Arlington Hotel Open (aka Hot Springs Open)

The Arlington Hotel Open, which was also called in some years the Hot Springs Open, was a 72-hole, PGA Tour golf tournament played nine times from the mid-1950s to the early 1960s. It took place in Arkansas.

First played: 1955

Last played: 1963

Perhaps the most notable thing that happened in the Arlington Hotel Open was Jimmy Demaret's 1957 win. It was the 31st and final win of Demaret's Hall of Fame career. He won by a single stroke, outlasting a gaggle of chasing golfers who finished runner-up: Jack Burke Jr., Lloyd Mangrum, Billy Maxwell, Johnny Palmer and Mike Souchak, all one stroke behind.

Nobody managed to win this event twice in its short history, although Bill Collins came close. Collins won it in 1960, then lost in a playoff (to Al Johnston in Johnston's only PGA Tour victory) two years later.

Bo Winginger won the first tournament with a 270 total, which was never bettered. But Gene Littler did tie that tournament scoring record in 1959.

Winners of the Arlington Hotel Open/Hot Springs Open

1955 — Bo Wininger, 270
1956 — Billy Maxwell, 272
1957 — Jimmy Demaret, 276
1958 — Julius Boros, 273
1959 — Gene Littler, 270
1960 — Bill Collins, 275
1961 — Doug Sanders, 273
1962 — Al Johnston, 273 (def. Bill Collins in playoff)
1963 — Dave Hill, 277 (def. Mike Souchak in playoff)

Golf course: The home of this tournament for its full run was the Hot Springs Country Club in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The Arlington Hotel, now called the Arlington Resort Hotel and Spa, was the title sponsor. It was located near the golf course, inside Hot Springs National Park.