The Kansas City Open Invitational, which played as the Kansas City Open for most of its history, was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour that was played in the greater Kansas City area in the late 1940s and 1950s. A total of four clubs hosted the event. The first event was held at Kansas City's Swope Park Golf Course, now known as Swope Memorial Golf Course, and is the only public course in the Kansas City area ever to have hosted a PGA Tour event.[1] The Milburn Country Club in Overland Park, Kansas, a par-72, 18-hole championship course built in 1917, hosted the event five times. Kansas City's Hillcrest Country Club, a par-72, 18-hole course built in 1916, hosted the event three times. Two events were held at Blue Hills Country Club, which is also in Kansas City and was built in 1912.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Kansas City, Missouri |
| Established | 1949 |
| Course(s) | Blue Hills Country Club |
| Par | 72 |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | US$20,000 |
| Month played | September |
| Final year | 1959 |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 268 Wally Ulrich (1954) |
| To par | –24 as above |
| Final champion | |
 Dow Finsterwald | |
| Location map | |
  Blue Hills CC Location in the United States  Blue Hills CC Location in Missouri | |
Tournament hosts
| Years | Course |
|---|---|
| 1955, 1957–58 | Hillcrest Country Club |
| 1954, 1959 | Blue Hills Country Club |
| 1950–53, 1956 | Milburn Country Club |
| 1949 | Swope Park Golf Course |
Winners
| Year | Winner | Score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up | Winner's share ($) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Open Invitational | |||||||
| 1959 | Dow Finsterwald | 275 | −13 | Playoff | Don Fairfield | 2,800 | |
| Kansas City Open | |||||||
| 1958 | Ernie Vossler | 269 | −19 | 3 strokes | Billy Maxwell | 2,800 | |
| 1957 | Al Besselink | 279 | −9 | 3 strokes | George Bayer Dow Finsterwald | 2,800 | |
| 1956 | Bo Wininger | 273 | −15 | 1 stroke | Fred Hawkins Bob Rosburg | 4,300 | |
| 1955 | Dick Mayer | 271 | −17 | 6 strokes | Chandler Harper Billy Maxwell | 4,000 | |
| 1954 | Wally Ulrich | 268 | −24 | 2 strokes | Gene Littler Lloyd Mangrum | 4,000 | |
| 1953 | Ed Oliver | 269 | −19 | 2 strokes | Marty Furgol | 3,000 | |
| 1952 | Cary Middlecoff (2) | 276 | −12 | Playoff | Jack Burke Jr. | 2,400 | |
| 1951 | Cary Middlecoff | 278 | −10 | Playoff | Dave Douglas Doug Ford | 2,400 | |
| 1950 | Lloyd Mangrum | 271 | −17 | 1 stroke | Jack Burke Jr. Ed Oliver | 2,600 | |
| 1949 |  Jim Ferrier | 277 | −11 | 4 strokes | Dick Metz | 1,000 | |