Fav. Non-Major Tournament

[Evan_Smith]

This may have come up in the past, but I can't remember seeing it recently so here goes.  I wanted to find out which tournament GCAer's like to watch other than the majors and why.  I'll start it off by nominating the LA Open (or whatever it's called these days) at Riviera Country Club.  My reasoning is pretty simple, the course is outstanding and it always seems to have a great field and the tournaments seem to have exciting finishes.

[Kyle Henderson]

When the top players still attended, I always liked the Kapalua tourney. Good fun watching Stuart Appleby hitting a wind-cheating bullet off the deck with his driver over the brow of a hill.

[JESII]

Australian Open

[JohnH]

I'll say two.  The match play championship (thankfully not at La Costa anymore) because of the format.  My wishful thinking involves more match play tournaments in championship golf.

The second has to be the Memorial at Muirfield Village.  Great field, great golf, great course.  Having seen it in person, it has to be one of the best (if not the best) maintained golf course on tour.  

[Chip Gaskins]

- Australian open (when they play it on old sand belt courses)
- Pebble (minus the celebrities on a sunny day)
- Doral (because it means east coast, spring time golf is here (almost))
- Dubai (usually a great international field)
- Hilton Head (good field, shot maker's course)
- Irish Open (when they play a links course - Portmarnock, Ballybunion)
- Memorial (though it has been pretty boring recently)
- Scottish Open (I think Loch Lomond is beautiful)
- World Match Play (duh, Wentworth)
- US Amateur (usually a great course minus to silly narrow fairways)
- Walker Cup (see US Amateur)
- Dunhill (The Old Course, Carnoustie, Kingsbarn)

[Pete_Pittock]

The Player's Championship and Sunday only at the Crosby.

[John Moore II]

I would have to go with the AT&T Pro Am at Pebble. Just because of where it is played. I wish I could have seen it when it was played at Cypress.

[Peter Nomm]

Believe it or not I love to watch the Phoenix Open - those last few finishing holes (especially #17) are a blast.  

Probably have an affinity since I have been to it many times and have played the course a few.  But even the contrasting colors of the overseeded rye and the dormant bermuda/sand/desert are striking to me.

Or maybe because it is at the end of January and it looks a heck of a lot better than the snow out my window

I would nominate the Ryder cup if it counted as it is the best event in golf.

[Ed Oden]

I love the old traditional venues with classic courses.  But its hard to ignore the fact that many of these tournaments (e.g., Colonial, Pebble, Riviera, Westchester) have suffered to varying degrees to attract top notch fields.  So I'd probably go with Firestone and East Lake since the best players will be in the field and the courses have a slightly more "classic" feel to them than TPC or Memorial.  One tournament which should be in the discussion is the Wachovia Championship at Quail Hollow.  The course is strong, has a classic feel and all the top guys other than Els play.

Ed

[wsmorrison]

Some consider it a major, but I'll go with the US Amateur for an individual tournament.  For a team event, I'll go with the Walker Cup since the US team stinks the place up at the Ryder Cup.  However , it is nice to see our pros squirm though  

[J_ Crisham]

The Western Open-well, it used to be fun to watch  

[Ed Oden]

The Western Open-well, it used to be fun to watch  

Jack, was Butler the best venue for the Western?

Ed

[J_ Crisham]

Ed, Butler was certainly the hardest venue. My impression is the tour players found it to be a real grind. Cog Hill is a good track and fun to play but Butler could then and I believe now hold an Open any day of the week-except they are never going to change their all male policy. I would find it interesting to see what Tiger could do at Butler. I watched Watson in his prime perform well here.

[Gerry B]

Walker Cup
US Amateur
Ryder Cup
AT&T
LA Open
Players Championship

[Mark Smolens]

I will second Jack's vote.  It's great fun to watch the big kids tear up a course that kicked my butt every Saturday morning for about 12 years.  It's too bad the greens fee has gotten so high that our Sat. morning group has dissapeared.  I still can't figure out how they hit that friggin 9th green in two shots

[J_ Crisham]

Mark, whats the cost at Cog 4 now? It's been 3--4yrs since I've played there. I wonder if the slowing economy in Chicago will produce a reversal of greens fees at the higher end public tracks? I am also aware of some mid-level private clubs that are reducing the downstroke in Chicago-must be a sign of the times.

[Wayne Wiggins, Jr.]

I agree with Wayne Morrison, the US Amateur is the best tourney to watch especially in person.

On a similar note, I think Tiger's AT&T National is going to rise to that upper echelon of tournaments (along with The Players, LA Open, etc.) in short order, especially if/when it starts to moving around to other courses.

[Jesse Jones]

1. Players

2. U.S Am

3. Memorial

[Tim_Cronin]

1. Western Open
2. Canadian Open
3. Players Championship
4. World Series of Golf (or whatever it's called)
5. Los Angeles Open (if at Riviera)

Re: Butler National. Toughest course in Chicago. You could make an 8 on any hole, and then they went and toughened it. It's Open-ready. (Plus has room for a million corporate tents, which I've heard the USGA is fond of.)

[Matthew Hunt]

1. Walker Cup
2. Ryder Cup
3. Irish Open
4. World Matchplay
5. Players

[Sean_A]

Without a shadow of doubt the Ryder Cup.  Its often more interesting than some of the majors of that year.  

I follow the President's Putter at Rye every year via the news.  I will have to make an effort to get down there for the weekend some time.  To be honest, I would rather see this event on tv more than practically any other golfing event.    

Ciao

[Phil Benedict]

Players - Great field and great tournament venue.  All that water makes for exciting finish.  

I also enjoy Bay Hill because Tiger and Phil are always there and the watery finish makes it unpredictable.

Oddly enough, I don't like playing courses with lots of water but I think it makes for great viewing.

[Jeff_Mingay]

Kapalua's at the top of my list. The quality of the Plantation course combined with the usual conditions forces the world's best to play shots you don't see at many other Tour venues throughout the world.  

[Matthew Hunt]

I am very surprised by little response the Walker Cup is getting. I have been to many high profile sporting event including managing to get 6 tickets for the first  'Foreign game' woth £4000/$8000 on E-bay in Croke Park (Being me I got them for £40/$80 ). And nothing I've been to compares to the Walker Cup at Royal County Down. I didn't get to th 2006 Ryder Cup but everone I know who was at both says the Walker Cup was miles better.

[Wayne_Kozun]

I personally like the Dunhill, especially when it was a country competition on the Old Course.