Tournament information | |
---|---|
Location | Las Vegas, Nevada |
Established | 1958 |
Course(s) | Sahara Nevada Country Club |
Par | 71 |
Length | 6,800 yards (6,200 m) [1] |
Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
Format | Stroke play |
Prize fund | US$135,000 |
Month played | September/October |
Final year | 1976 |
Tournament record score | |
Aggregate | 269 Billy Casper (1965) |
To par | −15 as above |
Final champion | |
George Archer | |
Location map | |
Location in the
United States Location in
Nevada |
The Sahara Invitational was a PGA Tour event in Nevada from 1958 through 1976, played Las Vegas and sponsored by the Sahara Hotel. In the first four years, it was the Sahara Pro-Am and an unofficial tour event. Paradise Valley Country Club hosted in 1970 and 1971, and Sahara Nevada Country Club from 1972–1976.
Jack Nicklaus won Sahara four times in a seven-year span in the 1960s, and three future major champions ( Tony Lema, [2] Lanny Wadkins, and John Mahaffey) made Sahara their first tour victory.
A month after the 1976 event, [1] it was announced in early November that the Sahara Invitational was being discontinued. Edward M. Nigro, vice president and general manager of Hotel Sahara, cited rising costs, scheduling conflicts, and a decline in the national promotion benefit as the reasons for the tournament's cancellation. [3]
The Las Vegas Founders returned the PGA Tour to Las Vegas in 1983 with the Panasonic Las Vegas Pro Celebrity Classic; since 2007, it has been organized by the Shriners Hospitals for Children.
Year | Tour [a] | Winner | Score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up | Winner's share ( $) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sahara Invitational | |||||||
1976 | PGAT | George Archer | 271 | −13 | 2 strokes |
Dave Hill Don January |
27,000 |
1975 | PGAT | Dave Hill | 270 | −14 | Playoff | Rik Massengale | 27,000 |
1974 | PGAT | Al Geiberger | 273 | −11 | 3 strokes |
Wally Armstrong Jerry Heard Dave Hill Mike Hill |
27,000 |
1973 | PGAT | John Mahaffey | 271 | −13 | 3 strokes | Dave Eichelberger | 27,000 |
1972 | PGAT | Lanny Wadkins | 273 | −11 | 1 stroke | Arnold Palmer | 27,000 |
1971 | PGAT | Lee Trevino | 280 | −8 | 1 stroke | George Archer | 27,000 |
1970 | PGAT | Babe Hiskey | 276 | −12 | 1 stroke |
Miller Barber Terry Dill Bob Goalby |
20,000 |
1969 | PGAT | Jack Nicklaus (4) | 272 | −12 | 4 strokes | Frank Beard | 20,000 |
1968 | PGAT | Chi-Chi Rodríguez | 274 | −10 | Playoff | Dale Douglass | 20,000 |
1967 | PGAT | Jack Nicklaus (3) | 270 | −14 | 1 stroke | Steve Spray | 20,000 |
1966 | PGAT | Jack Nicklaus (2) | 282 | −2 | 3 strokes |
Miller Barber Arnold Palmer |
20,000 |
1965 | PGAT | Billy Casper | 269 | −15 | 3 strokes | Billy Martindale | 20,000 |
1964 | PGAT | R. H. Sikes | 275 | −9 | 3 strokes |
Jack McGowan Jack Nicklaus Phil Rodgers |
12,000 |
1963 | PGAT | Jack Nicklaus | 276 | −8 | 1 stroke |
Gay Brewer Al Geiberger |
13,000 |
1962 | PGAT | Tony Lema | 270 | −14 | 3 strokes | Don January | 2,800 |
Sahara Pro-Am | |||||||
1961 | Phil Rodgers | ||||||
1960 | Bob Duden | ||||||
1959 | Doug Sanders | ||||||
1958 | Bill Johnston |
Tournament information | |
---|---|
Location | Las Vegas, Nevada |
Established | 1958 |
Course(s) | Sahara Nevada Country Club |
Par | 71 |
Length | 6,800 yards (6,200 m) [1] |
Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
Format | Stroke play |
Prize fund | US$135,000 |
Month played | September/October |
Final year | 1976 |
Tournament record score | |
Aggregate | 269 Billy Casper (1965) |
To par | −15 as above |
Final champion | |
George Archer | |
Location map | |
Location in the
United States Location in
Nevada |
The Sahara Invitational was a PGA Tour event in Nevada from 1958 through 1976, played Las Vegas and sponsored by the Sahara Hotel. In the first four years, it was the Sahara Pro-Am and an unofficial tour event. Paradise Valley Country Club hosted in 1970 and 1971, and Sahara Nevada Country Club from 1972–1976.
Jack Nicklaus won Sahara four times in a seven-year span in the 1960s, and three future major champions ( Tony Lema, [2] Lanny Wadkins, and John Mahaffey) made Sahara their first tour victory.
A month after the 1976 event, [1] it was announced in early November that the Sahara Invitational was being discontinued. Edward M. Nigro, vice president and general manager of Hotel Sahara, cited rising costs, scheduling conflicts, and a decline in the national promotion benefit as the reasons for the tournament's cancellation. [3]
The Las Vegas Founders returned the PGA Tour to Las Vegas in 1983 with the Panasonic Las Vegas Pro Celebrity Classic; since 2007, it has been organized by the Shriners Hospitals for Children.
Year | Tour [a] | Winner | Score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up | Winner's share ( $) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sahara Invitational | |||||||
1976 | PGAT | George Archer | 271 | −13 | 2 strokes |
Dave Hill Don January |
27,000 |
1975 | PGAT | Dave Hill | 270 | −14 | Playoff | Rik Massengale | 27,000 |
1974 | PGAT | Al Geiberger | 273 | −11 | 3 strokes |
Wally Armstrong Jerry Heard Dave Hill Mike Hill |
27,000 |
1973 | PGAT | John Mahaffey | 271 | −13 | 3 strokes | Dave Eichelberger | 27,000 |
1972 | PGAT | Lanny Wadkins | 273 | −11 | 1 stroke | Arnold Palmer | 27,000 |
1971 | PGAT | Lee Trevino | 280 | −8 | 1 stroke | George Archer | 27,000 |
1970 | PGAT | Babe Hiskey | 276 | −12 | 1 stroke |
Miller Barber Terry Dill Bob Goalby |
20,000 |
1969 | PGAT | Jack Nicklaus (4) | 272 | −12 | 4 strokes | Frank Beard | 20,000 |
1968 | PGAT | Chi-Chi Rodríguez | 274 | −10 | Playoff | Dale Douglass | 20,000 |
1967 | PGAT | Jack Nicklaus (3) | 270 | −14 | 1 stroke | Steve Spray | 20,000 |
1966 | PGAT | Jack Nicklaus (2) | 282 | −2 | 3 strokes |
Miller Barber Arnold Palmer |
20,000 |
1965 | PGAT | Billy Casper | 269 | −15 | 3 strokes | Billy Martindale | 20,000 |
1964 | PGAT | R. H. Sikes | 275 | −9 | 3 strokes |
Jack McGowan Jack Nicklaus Phil Rodgers |
12,000 |
1963 | PGAT | Jack Nicklaus | 276 | −8 | 1 stroke |
Gay Brewer Al Geiberger |
13,000 |
1962 | PGAT | Tony Lema | 270 | −14 | 3 strokes | Don January | 2,800 |
Sahara Pro-Am | |||||||
1961 | Phil Rodgers | ||||||
1960 | Bob Duden | ||||||
1959 | Doug Sanders | ||||||
1958 | Bill Johnston |