St. Paul Open Invitational Golf Tournament

The St. Paul Open Invitational is a former PGA Tour golf tournament, a long-running event played around 35 times beginning in the 1930s, in Minnesota. It always took place in the summer, usually falling in July on the PGA Tour schedule, sometimes in August.

First played: 1930

Last played: 1969

Also known as: Minnesota Golf Classic and St. Paul Open

Mike Souchak won the 1956 tournament by making six consecutive birdies to close out his final round. Until 2014, that was the PGA Tour record for most birdies in a row to win at the end of a tournament.

The tournament scoring record of 266 was first established by Lloyd Mangrum in 1951. It was later matched by Cary Middlecoff (1952), Ken Venturi (1957), Don Fairfield (1960) and Jack Rule Jr. (1963). The largest margin of victory was seven strokes by Frank Beard in 1969, the last year the St. Paul Open (called the Minnesota Golf Classic that year) was played.

"Lighthorse" Harry Cooper set the tournament record of three wins with victories in 1930 (the first year it was played), 1935 and 1936. He also finished second in 1931, and lost in a playoff in 1934, thereby coming very close to winning five of the first six St. Paul Opens played.

Sam Snead won once (1937), but was also runner-up four times in the 1950s. That victory was the fourth of his PGA Tour-record 82 career wins. Horton Smith won 30 PGA Tour titles, and the last of those was his victory in the 1941 St. Paul Open.

Winners of the St. Paul Open Invitational

1930 — Harry Cooper, 280
1931 — Horton Smith, 278
1932 — Not played
1933 — Jim Foulis, 283
1934 — Johnny Revolta, 283 (def. Ky Laffoon, Harry Cooper in playoff)
1935 — Harry Cooper, 271
1936 — Harry Cooper, 277 (def. Dick Metz in playoff)
1937 — Sam Snead, 283
1938 — Johnny Revolta, 276
1939 — Dick Metz, 270
1940 — Ed Oliver, 276
1941 — Horton Smith, 276
1942 — Chick Harbert, 280 (def. Dutch Harrison in playoff)
1943-1944 — Not played
1945 — Dutch Harrison, 273
1946 — Henry Ransom, 268
1947 — Jim Ferrier, 276 (def. Fred Haas in playoff)
1948 — Jimmy Demaret, 273 (def. Otto Greiner in playoff)
1949 — Not played
1950 — Jim Ferrier, 276 (def. Sam Snead in playoff)
1951 — Lloyd Mangrum, 266
1952 — Cary Middlecoff, 266
1953 — Shelley Mayfield, 269
1954 — Not played
1955 — Tommy Bolt, 269
1956 — Mike Souchak, 271
1957 — Ken Venturi, 266
1958 — Mike Souchak, 263
1959 — Not played
1960 — Don Fairfield, 266
1961 — Don January, 269
1962 — Doug Sanders, 269
1963 — Jack Rule Jr., 266
1964 — Chuck Courtney, 272
1965 — Raymond Floyd, 270
1966 — Bobby Nichols, 270
1967 — Lou Graham, 286
1968 — Dan Sikes, 272
1969 — Frank Beard, 269

Golf Courses: For all but its last year of existence, the tournament was played at Keller Golf Course in St. Paul, Minn. In its last year, it took place at Braemar Golf Course in Edina, Minn.