Kemper Open
| Company type | Professional golf tournament |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports |
| Founded | 1968 |
| Defunct | 2006 |
| Fate | Replaced by AT&T National (not officially recognized as successor) |
Area served | East Coast, United States |
| Products | Golf competition |
The Kemper Open was a professional golf competition held on the PGA Tour from 1968 until 2006.
Throughout its history, the tournament frequently changed venues along the East Coast. Initially sponsored by the Kemper Corporation, it launched in 1968 at Pleasant Valley Country Club located in Sutton, Massachusetts. The following year, it relocated to the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, where it remained through 1979. In 1980, the event moved to Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, and later, in 1987, it transitioned to TPC at Avenel situated in nearby Potomac, Maryland.
After Kemper Insurance withdrew its sponsorship in 2002, the tournament was taken over by Friedman Billings Ramsey in 2003 and renamed the FBR Capital Open. The main sponsor changed again in 2004 when Booz Allen Hamilton assumed sponsorship and rebranded it as the Booz Allen Classic. Due to renovations at Avenel, the 2005 edition returned to Congressional Country Club.
The prize fund for 2006 was $5 million, with $900,000 awarded to the champion; weather delays caused the final round to conclude on a Tuesday without an audience present. In 1992, Washington Redskins quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Mark Rypien received a sponsor's exemption but failed to make the cut by a margin of 28 strokes. Traditionally, the Kemper Open served as a preparatory event either before or after the U.S. Open, although many leading players occasionally opted not to participate.
In 2007, the PGA Tour rescheduled this tournament for the fall season; however, with Booz Allen declining to renew its sponsorship, the fall date was canceled and replaced by the new AT&T National, hosted by Tiger Woods at Congressional Country Club. While this event filled the regional void left by the Kemper Open, it is not officially recognized as its successor.
During the 1970s, the Kemper Open was notable for offering some of the largest prize money on tour, exceeding even that of major championships.
Tournament highlights
- 1968: Arnold Palmer captures victory in the inaugural event with a closing round of 67, finishing four strokes ahead of Bruce Crampton and Art Wall Jr.
- 1971: Tom Weiskopf secures his first Kemper Open win through a four-way sudden death playoff against Lee Trevino, Gary Player, and Dale Douglass.
- 1972: Doug Sanders narrowly defeats Lee Trevino by one stroke after sinking a 30-foot birdie putt on the final hole, marking his twentieth and last PGA Tour triumph.
- 1975: Raymond Floyd wins by three shots over Gary Player and John Mahaffey, highlighted by an impressive 100-foot chip shot eagle during the final round.
- 1977: Weiskopf claims his third Kemper Open title with a two-shot margin over Bill Rogers and George Burns.
- 1980: John Mahaffey earns victory at Congressional Country Club's first hosting of the event, finishing three strokes ahead of Craig Stadler.
- 1982: Craig Stadler becomes the first player to successfully defend his title, winning by seven shots over Seve Ballesteros.
- 1983: In an unusual finish, Fred Couples, Scott Simpson, and Chen Tze-chung concluded their rounds more than an hour after earlier leaders Gil Morgan and Barry Jaeckel; Couples ultimately prevailed in sudden death to capture his first PGA Tour win.
- 1984: Greg Norman achieves his maiden PGA Tour victory with a five-shot lead over Mark O'Meara despite shooting a final round of 73.
- 1985: Bill Glasson rallies from seven shots behind to sink a 50-foot birdie putt on the last hole for his first PGA Tour title over Larry Mize and Corey Pavin.
- 1986: Norman claims his second Kemper Open crown after defeating Larry Mize in a playoff; Mize would later avenge this loss at the 1987 Masters Tournament.
- 1988: Morris Hatalsky captures the championship by defeating defending champion Tom Kite on the second hole of sudden death.
- 1992: Glasson becomes unique as the only winner at both Congressional Country Club and TPC at Avenel, edging Howard Twitty, Ken Green, Mike Springer, and John Daly by one stroke.
- 1995: Lee Janzen birdies both the final hole and playoff to overcome Corey Pavin.
- 1996: Future world number two Steve Stricker records his first PGA Tour victory with a three-shot margin over Mark O'Meara, Grant Waite, Scott Hoch, and Brad Faxon.
- 1997: Justin Leonard earns his second PGA Tour win after Mark Wiebe misses crucial par putts late in competition.
- 1999: Rich Beem becomes the inaugural PGA Tour rookie winner of this event with a −10 total score, edging out Bradley Hughes and Bill Glasson by one stroke.
- 2004: Adam Scott sets a tournament scoring record with an aggregate of 263 to win by four shots over Charles Howell III.
