West End Classic

The West End Classic was PGA Tour satellite event that was played at the Grand Bahama Hotel and Country Club in West End on Grand Bahama Island from 1967 to 1969. In 1970 it was replaced by a new PGA Tour event, the Bahamas National Open, which was contested in 1970 and 1971.[1]

In 1967, Butch Baird won by one stroke over Bert Weaver, winning $4,000 from a $20,000 purse.[2] In 1968, Bruce Crampton won by two strokes, winning $4,000 from a $20,000 purse.[3] The 1969 tournament was won by Jim Wiechers, a 25-year-old Californian,[4] by five strokes over Al Besselink and Johnny Pott. The purse was $25,000 with $5,000 going to the winner.[5] The 1969 tournament was played in December opposite the Danny Thomas-Diplomat Classic, which was won by Arnold Palmer. The field, however, was better than a normal satellite field because it was the last tournament of the year, and the players were jockeying for position on the top-60 money list.

Players were allowed to use the regular-sized American ball and/or the smaller English ball. This may have been the only time that this was ever allowed during a PGA-sanctioned event. The competitors would play the bigger ball down wind, and the small ball into the wind.

Winners
YearPlayerCountryScoreTo parMargin
of victory		Runner(s)-upRef
1969Jim Wiechers United States274−145 strokes Al Besselink
Johnny Pott		[6][5]
1968Bruce Crampton Australia276−122 strokes Gene Borek
Bob Watson		[7][3]
1967Butch Baird United States279−91 stroke Bert Weaver[8][2]

References
  1. "Bahama Islands Open added to golf tour". The Record. Hackensack, New Jersey. AP. July 2, 1970. p. D–3. Retrieved May 10, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Butch Baird Collects in PGA Classic". The State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. Associated Press. December 7, 1967. p. C-3 – via newspapers.com.
  3. "Crampton Wins West End Golf Classic". The Daily Home News. New Brunswick, New Jersey. Associated Press. November 25, 1968. p. 22 – via newspapers.com.
  4. "1969 winners sorted by age". PGA Tour. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
  5. "Wiechers Triumphs in West End Classic". Sun-Democrat. Paducah, Kentucky. Associated Press. December 9, 1969. p. B-8 – via newspapers.com.
  6. "Wiechers Picks Up $5000 in Bahamas Win". The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, California. AP. December 8, 1969. p. 61. Retrieved May 9, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Bruce Crampton Wins West End". The Spokesman-Review. AP. November 25, 1968. p. 11. Retrieved May 9, 2020 – via Google News Archive.
  8. "Fleckman Baird Win". The Gazette (Montreal). Montreal, Canada. AP. December 4, 1967. p. 42. Retrieved May 9, 2020 – via Google News Archive.
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