Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge Golf Tournament

The Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge was a golf tournament played from the early 1990s into the 2010s that had a small field of golfers representing the PGA Tour, Champions Tour and LPGA Tour. How small was the field? Each tour was represented by three golfers, so only nine golfers total played.

Those nine golfers played in groups of three, with PGA Tour players teeing off from back tees, senior golfers playing the course a little shorter, and LPGA golfers playing it a little shorter still. The three golfers representing a tour combined their scores for the team score.

Most years the format was regular stroke play, but in some years the event experimented with scoring. For example, some tournaments used a point system, awarding two points to the golfer within a threesome who won a hole, and one point for finishing second on a hole.

In the history of the event, this is how many times each tour won:

• PGA Tour, 9 wins
• Champions Tour, 7 wins
• LPGA Tour, 6 wins

The Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge benefited the charity of Wendy's founder Dave Thomas, called the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. The tournament, which was typically played in November, was discontinued when Wendy's withdrew from sponsorship.

It was notable for often drawing strong fields for a silly-season event. ... In the inaugural event in 1992, seven of the nine golfers were or later became Hall of Famers. ... Jack Nicklaus was on the winning team three times. ... Fred Couples, sometimes called "King of the Silly Season" for his success in such events, was on the winning team twice.

First played: 1992

Last played: 2015

Winners of the Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge

2013 — LPGA Tour (Natalie Gulbis, Cristie Kerr, Stacy Lewis)
2012 — PGA Tour (Jason Day, Davis Love III, Nick Watney)
2011 — Champions Tour (Mark Calcavecchia, Jay Haas, Kenny Perry)
2010 — PGA Tour (Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Boo Weekley)
2009 — LPGA Tour (Natalie Gulbis, Cristie Kerr, Suzann Pettersen)
2008 — Champions Tour (Fred Funk, Jay Haas, Nick Price)
2007 — LPGA Tour (Natalie Gulbis, Cristie Kerr, Morgan Pressel)
2006 — PGA Tour (Stewart Cink, Zach Johnson, Scott Verplank)
2005 — Champions Tour (Jay Haas, Hale Irwin, Craig Stadler)
2004 — LPGA Tour (Grace Park, Juli Inkster, Cristie Kerr)
2003 — PGA Tour (Mark Calcavecchia, Peter Jacobsen, John Daly)
2002 — PGA Tour (Rich Beem, John Daly, Jim Furyk)
2001 — LPGA Tour (Dottie Pepper, Annika Sörenstam, Karrie Webb)
2000 — PGA Tour (Notah Begay III, Rocco Mediate, Phil Mickelson)
1999 — Champions Tour (Hale Irwin, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson)
1998 — Champions Tour (Hale Irwin, Gil Morgan, Larry Nelson)
1997 — PGA Tour (Fred Couples, Tom Lehman, Phil Mickelson)
1996 — PGA Tour (Fred Couples, Davis Love III, Payne Stewart)
1995 — Champions Tour (Raymond Floyd, Hale Irwin, Jack Nicklaus)
1994 — PGA Tour (Paul Azinger, Fred Couples, Greg Norman)
1993 — Champions Tour (Raymond Floyd, Jack Nicklaus, Chi Chi Rodríguez)
1992 — LPGA Tour (Nancy Lopez, Dottie Mochrie, Patty Sheehan

Golf course: In its first few years, the Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge went to a different golf course each year. Beginning in 1996, it was played solely in Las Vegas, Nev. Multiple Las Vegas courses hosted the event, including Reflection Bay, Dragon Ridge, SouthShore and Rio Secco.