brief history of canterbury
Site of Thirteen Major Championships
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1932 Western Open - Walter Hagen
1937 Western Open - Ralph Guldahl 1940 U.S. Open - Lawson Little 1946 U.S. Open - Lloyd Mangrum 1964 U.S. Amatuer - William Campbell 1973 PGA Championship - Jack Nicklaus |
1979 U.S. Amatuer - Mark O'Meara
1983 Senior TPC -Miller Barber 1984 Senior TPC- Arnold Palmer 1985 Senior TPC - Arnold Palmer 1986 Senior TPC - Chi Chi Rodriquez 1996 U.S. Senior Open - Dave Stockton |
2009 Senior PGA Championship - Michael Allen
Course Designer: Herbert Strong
Canterbury Golf Club welcomes you to the 20th Annual Canterbury Kiely Cup. We hope you have a memorable two days, and find that the Kiely Cup prepares you for this year’s upcoming sectional, district and state tournaments.
The Kiely Invitational honors our long-time assistant professional and caddy master, Michael Kiely. With 55 years of service, Mike has been a dominant, consistent presence at Canterbury. His love for young people and devotion to the game have left a lasting imprint on Canterbury.
If you are not familiar with Canterbury, please take a moment and read how it earned its place in American golf history. Organized more than a half century ago by a group of prominent Cleveland men interested in playing golf on a championship course, Canterbury has a well-deserved national reputation. Incorporated in 1921, the Club sits on a 146-acre site in what was formerly a relatively undeveloped suburban area approximately ten miles southeast of downtown Cleveland. The site was chosen because of its high elevation, rolling hills, brooks and wooded areas.
Although Canterbury does not have the length of newer courses being designed today, from the beginning it met Herbert Strong’s design goal to satisfy the requirements of championship play. Noted for its wonderful fairways and smooth fast greens, the course measures 3,577 yards out, 3,435 yards in, for a total of 7,012 yards, at par 71.
All 18 holes are challenging, but the four finishing holes are some of the best in northeast Ohio. A creek 250 yards out on the straightaway 15th requires an accurate approach iron to a two-tiered green atop the hill. The undulating 605-yard 16th demands a good drive and another precise second shot to an elevated plateau. The small, flat green is well bunkered on three sides. Length and accuracy are needed to reach another two-tier green at the 232-yard, par 3 17th. The 438-yard, par 4 18th is one of Canterbury’s most demanding—all uphill with a difficult, partially hidden second shot to the back-to-front green.
Over the years Canterbury has been fortunate to host thirteen major tournaments and championships. In 1932, Walter Hagen won the 33rd Western Open at even par 288 over four rounds. Five years later, in 1937, the Western Open returned to Canterbury, and Ralph Guldahl won with a one-under 287, but only after a playoff with Horton Smith.
In 1940, at the outset of World War II, the first of two United States Golf Association Opens was played at Canterbury. At the time, many experts predicted par would be shattered; however 1-under 287 won. Lawson Little and Gene Sarazen were tied at the end of regulation play, and Little prevailed in the 18-hole playoff. No other player broke or even equaled par. Six players were disqualified for teeing off before their scheduled time to avoid an approaching storm.
Most national golf championships were suspended during the war, but when the U.S. Open resumed in 1946, Canterbury was chosen as the site for the first postwar contest. Lloyd Mangrum, Byron Nelson and Victor Ghezzi posted four-under-par 284’s. In the first of two 18-hole playoffs, the trio again tied with 72’s. In the second 18-hole playoff, Mangrum was three strokes behind Ghezzi and two behind Nelson with six holes to play. In spite of a thunderstorm, he birdied three holes to finish with another 72 to beat both Ghezzi and Nelson by a stroke. In those days, spectators were allowed to walk down fairways with the contestants and stand close to greens. The practice was soon reviewed by the USGA, since on the 13th hole an enthusiastic crowd entangled Byron Nelson’s caddy, causing him to accidentally step on Nelson's ball, incurring a one-stroke penalty and potentially costing him the championship. When asked recently about the ’46 Open and whether the incident upset him, Lord Byron remarked, “No, those kind of things happen in golf.”
In 1964, one hundred and fifty top amateur golfers qualified in matches around the country to compete in the United States Amateur Championship at Canterbury. Par was set at 71. The six-day tournament opened with two rounds of medal play on Monday and Tuesday. The lowest score over 18 holes was a 69, and 143 over 36 holes. Sixty-four players qualified for match play, which began on Wednesday. Many of the favorites and early leaders were soon eliminated, including defending champion Deane Beman. On Saturday, the last day, two veteran amateurs and old friends, Bill Campbell of Huntington, W.Va., and Ed Tutwiler of Indianapolis, found themselves competing in the final match. It was a thriller, with neither player ever more than one hole in the lead. However, at the 35th hole of the 36-hole match, Campbell pulled ahead to a dramatic finish, winning one up.
In 1973, Canterbury again attracted the attention of the golfing world as the scene of the PGA Championship. Players included former PGA Champions and U.S. Open Champions for the last five years. On Thursday, the first day of regular play, Bud Allin, Don Iverson and Al Geiberger all fired 67s to match the course record. Ohio’s own, the indomitable Jack Nicklaus, moved into the top spot in the third round with a 68. On Sunday, Nicklaus made a birdie putt on the 15th to go eight under for the tournament. Unfortunately, a bogey on the last hole cost him the record for the largest victory margin in PGA Championship history. He finished 72-68-68-69—277 and won $45,000. The 1973 PGA was Nicklaus's 14th major championship, one more than recorded by the legendary Bobby Jones.
The United States Amateur returned to Canterbury in 1979 for the second time, and Mark O’Meara defeated John Cook in the finals of this match play event. Since then, Canterbury has been the site of four Senior Tournament Players Championships—1983 through 1986. Ten years later, the USGA conducted the 1996 United States Senior Open Championship at Canterbury. Dave Stockton won by 2 strokes over a charging Hale Irwin.
The most historic and prestigious event in senior golf, the 70th Senior PGA Championship, made its second appearance in Ohio on May 21-24, 2009, at Canterbury Golf Club. Founded in 1937, the Senior PGA Championship was first conducted at Augusta National Golf Club at the invitation of Bobby Jones. The Championship perennially attracts the deepest international field, and its list of Champions includes some of the greatest players in the history of the game. Michael Allen prevailed to win his first major championship, thanks to a rock-solid 3-under 67, which carried him to a two-shot victory over Larry Mize. After receiving a special invite from The PGA of America, Allen ended a 20-year victory drought in dramatic fashion on Sunday, making a clutch birdie on Canterbury's brutal 18th hole to win the tournament and join Arnold Palmer as the only men in history to win the Alfred S. Bourne Trophy in their Champions Tour debut. "Canterbury Golf Club's rich tradition in championship golf makes it a wonderful match to be the host for the 70th Senior PGA Championship," said PGA of America President Brian Whitcomb. "You can scan the pages of history and see what great champions have walked Canterbury's fairways.”