The Buick Open
was a PGA Tour golf tournament from 1958 to 2009. In 2007, the tournament was held at the end of June, a change from its traditional spot between The Open Championship and the PGA Championship. Regardless, many prominent players use it as a "tune-up" for the subsequent major.
For the event's first decade, it was played at Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club in Grand Blanc, Michigan. After 1969, professional golf events in the area fell off the PGA Tour schedule and a series of pro-ams and other similarly unofficial events took place, mostly at Flint Golf Club in Flint, Michigan. The Buick Open made its return to the PGA Tour in 1977 at the Flint Elks Club, and in 1978 the event returned to Warwick Hills G&CC, where it remained.
The 17th hole at Warwick, a par 3, is known for having one of the rowdiest galleries in professional golf. Fans often create chants directed at particular golfers, making it a fun place to watch the tournament. The famed 17th hole is also known by locals as the second largest outdoor cocktail party in the world. Players of the tournament love the hole because of the atmosphere it creates. "This is a great tournament to play in, it's a beer drinkers tournament" says John Daly.
In recent years, the tournament has been dominated by long hitters. Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Brian Bateman, and Kenny Perry have combined for seven wins in the last eight years. Several other players ranked highly in driving distance have finished second over that span, including Woods, Jason Gore, Geoff Ogilvy, Bubba Watson, and John Daly. [1]
The Associated Press reported July 28, 2009 that General Motors would end its sponsorship of the Buick Open after the 2009 tournament, in order to devote its marketing resources to cars and trucks. [2] The PGA Tour will replace the tournament with the Greenbrier Classic at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia in 2010. [3]
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BUICK OPEN TICKETS
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