|
  nverness Club began to establish its reputation
and its place in American golf lore during the 1920
National Open when members ushered in a new era by opening
the clubhouse doors to the tournament participants.
Inverness has been the site
of a number of historic moments in golf. In 1920, Inverness hosted
the National Open and, for the first time anywhere, opened its
clubhouse doors to the golf professionals. As a remembrance of
this gesture, the players of the 1920 National Open took up a
collection and presented the Club with a cathedral chime
clock on the final day of the tournament. The clock is still there
today, its inscription bearing witness to the beginning of a new
era of golf. It reads:
God measures men by what they are
Not by what they in wealth possess
This vibrant message chimes afar
The voice of Inverness That National Open
began a love affair between
major championship golf and the Inverness Club. It was the first
of four Opens to be played on the storied course, which has also
hosted two PGA Championships, a United States Amateur Championship
and the 2003 U.S. Senior Open. But hosting national championships,
both professional and amateur, is but a small slice of Inverness’ rich
history.
 As
host of the 1931 U.S. Open, Inverness Club provided the stage for
an event that would go down in history as the closest and longest
tournament ever contested in
professional golf. At the end of the regulation 72 holes, Billy
Burke and George Von Elm were tied at 292, requiring a 36-hole
playoff. They tied again and were forced to battle it out over an
additional 36 holes. When the grueling contest finally came to an
end after 144 holes of play, Billy Burke had earned the title by a
single stroke.
The eyes of the world have always viewed
Inverness through its many major championships. Each of them has a
special niche in golf history, spanning from Bobby Jones’ first
U.S. Open to two of the most dramatic finishes in PGA Championship
history. Inverness Club is, without question, the City’s and region’s most prestigious
golfing address for golf. 
|
