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. 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 hosts Years Course1955, 1957–58 Hillcrest Country Club1954, 1959 Blue Hills Country Club1950–53, 1956 Milburn Country Club1949 Swope Park Golf Course
Winners YearWinnerScoreTo parMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-upWinner'sshare ($)Kansas City Open Invitational 1959 Dow Finsterwald 275 −13 Playoff Don Fairfield 2,800Kansas 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
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