The PGA TOUR’S Oldest Events
Although the PGA TOUR as an entity has only been in existence since 1969 — and in name since 1975 — its tournament history extends back to the turn of the last century.
The PGA of America was founded in 1916 as an association of golf professionals. At the time, with a few exceptions (such as Walter Hagen), playing pros were also club professionals.
Money eventually forced a split in 1968 – 1969. You can read more about the origins of the PGA TOUR at the link.
Club pros were playing in tournaments well before 1916, though. Some of those tournaments continue today as official PGA TOUR tournaments, most notably the BMW Championship (Western Open) and the RBC Canadian Open. (Note that the US Open, while older than either of these, is not a PGA TOUR event. It is owned and run by the USGA.)
These days, the tournament names change with the sponsors, and the PGA TOUR retconns the results. The tournament DNAs however, remain.
A list of the oldest PGA TOUR events follows:
| Current PGA TOUR Event | Established |
|---|---|
| BMW Championship (Western Open) | 1899 |
| RBC Canadian Open | 1904 |
| Valero Texas Open | 1922 |
| Genesis Invitational (Los Angeles Open) | 1926 |
| Waste Management Phoenix Open | 1935 |
| AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro Am | 1937 |
| Wyndham Championship | 1938 |
| Zurich Classic of New Orleans | 1938 |
| AT&T Byron Nelson | 1944 |
| Charles Schwab Challenge At Colonial | 1946 |
| Vivint Houston Open | 1946 |
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