Rancho Municipal Golf Course opened on July 3, 1949, with a Bob Hope exhibition, followed by the U.S.G.A. Public Links championship, and has continued to host numerous golf championships on its hallow green ever since.
Always one of the busiest golf courses in America, Rancho’s rolling hills, lofted trees, wide fairways, minimal rough and small greens, can still challenge and enchant, despite existing in a playing condition more akin to the 1980s than television golf.
The Los Angeles Open was held at Rancho between 1956 and 1983, when it was a major civic event, drawing thousands of spectators, and where Arnie’s Army really began.
The Open’s early-January date was the first of the professional season, and often enhanced by fog, wind, cold and rain, making for great competition. When Rancho was in championship form, with double cut greens, deep rough and narrow fairways, the pros almost never “ate up” the course.
The lowest Los Angeles Open score on Rancho was 268 by 23 year-old Phil Rodgers in 1962, the same year Jack Nicklaus entered his first championship and finished in last place. Rodgers had a 62 in the final round! Phil also won the 1954 Junior L.A. Open at Rancho, beating runner-up and National Junior champion Al Geiberger by seven strokes.
Rancho’s next lowest L.A. Open score was Arnold Palmer‘s 269 in 1967.
Gil Morgan managed 270 in the last L.A. Open at Rancho in 1983. This compares to Lanny Watkins’s record score of 264 in 1985, Fred Couples’ 266 in 1990, and Chip Beck and Mike Weir’s 267 in 1988 and 2004 respectively, all scored on the Riviera Country Club course.
Happy 71st Birthday Rancho!
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