One of the oldest continuously running invitational tournaments in the country is back. From Jan. 4 to Jan. 6, 2024, some of the top amateurs in the region will descend on St. Petersburg Country Club in Saint Petersburg, Fla, for the 98th New Year's Invitational.

1974 champion and seven-time PGA Tour winner Gary Koch will be in attendance to present the winner with the trophy in honor of the 50th anniversary of his win.

The New Year's Invitational, played at St. Petersburg Country Club in Florida, has been held every year since 1927. It is the oldest continuously-running invitational tournament in the Southeast and one of the oldest in the country. Originally, it was one of a number of tournaments held in the winter months at clubs around the area. The other events, in fact, several of the other clubs, are long departed.

The tournament was a match-play event from its inception until 1956. The first winner was Clearwater resident A.T. Cooper. The 1928 winner, Johnny Revolta, was a combination course ranger - locker room attendant at Lakewood Country Club at the time he won. Later, Revolta became a very successful professional, winning the PGA Championship in 1935 and establishing quite a reputation as a short-game instructor. In 1938, he celebrated his return to St. Petersburg and Lakewood with a win at the St. Pete Open, a regular stop on the fledgling PGA tour.

Bob Goalby was the first winner after the change to stroke play. He went on to a lengthy PGA career, including a 1968 Masters green jacket. Between 1972 and 1991, Buddy Alexander, son of our longtime pro-Skip Alexander, won 6 titles, the most win for any player since the World War II era.

During the past two decades, the championship has been dominated by collegiate players, including winner Ryuji Imada in 1996, Jeff Klauk in 2000 (with a tournament record 21- under par 267), J.B. Holmes in 2003, Brandt Snedeker in 2004, and Jeff Overton in 2005. This year's field shows considerable promise, with entrants from around the U.S. as well as Canada, Germany, Finland, the UK, Colombia, Japan, and China. 2008 winner Bryce Ledford will not be back as he is pursuing a professional career.

The Course 

St. Petersburg Country Club’s course opened for play in 1924. Its architect was Herbert Strong, a golf professional who had arrived in the US from his native England in 1905. Mr. Strong has more than 20 course designs to his credit, including Canterbury CC in Cleveland, Engineers on Long Island, and the original course at Saucon Valley in Pennsylvania. Other Florida designs include Vero Beach CC and the Ocean Course at the Ponte Vedra Beach Club.

The historic course hosted the St. Pete Open, a regular stop on the PGA tour, twelve times, the last in 1964. Its full length at that time, approximately 6600 yards, was about the norm for tour courses of the day. St. Pete Open winners on this course include Sam Snead, Cary Middlecoff, and Raymond Floyd, who won for the first time here in 1963.

Past winners

Past winners include Masters champion Bob Goalby, FedEx Champion Brandt Snedeker, PGA Tour winners Gary Koch and JB Holmes, DP World Tour winner Sam Horsfield, and US Amateur champions Buddy Alexander and Peter Uihlein. CJ Easley won a rain-shortened event with a 54-hole total of 208 in 2023.

Last time

Ole Miss senior CJ Easley won the shortened event last season, holding off five runner-up finishers and winning by two shots. The event was shortened due to inclement weather.