997) was an American professional golfer who is generally considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of the game. He is notable for his profound influence on golf swing theory and ...

had a final round 66 to tie Revolta for second place. The 1941 events was played at Elmhurst Country Club,

Addison, Illinois Addison is a village located in the Chicago Metropolitan Area, in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 36,942 at the 2010 census. History The community itself was originally named Dunkley's Grove after the settler Hezekia ...

from July 18 to 20.

led by three strokes form

at the half-way stage after rounds of 66 and 70. Hogan scored two rounds of 69 on the final day and won by two strokes from Craig Wood, who had two rounds of 67. Metz finished in third place. The event was revived as Gleneagles-Chicago Open Invitational after the

World Championship of Golf The World Championship of Golf was a championship played on the PGA Tour in the 1940s and 1950s that, in its latter years, boasted a purse that dwarfed every other event on the tour, including even the U.S. Open. It was played in August of each ye ...

was canceled. It was played at Gleneagles Country Club in

Lemont, Illinois Lemont is a village located in Cook, DuPage, and Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, and is a south-west suburb of Chicago. The population was 17,629 as of the 2020 census. The village is situated on a hillside along the south banks of ...

in 1958 and 1959. The top prize money was $9,000.

Ken Venturi Kenneth Paul Venturi (May 15, 1931May 17, 2013) was an American professional golfer and golf broadcaster. In a career shortened by injuries, he won 14 events on the PGA Tour including a major, the U.S. Open in 1964. Shortly before his death in ...

won both events.

Winners

A Chicago District Open Championship was held in some years between 1914 and 1925. Winners include: *1925

Al Espinosa Abel Ruben "Al" Espinosa (March 24, 1891 – January 4, 1957) was an American professional golfer. Biography Espinosa was born on March 24, 1891 in Monterey, California. He was of Mexican American descent, and served in the U.S. Army in Worl ...

*1915 unknown *1914 Robert Gardner (a)

Notes

References

{{Former PGA Tour Events Former PGA Tour events Golf in Illinois