| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Lafayette, Louisiana |
| Established | 1958 |
| Course | Oakbourne Country Club |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 6,555 yards (5,994 m)[1] |
| Tour | PGA Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | US$25,000 |
| Month played | November |
| Final year | 1968 |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 270Doug Sanders (1961) 270John Barnum (1962) 270Ron Cerrudo (1968) |
| To par | −18Ron Cerrudo (1968) |
| Final champion | |
| Location map | |
TheCajun Classic Open Invitational was a golf tournament inLouisiana on thePGA Tour in the late 1950s and 1960s, played at the Oakbourne Country Club inLafayette, usually in late November.[2] It debuted as theLafayette Open Invitational in 1958,[3] and in many years was the last tournament on the PGA Tour schedule, which attracted players fighting for position on the money list.
John Barnum, the only man in the history of the PGA Tour to earn his first win after age 50, won this event in1962at age 51.[4][5] Barnum was also the first player to win on Tour using aPing putter.[6]
The 1963 tournament began on Thursday, November 21, but during the second round the following day, news of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy swept the course. Saturday's play was postponed in deference to the news, with the tournament finishing on Sunday with the final two rounds being played.
It lost the last tournament slot on the1969 schedule and the resulting smaller field caused monetary problems that resulted in the tournament folding.
| Year | Winner | Score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up | Purse (US$) | Winner's share ($) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cajun Classic Open Invitational | ||||||||
| 1968 | 270 | −18 | 4 strokes | 35,000 | 5,000 | [1] | ||
| 1967 | 275 | −13 | Playoff | 35,000 | 5,000 | [7] | ||
| 1966 | 271 | −17 | Playoff | 34,500 | 4,850 | [8] | ||
| 1965 | 275 | −13 | Playoff | 32,000 | 4,250 | [9] | ||
| 1964 | 277 | −7 | 5 strokes | 25,000 | 3,300 | [10] | ||
| 1963 | 275 | −13 | 2 strokes | 20,000 | 2,800 | [11] | ||
| 1962 | 270 | −14 | 6 strokes | 17,500 | 2,400 | [4] | ||
| 1961 | 270 | −14 | 6 strokes | 15,000 | 2,000 | [12] | ||
| 1960 | 272 | −12 | 2 strokes | 15,000 | 2,000 | [13] | ||
| Lafayette Open Invitational | ||||||||
| 1959 | 273 | −11 | 4 strokes | 15,000 | 2,000 | [14] | ||
| 1958 | 275 | −11 | 5 strokes | 15,000 | 2,000 | [3] | ||
30°13′01″N91°58′41″W / 30.217°N 91.978°W /30.217; -91.978