From surf to silver dollars, Hyundai TOC has rich history

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Stan Badz/PGA TOUR

Stuart Appleby won this event three times from 2004-2006.

The Hyundai Tournament of Champions may sound like a new event to golf fans of the PGA TOUR, but this tournament is anything but a newcomer to the TOUR schedule.

In fact, it's actually one of the longer-standing events on the TOUR, dating back to 1953 when it was first contested at Desert Inn Country Club in Las Vegas.

The Hyundai Tournament of Champions is perhaps the most exclusive event on TOUR since you only gain admittance if you win the prior year. You can't simply play well, you have to have taken home the trophy in one of the 46 official tournaments played the previous year.

But while the tournament seems perfectly at home as the season-opening event for the TOUR -- after all, it's logical to begin the season by bringing the past season's winners together -- the Hyundai Tournament of Champions has only been the first event of the year since 1986. Prior to that, the tournament had always been played in the spring.

The very first event in Las Vegas gave an indication that this tournament would be a bit different. Al Besselink won and in grand Las Vegas style was awarded $10,000 in silver dollars as his prize. That might be a little tricky today with $1.12 million going to the winner, though.

Since the inaugural event, the tournament crown has been held by a World Golf Hall of Fame crowd including Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Vijay Singh and Lee Trevino. Future Hall of Famers like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have laid claim to the title as well.

The tournament was held in Las Vegas from 1953-68 before moving to La Costa Country Club in Carlsbad, Calif. After several years of often heavy downpours during Southern California's rainy season, the tournament moved to Maui in 1999 where it has remained on the Plantation Course at Kapalua, much to delight of the not only the players, but the viewing audience who get to see Hawaii in all of its winter charms.

The move has brought out the best from the TOUR's international members over the last decade, too.

The Hyundai Tournament of Champions saw only two international players -- Gary Player and Steve Elkington -- win from 1953-2001. Since then, however, international players have owned the title, winning the last nine championships.

No other event on TOUR, with the exception of British Opens played in the days before U.S. players began trekking overseas for the season's third major, has seen a drought of American winners that has lasted that long.

Sergio Garcia began the streak with a playoff win over David Toms in 2002 while Ernie Els followed with a win the following year. Stuart Appleby then laid claim to three consecutive titles before giving way to Vijay Singh in 2007 and Daniel Chopra in 2008.

This week, Geoff Ogilvy looks to match countryman Appleby as the Aussie will bid for his third consecutive win in Maui.

There have been some memorable duels in this season-opening event over the years, including two featuring Tiger Woods. Woods won the rain-shortened 1997 event in a one-hole sudden death playoff over Tom Lehman after a nearly holing his tee shot on the par-3 playoff hole. For Woods, it was his first shot of the day as he had waited out a storm before the final round was cancelled and a playoff initiated.

Woods was again front and center in 2000 when he and Els staged a memorable battle down the stretch at Kapalua with Woods emerging victorious after a birdie on the second playoff hole. It was the 72nd hole that made the week truly exciting, though. Both players were tied for the lead coming to the lengthy, par-5 18th hole and each sank dramatic eagle putts to send the tournament into a playoff.

Undaunted, Els would go on to win the 2003 tournament becoming the first player in PGA TOUR history to shoot 30 under (he actually finished 31 under) for a 72-hole event.

Want to win a bet with your buddies? Try this one. Has anyone ever played on the PGA TOUR and the Champions Tour in the same week? Can't be done, right? Actually, it has and it happened in this tournament.

Ray Floyd won the 1992 Doral --Ryder Open on the PGA TOUR and later that same season won on the Champions Tour at the GTE North Classic -- becoming the first player in history to win on both circuits in the same year.

In those days, the Tournament of Champions for both the PGA TOUR and the Champions Tour were played at the same venue, La Costa, at the same time. Different tees for the Tours, but played simultaneously.

So Floyd qualified on each Tour and after some discussion, was allowed to play both in 1993. The solution was that Floyd would play the PGA TOUR tees and his scores would count on both Tours. His scores of 71-72-73-73 earned him a tie for 22nd on the PGA TOUR and a tie for seventh on the Champions Tour.

While it may have taken a number of years to put this event in its rightful place on the calendar, there's no doubt that no matter the name or locale, the Hyundai Tournament of Champions has proven to be an exciting event with a lot of history behind it and the 2011 edition should be no exception.