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.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Portland metropolitan area |
| Established | 1986 |
| Course(s) | Portland Golf Club (1986–91) The Oregon Golf Club (1992–97) The Reserve (1998–2002) |
| Format | Best ball |
| Prize fund | $180,000 |
| Final year | 2002 |
| Final champion | |
| Brian Henninger and Scott McCarron | |
History
editFrom 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
editAfter 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
edit| 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
edit| 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
editAs a team
edit- 3 wins
- Brad Faxon and Greg Norman: 1995, 1996, 1997
- 2 wins
- John Cook and Mark O'Meara: 1994, 2000
- Billy Andrade and Brad Faxon: 1999, 2001
As an individual
edit- 5 wins
- Brad Faxon: 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001
- 4 wins
- Greg Norman: 1986, 1995, 1996, 1997
- 3 wins
- Billy Andrade: 1992, 1999, 2001
- 2 wins
- Paul Azinger: 1988, 1991
- John Cook: 1994, 2000
- Mark O'Meara: 1994, 2000
References
edit- ^ "Jacobsen's big party". Eugene Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. August 18, 1986. p. 2B. Retrieved June 5, 2009. [dead link]
- ^ "Jacobsen takes whole Challenge". Eugene Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. December 22, 1988. p. 4B. Retrieved June 5, 2009.
- ^ a b "Portland, Ore.-Based Grocery Chain Pulls Sponsorship of Charity Golf Event". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. August 28, 2002. Retrieved June 5, 2009.
- ^ "Oregon not likely to host a PGA event in near future". The World (Coos Bay, Oregon). 9 August 2001. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Peter Jacobsen tries to recapture Portland-area golfing magic with Umpqua Bank Challenge". The Oregonian. August 27, 2011. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Duo wins best-ball Challenge by two strokes". ESPN. August 7, 2002.
- ^ "Fred Meyer Challenge - Results". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. August 8, 2001. p. D7.
- ^ "Winners get playoff payoff". The Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. August 9, 2000. pp. 1E, 3E.
- ^ "Andrade, Faxon put field away". The Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. August 25, 1999. pp. 1B, 3B, 5B.
- ^ "Furyk, Duval roll to victory". The Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. August 26, 1998. pp. 1B, 2B, 5B.
- ^ "Norman, Faxon defend Meyer Challenge crown". The Blade. Toledo, Ohio. August 6, 1997. p. 27.
- ^ "It's a Faxon-Norman encore". The Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. August 21, 1996. pp. 1B, 2B.
- ^ "Faxon-Norman team goes into a playoff to win Fred Meyer". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. August 23, 1995. pp. C2, C5.
- ^ "O'Meara, Cook gain title". The Victoria Advocate. Victoria, Texas. August 24, 1994. pp. 2B, 3B.
- ^ "Elkington, Purtzer win Meyer". Rome News-Tribune. Rome, Georgia. August 25, 1993. pp. 2B, 5B.
- ^ "Kite and Andrade: They are up to the Challenge". The Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. August 26, 1992. pp. 1C, 8C.
- ^ "Azinger, Crenshaw win Fred Meyer Challenge". The Gainesville Sun. Gainesville, Florida. August 21, 1991. p. 4C.
- ^ "Wadkins brothers capture rainy Fred Meyer Challenge". Spokane Chronicle. Spokane, Washington. August 22, 1990. pp. D3, D4.
- ^ "Stadler, Sindelar rule the roost". The Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. August 23, 1989. pp. 1B, 4B.
- ^ "Birdie putts hand Challenge crown to Azinger, Tway". The Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. August 24, 1988. pp. 1C, 5C.
- ^ "Stewart team wins challenge". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. August 18, 1987. p. D3.
- ^ "Challenge a draw". Rome News-Tribune. Rome, Georgia. August 20, 1986. p. 6B.