Great 18: Things you didn't know about the Buick Open

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Last year's champ Brian Bateman was just one of many first-time winners in Buick Open history.

GRAND BLANC, Mich. -- Billy Casper, who won the inaugural Buick Open, and defending champ Brian Bateman will participate in ceremonies Wednesday commemorating the 50th anniversary of the PGA TOUR event.

The list of champions includes legendary players like Tony Lema, Julius Boros and Hale Irwin, as well as current stars Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Jim Furyk. Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club has been the host venue 42 of the 50 years.

"I think this tournament ... (is) never going to lose its luster because of the golf course, because of the venue, because of the people," Bateman said. "And that's why year-in and year-out, we have a great field here.

"There are not many courses we play anymore that aren't changed or can stand the test of time. This is one of them, and that's a reason guys come back here every year, because they know what to expect. They know it's going to be difficult and they also know there's some birdie chances, and it's just a fun golf course to play."

Here are 18 things you may not know about the Buick Open.

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1. The purse for the inaugural Buick Open was $52,000 -- the largest on the PGA TOUR that year -- and Casper's $9,000 share was more than Tommy Bolt received for winning the 1958 U.S. Open. My how things have changed: the man who finishes solo 23rd this week will earn $52,000 from the $5 million purse.

2. Buick was the first corporate sponsor on the PGA TOUR. The decision to sponsor the tournament in 1958 was made to celebrate what was then the 50th anniversary of General Motors, Buick's parent company.

3. Julius Boros was the first winner to break par in all four rounds, beating Dow Finsterwald and George Bayer by five strokes in 1963.

4. The land Warwick Hills now covers was originally a farm. A mansion owned by Arnold Lenz, then a GM vice president and the general manager of the Pontiac Division, provided the foundation for the clubhouse.
• VIDEO: Buick Open's local support

5. Dave Hill was the first Michigan native to win the tournament. He was born in Jackson, Mich., which is about 90 miles away from Grand Blanc.

6. Robert Wrenn's scoring record of 26-under 272 has stood for the past 21 years.

7. Butch Baird made the first hole-in-one in Buick Open history in 1962 when he aced the 203-yard third hole with a 2-iron. Two days later, Jerry Barber used the same club to make a hole-in-one on the 222-yard 17th hole -- which is believed to be the first ever captured on film from beginning to end. Both men won Buick Wildcats. Interestingly, Baird's son Briny made an ace on the third hole, as well, in 2004

8. Jim Furyk has eight top-10 finishes at the Buick Open, one more than Julius Boros and Tiger Woods and two more than Fred Funk.
• VIDEO: Furyk wins in 2003

9. Billy Mayfair shot 61 in the fourth round of the 2001 tournament. His round of 11-under, later matched by Tiger Woods in 2005, included a back-nine 27 that remains a PGA TOUR record.

10. Tony Lema (1964-65) and Vijay Singh (2004-05) are the only two players to successfully defend their titles at Warwick Hills. Conversely, Wayne Levi (1983), Scott Verplank (1988) and Billy Mayfair (1998) failed to make the cut in their title defenses.

11. Chi Chi Rodriguez holed a 6-iron for double eagle at the 13th hole, a 507-yard par 5, in 1963. The unusual feat and his 70, though, were made moot when the round was cancelled due to rain.

12. Chip Beck trailed Hale Irwin by eight strokes entering the final round in 1990. He fired a 65 in the final round to beat Irwin, Mike Donald and Fuzzy Zoeller by a stroke -- the largest come-from-behind win in Buick Open history. The previous mark was six strokes by Peter Jacobsen in 1980.

13. From 1958-64, the Buick Open employed a 36-hole and 54-hole cut.

14. Jim Furyk has shot 66 or better 12 times at Warwick Hills -- one more than Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Scott Verplank. Woods, though, is the only player to have broken 67 all four rounds of the same event.

15. Past champions generally fare well at Warwick Hills. There were five former winners in the top 10 last year -- marking the fifth straight year with at least three.

16. In 2007, Brian Bateman became the 11th player to record his first PGA TOUR victory at Warwick Hills, and the first since Tom Pernice Jr. in 1999. Bateman was also the first winner not to play in the final pairing since Pernice.

17. In eight Buick Open appearances, Tiger Woods has never shot over par in any round. In fact, he's been under par in 31 of 32 and the lone 72 came in the first round of his first start.
• VIDEO: Watch Tiger win in 2006

18. Rocco Mediate and Bateman are the only two players to birdie the 72nd hole to win the Buick Open.
• VIDEO: Watch Bateman's birdie | Watch Mediate's birdie