Fred Meyer Challenge

Fred Meyer Challenge
Tournament information
LocationPortland metropolitan area
Established1986
Course(s)Portland Golf Club (1986–91)
The Oregon Golf Club (1992–97)
The Reserve (1998–2002)
FormatBest ball
Prize fund$180,000
Final year2002
Final champion
Brian Henninger and Scott McCarron

The Fred Meyer Challenge was a charity golf tournament played in the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon. Held from 1986 to 2002, it was organized by Portland native and PGA Tour golfer Peter Jacobsen and sponsored by the then-locally owned hypermarket chain Fred Meyer.[1][2][3] The field included active and retired PGA Tour players. It was always played as a two-man team best ball event. In its inaugural year, it was played as in a match play format, with four teams competing. For the rest of its tenure, it was played in a stroke play format, with 8 to 12 teams competing.

History

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From 1986 to 1997, the winning team split a $100,000 first prize. In 1998, this increased to $150,000 and in 2000 to $180,000. In the tournament's heyday, many high-profile golfers participated, and attendance neared 40,000 fans.[4] After Fred Meyer was acquired by Kroger, it discontinued sponsorship of the event and the tournament was also discontinued.[3][5]

Legacy

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After the end of the Challenge, Jacobsen brought The Tradition, a PGA Tour Champions event, to Oregon starting in 2003. It was played at The Reserve from 2003-2006 before moving to the Crosswater Club in Sunriver, Oregon through 2010.[6]

In 2011, Jacobsen's company Peter Jacobsen Sports revived the challenge-style exhibition tournament with the Umpqua Bank Challenge, which drew 15,000 to the Portland Golf Club for the 2011 tournament and 10,000 spectators to the 2012 edition at The Reserve.[5][6] In October 2012, Jacobsen announced that the 2012 edition of the tournament may have been the last one, as both attendance and sponsorship had fallen short of expectations.[6]

Tournament hosts

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Years Venue Location
1986–1991 Portland Golf Club Portland, Oregon
1992–1997 The Oregon Golf Club West Linn, Oregon
1998–2002 The Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club Aloha, Oregon

Winners

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Year Winners Score Ref
2002 Brian Henninger and Scott McCarron 122 (−22) [7]
2001 Billy Andrade and Brad Faxon 120 (−24) [8]
2000 John Cook and Mark O'Meara 125 (−19) [9]
1999 Billy Andrade and Brad Faxon 122 (−22) [10]
1998 David Duval and Jim Furyk 126 (−18) [11]
1997 Brad Faxon and Greg Norman 123 (−19) [12]
1996 Brad Faxon and Greg Norman 124 (−18) [13]
1995 Brad Faxon and Greg Norman 129 (−13) [14]
1994 John Cook and Mark O'Meara 125 (−17) [15]
1993 Steve Elkington and Tom Purtzer 126 (−16) [16]
1992 Billy Andrade and Tom Kite 128 (−16) [17]
1991 Paul Azinger and Ben Crenshaw 125 (−19) [18]
1990 Bobby Wadkins and Lanny Wadkins 122 (−22) [19]
1989 Joey Sindelar and Craig Stadler 125 (−19) [20]
1988 Paul Azinger and Bob Tway 125 (−19) [21]
1987 Isao Aoki and Payne Stewart 127 (−17) [22]
1986 Peter Jacobsen and Curtis Strange
Greg Norman and Gary Player		 Tie [23]

Multiple winners

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As a team

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As an individual

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References

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  1. ^ "Jacobsen's big party". Eugene Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. August 18, 1986. p. 2B. Retrieved June 5, 2009. [dead link‍]
  2. ^ "Jacobsen takes whole Challenge". Eugene Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. December 22, 1988. p. 4B. Retrieved June 5, 2009.
  3. ^ a b "Portland, Ore.-Based Grocery Chain Pulls Sponsorship of Charity Golf Event". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. August 28, 2002. Retrieved June 5, 2009.
  4. ^ "Oregon not likely to host a PGA event in near future". The World (Coos Bay, Oregon). 9 August 2001. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Peter Jacobsen tries to recapture Portland-area golfing magic with Umpqua Bank Challenge". The Oregonian. August 27, 2011. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  6. ^ a b c Tokito, Mike (October 15, 2012). "Umpqua Bank Challenge goes on 2013 hiatus as Peter Jacobsen re-evaluates event". The Oregonian. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  7. ^ "Duo wins best-ball Challenge by two strokes". ESPN. August 7, 2002.
  8. ^ "Fred Meyer Challenge - Results". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. August 8, 2001. p. D7.
  9. ^ "Winners get playoff payoff". The Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. August 9, 2000. pp. 1E, 3E.
  10. ^ "Andrade, Faxon put field away". The Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. August 25, 1999. pp. 1B, 3B, 5B.
  11. ^ "Furyk, Duval roll to victory". The Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. August 26, 1998. pp. 1B, 2B, 5B.
  12. ^ "Norman, Faxon defend Meyer Challenge crown". The Blade. Toledo, Ohio. August 6, 1997. p. 27.
  13. ^ "It's a Faxon-Norman encore". The Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. August 21, 1996. pp. 1B, 2B.
  14. ^ "Faxon-Norman team goes into a playoff to win Fred Meyer". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. August 23, 1995. pp. C2, C5.
  15. ^ "O'Meara, Cook gain title". The Victoria Advocate. Victoria, Texas. August 24, 1994. pp. 2B, 3B.
  16. ^ "Elkington, Purtzer win Meyer". Rome News-Tribune. Rome, Georgia. August 25, 1993. pp. 2B, 5B.
  17. ^ "Kite and Andrade: They are up to the Challenge". The Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. August 26, 1992. pp. 1C, 8C.
  18. ^ "Azinger, Crenshaw win Fred Meyer Challenge". The Gainesville Sun. Gainesville, Florida. August 21, 1991. p. 4C.
  19. ^ "Wadkins brothers capture rainy Fred Meyer Challenge". Spokane Chronicle. Spokane, Washington. August 22, 1990. pp. D3, D4.
  20. ^ "Stadler, Sindelar rule the roost". The Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. August 23, 1989. pp. 1B, 4B.
  21. ^ "Birdie putts hand Challenge crown to Azinger, Tway". The Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. August 24, 1988. pp. 1C, 5C.
  22. ^ "Stewart team wins challenge". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. August 18, 1987. p. D3.
  23. ^ "Challenge a draw". Rome News-Tribune. Rome, Georgia. August 20, 1986. p. 6B.
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