The CBS Match Play Classic

[Rick Wolffe]

This is a Shout Out to anyone who can remember and help research the The CBS Match Play Classic.

There is not much of anything on the internet on this event...about all I could find was this reference in the LaQuinta CC web site:

"By 1963 CBS-TV began their CBS Match Play Classic. The tournament featured sixteen two-man teams of professional golfers in a match play format. The matches were played in the fall and shown throughout the winter. Competing teams of Sam Snead, Tony Lema, Art Wall, Doug Ford, Julius Boros, George Bayer, Dave Regan, Billy Casper and Gene Littler helped launch golf into everyone’s home."

http://www.lqcc.org/Club_Info/LQCC_History.aspx
 
There are also mentions in various obituaries for the late producer of this tournament, Dan Curtis, who was also of "Dark Shadows" fame.  This one is from USA today:

"After creating Challenge Golf for ABC in 1962, the golfing enthusiast formed his own company and in 1963 launched The CBS Match Play Golf Classic, which ran for a decade and received an Emmy Award for achievement in sports."

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/people/2006-03-27-dan-curtis-obit_x.htm

This team match play event started in 1963 and the first match was aired by CBS on December 28, 1963.  Curtis was the producer and Frank Chirkinian was the director for many years.  The event was sanctioned by the PGA (as an unofficial event for whatever that means) and the purse was one of the largest in golf at that time.

The teams and pairings are a whos who of the best golfers in the world during the 1960's.

[Joe Bausch]

I believe the 1965 version of the event was won by Dave Marr and Tommy Jacobs.

[Joe Bausch]

Here's an article from the 1963 (Sept 18) Long Island City NY Star talking about the upcoming event:

[Stu Wolffe]

interesting

[Joe Bausch]

I'm guessing there are still many people around that have some knowledge about the event.  I know one that worked for CBS.  I'll reach out to him.

[Bill_McBride]

I remember the event being played at Firestone.  I saw enough matches from there that the course became quite familiar, especially the 625-yard 16th with the pond in front. 

[Steve_ Shaffer]

I remember matches being played at LaCosta:

http://www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060220/news_1s20lacosta.html

http://www.hunter-pr.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/la-costa-golf-course-stories-legends-of-game-champions-course.pdf

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Older-Zippo-Lighter-CBS-Match-Play-Classic-Has-111-on-left-and-right-side-/121505353069?pt=US_Solo_Sports_Fan_Shop&hash=item1c4a488d6d

http://www.theclubatlacosta.com/files/LaCosta%20JAN-MAR10_6.pdf

[Rick Wolffe]

Thanks Steve and Bill...some good stuff on LaCosta and Firestone.

I found this brief mention on the CBS Classic at Firestone:

The American Golf Classic, initiated in 1961, began a new era of golf at Firestone. In 1962 The World Series of Golf began under its original format, and in succeeding years the course played host to many other competitions, including the CBS Golf Classic and Big Three Golf, the forerunner of The World Series of Golf.

In 1973, Firestone Country Club was the only course in the world on which three televised golf events- The American Golf Classic, The World Series of Golf and The CBS Golf Classic- were conducted in one calendar year. In 1969, the North Course, designed by Robert Trent Jones was opened. This scenic challenge was to become the site of the 1976 American Golf Classic and 1994 NEC World Series of Golf.

http://www.gulfcoastgolf.com/robert-trent-jones/courses/firestone-south.htm

What baffles me is that i can't find any records anywhere on the winners of these CBS made for tv tournaments.  Several months ago I made contact with the archivist at CBS and struck out...i was told that since this tournament was produced by Dan Curtis and his production studio that there was no archival film, or any records anywhere at CBS.

Contact at the PGA resulted in nothing and the curators at the USGA library had no records either.

Has the CBS Match Play Classic become "The Lost PGA Tournament?"

[Tom Bagley]

I too have been stumped trying to find any info about the CBS Golf Classic, or videos online.  When I was a kid we were avid followers of the telecasts, partly because local Massachusetts golfer Paul Harney was frequently involved.  (I believe he won it one year with Don January as a partner).  My recollection is that the matches were played at Firestone and taped over several days in late summer/early fall for broadcast during the winter months.  In the pre-internet, pre-Golf Channel days, it was relatively easy to keep the winner a secret.  I also recall that the series was later moved to La Costa.

The players wore microphones, which added an extra dimension to the broadcast, and the format was (I believe) four-ball stroke play.  Tommy Jacobs holed a bunker shot one year to win the final match, the video clip of which was used as a promo and in the introduction to each week's show.  When the final match aired, I can recall Jacobs entering the bunker on the last hole to play the shot, and realizing, "He is going to hole-out!"

[Rick Wolffe]

Thank you Tom.  Your tip led me to this on Paul Harney at the Massachusetts Golf Hall of Fame web site: 

Voted “Best Male Golf Professional of the 20th Century in Massachusetts” in 1999 by the readership of MassGolfer magazine, Worcester native Paul Harney arguably developed into the best part-time player the PGA Tour ever saw. The former Holy Cross College golf team captain won six PGA Tour events, the most of any Massachusetts-bred player. The last three came as a husband and father after, in 1963, he kept a promise to wife Patti and ‘retired’ as a full-time PGA Tour player once their first child began school.

After losing a playoff to Arnold Palmer at the Thunderbird Classic and missing out in a playoff by one stroke at the 1963 U.S. Open Championship at The Country Club in his home state, Harney accepted a club professional position in California. He won the inaugural 1964 CBS Golf Classic with Don January and back-to-back Los Angeles Opens in 1964 and 1965 (he missed a three-peat by one shot to Palmer in 1966). In this era, he also chalked up four top-10 finishes in the Masters.

http://www.massgolfhall.com/paul-harney.html

[Tom Bagley]

Rick:  I should have known that the info on Paul Harney's victory was on the Mass Golf Hall of Fame website - since I am the Chairman of the Massachusetts Golf Hall of Fame Committee!

When I have a chance, I will reach out to the Harney family to see if they have any clips or mementos from the series.

[Tim_Cronin]

For a while, Firestone was the most-televised course (or at least back nine) on golf thanks to the CBS Golf Classic. I'll snoop around with some of my video-collecting pals to see if they have any old telecasts. With the exception of The Masters, CBS was bad about keeping live telecasts of sports until 1977 or so, but this was taped and edited, so there may be some episodes floating around.

A 1966 story confirms the show was created and at least partly-owned by Dan Curtis, he of Dark Shadows and other TV and movie productions. There's a near-complete run of Dark Shadows on DVD, so maybe he had copies of this somewhere as well.

[Rick Wolffe]

Thanks Tom that would be great.  

As noted in the article Joe Bauch found, the field was pretty impressive.  Harney and January were were in the 7 match bracket that was played in October of 1963...the teams in this bracket were

Bob Charles & Bruce Crampton
Lionel Hebert & Jay Hebert
Mason Rudolph & Tommy Jacobs
Paul Harney & Don January
Jack Nicklaus & Phil Rodgers
Bobby Nichols & Jack Cupit
Bob Rosburg & Fred Hawkins
Doug Sanders & Tommy Aaron

I believe the western bracket was played in December at Eldorado G&CC in Palm Springs in December.  The teams in that bracket were

Sam Snead & Tony Lema
Art Wall & Doug Ford
Julios Boros & George Bayer
Dave Regan & Billy Casper
Dow Fisterwald & Bob Goalby
Gene Littler & Bo Wininger
Mike Souchak & Jack Burke Jr.
Dave Marr & Johnny Pott

I don't know where the championship match was played sometime in early 1964.

[Cliff Hamm]

I believe the CBS Clasic was only held at Baltusrol for one year.  The members hated it.  Cameras and cables needed to be transported from one hole to the next resulting in 7 hours or so rounds and closing the course for the day.

[Rick Wolffe]

That's interesting Cliff Hamm...thanks for sharing your opinion on the Baltusrol members.   I have not heard anywhere yet that Baltusrol members hated this event...although it would not surprise me if there were some members that did not like the disruption.  I did learn that the matches at Baltusrol were held on the Lower Course only from Monday October 7 thru Friday October 11th...the club has two courses, so the Upper was open for play during these matches.  Also, the gallery was limited to members and their guests only...so there was no public access nor any press coverage.  A possible consideration on why it did not return to Baltusrol for a repeat performance the following year may be that shortly after this event Baltusrol invited the USGA to host the 1967 U.S. Open; and that invitation was promptly accepted, and the club began preparations for that U.S. Open.  Cliff, can you share your source on the Baltusrol membership views and the 7 hour rounds?

Regarding Firestone, I did go down that trail a bit more after Bill McBride's post.  Evidently, per the GCSAA link below, Firestone became the home to the CBS Classic from 1967 thru 1974, which may be close to when this tournament ended.  Does anyone know if all the matches were played at Firestone or did they do another west coast bracket someplace else? 

http://www.gcsaa.org/docs/default-source/tournament-fact-sheets/pga-tour/2014/2014-world-golf-classic-bridgestone-invitational.pdf?sfvrsn=8

Does anyone have a connection with a historian at Firestone?  The history on this Lost PGA Tournament may be found there.

[Cliff Hamm]

In no way was I attempting to disparage the members of Baltusrol.  I caddied there at the time and my love for golf and its traditions is a result of that experience.  I will always feel indebted to Baltusrol for the  experience.  One of the highlights being caddying for Bob Creasy, the head of the PGA at the time, on the Sunday before the '67 Open and having Nicklaus and Deane Beaman join up for the 10th and 11th hole.  It was a thrill.

But I digress...My source is simply over hearing a conversation while caddying on the Lower.  Perhaps I should not have generalized to the membership in general.  This may have been a minority opinion, but I would not fault the members for feeling inconvenienced. Again, I have the utmost respect for the club and am hoping to see  a US Open return in the near future.

[Rick Wolffe]

Thanks Cliff...caddies can be a pretty good source...

That's a really cool meeting Nicklaus and Beaman!

[Joe Bausch]

Has the CBS Match Play Classic become "The Lost PGA Tournament?"

Let's not forget that it was only a few years back that a tape of Geiberger's 59 in Memphis showed up! 

[Rick Wolffe]

Following up on Joe Bauch's post on the 1965 CBS Classic, it was evidently won by Tommy Jacobs and Dave Marr.  This is from an article written by Bob Wolf for the LA Times in 1988,

 "Besides the 1958 Denver Open and the 1962 Utah Open, Jacobs won the San Diego Open (now the Shearson Lehman Hutton Andy Williams Open) in 1962 and the Palm Springs Desert Classic (now the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic) in 1964. He earned his biggest purse of all, $25,000, in a non-tour event, the CBS Golf Classic, which he won with Dave Marr in 1965.  "I holed out of a bunker on the last hole to win over Ray Floyd and Bobby Nichols," Jacobs said. "That was very satisfying. Winning the Desert Classic was worth only $7,500..."

http://articles.latimes.com/1988-08-21/sports/sp-1195_1_tommy-jacobs-golf

[Tim_Cronin]

This wasn't a PGA Tour co-sanctioned or approved tournament. It was just a made-for-TV deal, like All-Star Golf, Challenge Golf and the Shell series. It was novel in that it was taped rather than filmed, and played at one (sometimes two) courses, but nothing more than that. If there was a "PGA official" as a referee, he was moonlighting.

I liked it because it was novel for television: Match play, condensed so you saw more shots than you would live, and some camera work that wasn't practical or allowed in a regular telecast. Things like camera cranes moving up as a player was about to putt, for instance. Sort of a laboratory for Frank Chirkinian to play.

I can't even find a list of yearly winners online, but I did find the 1963-64 match-play bracket, when the eastern matches were played at Baltusrol and the western matches and the 36-hole final took place at LaQuinta. It amplifies a bit on what Rick and Joe found:

East first round: Jacobs-Rudolph vs. January-Harney; Charles-Crampton vs. Hebert-Hebert; Nicklaus-Rodgers vs. Nichols-Cupit; Souchak-Ford vs. Sanders-Aaron.

West first round: Snead-Lema vs. Littler-Wininger; Wall-Burke vs. Finsterwald-Goalby; Boros-Bayer vs. Ragan-Casper; Marr-Pott vs. Rosburg-Hawkins.

From the ad with the bracket, all the eastern matches were shown first, then all the western matches, then the final, shown April 4-5 in two telecasts. The commentators in 1963-64 were Chris Schenkel and Tommy Armour.