The Gasparilla Open was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour from 1932 to 1935. It was played at the Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club in Tampa, Florida. The tournament was played at match play in 1932 and at

stroke play Stroke play, also known as medal play, is a scoring system in the sport of golf in which the total number of strokes is counted over one or more rounds of 18 holes. In stroke play, the winner is the player who has taken the fewest strokes over the ...

thereafter. Up until 1935, The Gasparilla Open was the top money PGA tournament in the United States with an average purse of $4,000. The tournament was discontinued after 1935. The tournament resumed as an amateur event in 1956
The Gasparilla Invitational
The winner in 1932 was PGA Hall of Fame member Paul Runyan (29 PGA wins, 2 majors). He won 3 and 1 in the 36-hole final over

Willie Macfarlane William Macfarlane (29 June 1889 – 15 August 1961) was a Scottish professional golfer. Biography Macfarlane was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. Like many British golfers of his era, he took a position as a club professional in the United Sta ...

. In 1933 and 1934, the tournament was won by

Denny Shute Herman Densmore "Denny" Shute (October 25, 1904 – May 13, 1974) was an American professional golfer who won three major championships in the 1930s. Life and career Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Shute was the son of a golf pro from England; Hermon ...

(16 PGA wins, 3 majors) in medal competition. In 1933, Shute beat Willie Macfarlane in a sudden-death playoff. After his 1933 Gasparilla victory, Shute went on that year to win the Open Championship on the Old Course in St Andrews, Scotland. In 1934, Shute beat

Horton Smith Horton Smith (May 22, 1908 – October 15, 1963) was an American professional golfer, best known as the winner of the first and third Masters Tournaments. Tournament career Born in Springfield, Missouri, Smith turned professional in 1926 and ...

in an 18-hole playoff. The winner in 1935 was Walter Hagen, then the holder of 43 PGA tournament titles and 11 majors. Hagen was recognized as the greatest professional golfer of his era, but at age 42 he had not won a PGA tournament in 2 years. In his autobiography chapter entitled ''Gasparilla,'' Hagen recounts how at dawn on the morning of the first round of the tournament, he found himself across the Bay at the Belleview-Biltmore Hotel, still attired in his tuxedo after an all-night party. To prepare for his upcoming play, he sent his chauffeur into a field beside the hotel to retrieve a few practice shots. After topping three shots in a row, he decided that was enough practice, and headed off to Tampa, briefly interrupted by a flat tire. Just two minutes before his 9:00 tee time, Hagen sauntered up to the first tee to play without a single practice swing or putt. He then proceeded to shoot a course record 64 to take the first day's lead. In the final round of the tournament, Hagen stepped onto the par-3 17th tee one stroke behind the clubhouse leader, Clarence Clark, and appeared likely to lose, especially after his tee shot landed 45 feet from the pin. However, as the ''New York Times'' reported the next day, he "nonchalantly" holed the long birdie putt before a cheering crowd to tie for the lead. He then birdied 18 with an up and down from the bunker to capture his final PGA individual victory.

Winners

*1932 Paul Runyan *1933

*1934

*1935 Walter Hagen

References

External links

Gasparilla Open history
{{Former PGA Tour Events Former PGA Tour events Golf in Florida Sports in Tampa, Florida Recurring sporting events established in 1932 Recurring sporting events disestablished in 1935 1932 establishments in Florida 1935 disestablishments in Florida