Yuma Open

Nike Yuma Open

Tournament information
Location	Yuma, Arizona
Established	1990
Course	Desert Hills Golf Course
Par	71
Length	6,822
Tours	Ben Hogan Tour (1990–1992) Nike Tour (1993)
Format	Stroke play
Prize fund	US$150,000
Month played	February
Final year	1993
Tournament record score
Aggregate	196 P. H. Horgan III (1991)
To par	−17 as above
Final champion
Ron Streck
Location map
Desert Hills GC Location in the United States Desert Hills GC Location in Arizona

The Yuma Open was a professional golf tournament played each February from 1990 to 1993 at Desert Hills Golf Course in Yuma, Arizona. For its first three years it was the Ben Hogan Yuma Open, an event on the Ben Hogan Tour, the developmental circuit now known as the Korn Ferry Tour. It became the Nike Yuma Open in 1993, when Nike took over as the tour's title sponsor. All four editions were contested over 54 holes.

P. H. Horgan III won in 1991 with a total of 196, setting the tour's 54-hole scoring record. Paul Goydos, the 1992 champion, was working as a substitute teacher when he won, and Ron Streck took the final edition in 1993 after a playoff with Chris DiMarco.

Venue

Desert Hills is a municipal course operated by the City of Yuma's parks and recreation department. It was set up as a par 71 for the tournament, at 6,777 yards in 1990 and 6,822 yards in 1992 and 1993. The city currently lists the course at par 72 and about 6,800 yards, and states that it has also hosted the Sunbelt Senior Tour.

History

Ben Hogan Tour

The inaugural tournament was held February 9–11, 1990, during the Ben Hogan Tour's first season, with a purse of $100,000. Roger Rowland set a competitive course record with a nine-under-par 62 in the opening round and still led after 36 holes at 130, one stroke ahead of Rick Pearson. Pearson closed with a 67 for a total of 198 and won by two over Sean Pacetti and Sam Randolph. Pacetti's final rounds of 64 and 65 went into the tour's records as its lowest score over two consecutive rounds. Pearson collected $20,000. Yuma was his only victory that year, and he ended the season sixth on the money list with $75,370.

Horgan won the 1991 tournament, held February 8–10, in his first Ben Hogan Tour start. A stroke behind four co-leaders after two rounds, he shot 65 on the final day to finish at 17-under-par 196 (67-64-65), two shots clear of Olin Browne and Steve Lowery. No previous winner on the tour had scored lower over 54 holes, and the mark stood alone until Jeff Woodland equalled it at the Dakota Dunes Open that August. Horgan's closing 129 also tied the two-round record Pacetti had set at Yuma a year earlier. Goydos placed fourth and DiMarco tied for fifth. John Daly, who went on to win the 1991 PGA Championship, tied for 31st. Horgan later won the Macon Open and finished third on the season's money list.

The 1992 edition, played February 14–16, opened the season with the purse raised to $125,000. John Flannery, Roger Gunn and Fred Wadsworth shared the first-round lead with 63s. After 36 holes Goydos was in a four-way tie at 133 with Gunn, Ron Vlosich and Taylor Smith. A final-round 68 gave him a 201 total (68-65-68) and a one-stroke victory over Jeff Coston and Smith, worth $25,000. At the time he was working as a substitute teacher in Long Beach. Goydos finished the year 17th on the money list and earned his PGA Tour card for 1993 through the qualifying tournament. Sports Illustrated later reported that the Yuma Open had been his last win before the 1996 Bay Hill Invitational, his first on the PGA Tour.

Nike Tour

Nike's sponsorship was announced in August 1992. The 1993 tournament, held February 19–21 with a $150,000 purse, was the first event of the season and the first under the Nike Tour name. Sixty-seven players made the cut at two under par, more than at any other Nike Tour event that year. Tim Petrovic led by two strokes at 131 after two rounds. Streck, helped by a second-round 64, finished at 201 and was joined there by DiMarco, who closed with a 65. Streck won with a par on the second playoff hole and received $27,000. It was his only win on the developmental tour. When he won on the Champions Tour in 2005, the PGA Tour credited him as the first player to win on all three of its tours.

The Yuma Open was not on the 1994 schedule, which opened in February with the Nike Inland Empire Open.

Winners

Year	Winner	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up	Purse ($)	Winner's share ($)	Ref.
Nike Yuma Open
1993	Ron Streck	201	−12	Playoff	Chris DiMarco	150,000	27,000
Ben Hogan Yuma Open
1992	Paul Goydos	201	−12	1 stroke	Jeff Coston Taylor Smith	125,000	25,000
1991	P. H. Horgan III	196	−17	2 strokes	Olin Browne Steve Lowery	100,000	20,000
1990	Rick Pearson	198	−15	2 strokes	Sean Pacetti Sam Randolph	100,000	20,000