This Day in Golf--Dec. 15

The contemporary golf fan likely does not realize there is an entire universe of tour golf they know nothing about. The PGA Tour that slowly came together roughly 80 years ago was a far cry from what we see today, mainly in terms of money, course condition/yardage, and tournament location. There were some very obscure places compared to today. In Arnold Palmer’s first full tour season, 1955, he demonstrated an attitude of even going to offbeat locales to play golf. One such event was the Mayfair Inn Open, in Sanford, Fla., designed to showcase the inn’s 155-room resort hotel on Lake Monroe. The event was played at Mayfair Country Club from 1955 to 1958 and Arnie played all four years. On Dec. 15, 1955, he shot a 72 in Round 1 and withdrew. On Dec. 15, 1957, he shot a third-straight 69, in Round 4, to tie for 22nd. He also tied for 7th in 1956 and for 17th in 1958. The event didn’t help too much; the hotel closed in the 1960s.