Tallahassee Open, Former PGA Tour Tournament

The Tallahassee Open was a PGA Tour golf tournament played from the late 1960s to the late 1980s. It was typically played late in the schedule. It was named the Centel Open at the end, and the tournament was discontinued when that title sponsor dropped out.

First played: 1969

Last played: 1989

The Tallahassee Open was a PGA Tour tournament from 1969-82, and from 1987-89. What about those missing years? From 1983-86, this tournament was part of a satellite tour (think of it as a precursor to the Nike Tour), so the golfers who won in those years — Bob Charles, Kermit Zarley, Jeff Sluman and Mark Hayes — were not credited with official PGA Tour wins. (Charles' victory, by the way, was his only win from 1980 until he joined the Champions Tour in 1987.)

The biggest name on the roster of champions below is Lee Trevino, who won in 1971. Chi Chi Rodriguez won in 1979, his first tour win in six year and the last of his eight career PGA Tour victories. Gary Koch's first career win was in the 1976 Tallahassee Open.

The tournament scoring record of 269 was first established by Rodriguez in 1979, then tied by Sluman in 1985. But of those two wins, only Rodriguez's was an official PGA Tour victory.

A scoring record of another kind was set in the 1974 Tallahassee Open. After making the cut, Mike Reasor was injured in a horse-riding accident. But without exempt status, he badly needed to finish the tournament. So he played the final two rounds with one arm in a sling, swinging only a 5-iron one-handed. He carded scores of 123 in the third round and 114 in the final round.

Also known as: The name of the tournament was Tallahassee Open Invitational the first three times it was played. The last three times it was played, it was called the Centel Classic.

Winners of the Tallahassee Open

1969 — Chuck Courtney, 282
1970 — Harold Henning, 277
1971 — Lee Trevino, 273
1972 — Bob Shaw, 273
1973 — Hubert Green, 277
1974 — Allen Miller, 274
1975 — Rik Massengale, 274
1976 — Gary Koch, 277
1977 — Ed Sneed, 276 (def. Lon Hinkle in playoff)
1978 — Barry Jaeckel, 273 (def. Bruce Lietzke in playoff)
1979 — Chi Chi Rodríguez, 269
1980 — Mark Pfeil, 277
1981 — Dave Eichelberger, 271 (def. Bob Murphy and Mark O'Meara in playoff)
1982 — Bob Shearer, 272
1983* — Bob Charles, 282 (def. Greg Powers in playoff)
1984* — Kermit Zarley, 271 (def. Denis Watson in playoff)
1985* — Jeff Sluman, 269
1986 — Mark Hayes, 274
1987 — Keith Clearwater, 278
1988 — Bill Glasson, 272
1989 — Bill Britton, 200 (54 holes due to weather)
(*Tournament Players Series events, not official PGA Tour wins)

Golf courses: This tournament was played at the same course for its entire run — Killearn Country Club in Tallahassee, Florida.