1930: Palmer Stacy of Lewisburg was a 2 and 1 victor over Dick Seibert of Wheeling in the title match. Stacy was four up after 31 holes and held off a late rally by Seibert. Stacy took 150 strokes for the 35 holes. Semifinals: Stacy def. Jack Hobitzell, Parkersburg, 1 up; Seibert def. F.M. Hawkins, Huntington, 4 and 3. Medalist: Hobitzell, 73-75—148.
1931: Veteran Julius Pollock, 47, holed an 18-foot putt on the 35th green to close out Fred Bannerot, Jr. of Charleston, 2 and 1, and capture his ninth Amateur title. Bannerot consistentlyoutdrove Pollock by 25 to 50 yards, but Pollock was sharper on the greens. Pollock won nine of the first 18 Amateurs. He never lost in the finals. Semifinals: Pollock def. Fred Hawkins,Huntington, 3 and 2; Bannerot def. Forrest McNeill, 6 and 5. Medalist; Pollock 73-74—147.
1932: Fred Bannerot again made the finals and won the title this time with a 3 and 2 triumph over Frank M. Crum of Huntington. Semifinals: Bannerot def. Palmer Stacy, 4 and 3; Crum def. WVU football coach Earle “Greasy” Neale, 2 and 1. Medalist: Bannerot, 74-75—149.
1933: Fred Bannerot, 25, repeated as the champion. He won a close final match over Bobby Rownd, 1 up. Bannerot carded rounds of 76 and 74 while Rownd had 75 and 77. Bannerot shot a record 64 during qualifying on the par 70 Old White course. Semifinals: Bannerot def. Bobby Lowe, Fairmont, 5 and 3; Rownd def. Alex Larmon, Charleston, 19th hole. Medalist: Bannerot, 64-74—138.
FIRST WEST VIRGINIA OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP: Johnny Javins, the pro at Edgewood Country Club in Charleston, defeated pro I. C. “Rocky” Schorr of Bluefield Country Club in an 18-hole playoff at Kanawha Country Club in South Charleston to win the first West Virginia Open. Javins shot a 76 in the playoff while Schorr had an 82. They agreed to split first and second place money but Javins got the trophy donated by George C. Weimer of St. Albans. Javins and Schorr had tied after 72 holes of medal play with 302 scores. RIGHT: Javins
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1934: Tom Bloch of Wheeling overwhelmed Fred Bannerot, 9 and 8, in the Championship match. Bloch wielded a hot putter, sinking a 30-footer and several 15-footers. The quarterfinals pitted four righthanders against four lefthanders, with the four southpaws all losing. Semifinals: Bloch def. Bill King, Wheeling, 4 and 2; Bannerot def. Jack Hobitzell, Parkersburg, 2 and 1. Medalist: Bloch, 69-75—144.
Rader Jewett, the pro at the Cedar Rocks club in Elm Grove, opened with two subpar rounds on the par 70 Wheeling Country Club and led all the way in capturing the second West Virginia Open.
1935: Tom Brand, 20, of Kingwood gained the title by downing Quinn Morton, 21, of Charleston, 5 and 4. Brand took a big lead in the morning with a 73 while Morton had an 80. Brand played on the Michigan State golf team while Morton was a senior at Princeton. Semifinals: Brand def. Tom Bloch, 19thhole; Morton def. Bobby Lowe, 1 up. Medalist: Alex Larmon, Charleston, 69-77—146.
Rader Jewett overcame Clarksburg Country Club pro Horace Brand on the final three holes at Parkersburg Country Club to successfully defend his West Virginia Open title. Jewett posted a 289 total for 72 holes to win by two strokes over Brand. The Scottish-born Brand led by three strokes with three holes left before suffering a stroke of bad luck. As Brand prepared to make his second shot to the 16th green, a woman dashed out in front of him, causing him to top a simple niblick shot. Brand took a double-bogey six on the hole while Jewett sank a 10-foot putt for a birdie three to pull even. Jewett took the lead with a seven-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole after Brand missed a 13-footer. Jewett three-putted the final hole for a bogey five but it didn’t matter as Brand hooked his tee shot into the rough, put his second into a trap and took six.
1936: Tom Brand defeated Fairmont attorney Bobby Lowe, 6 and 5, to retain his state title. Brand holed an eight-foot birdie putt on the first green and never trailed. Lowe threeputted seven times. A 13-year old Huntington lad, Billy Campbell, competing in his first Amateur, qualified for the second flight. Semifinals: Brand def. Billy King, Wheeling, 5 and 4; Lowe def. Quinn Morton, 2 and 1. Medalist: Brand, 72-71—143.
Sam Snead, a 24-year-old assistant professional at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, won his first West Virginia Open, posting a five-under-par 211 score for three rounds over the Guyan Country Club course in Huntington. The tournament was reduced from 72 to 54 holes because rain forced cancellation of the second round on the first day. Guyan assistant pro Bill Swing took the first round lead with a 70. Snead charged in front with a 68, featuring seven birdies and an eagle, the next morning. Snead added four birdies and a 71 score in the final round to win by five strokes and take home the $150 first prize. Pro Art Clark of Welch set the course record with a 67 in the middle round on six birdies to trail Snead by a stroke. Clark could do no better than 75 in the last round to finish second with a 216 total. LEFT: Snead
1937: Michigan State golfer Tom Brand, 22, made it three in a row by beating Clarksburg glassworker Alpha Lawson, 4 and 2, in the finals. The champion from Kingwood shot 70 in the morning round to take a two-up lead and held it. Semifinals: Brand def. A.R. O’Neal, Charleston, 1 up; Lawson def. Jack Hobitzell, Parkersburg, 5 and 4. Medalist: Kirk Jackson, Wheeling, 71-73—144.
Slammin’ Sam Snead shot subpar rounds of 67 and 66 on the first day and 66 and 69 on the second day to retain his West Virginia Open championship by a whopping 12-stroke margin at Kanawha Country Club. He finished 12-under-par with a 268 total. That doesn’t include a course-record 64 by Snead in the Pro-Am preliminary that would have been a 63 if he hadn’t called a stroke on himself for accidentally touching the ball with his putter on a green. Snead made an amazing 30 birdies in 90 holes for the week. Snead passed up a $5,000 tour event in New York and arrived unexpected to defend his title in the $500 State Open. He drove several par-four holes, including the first and 18th, but missed the eagle putts. Sam was credited with several 300-yard drives, including a 360-yard blast on the 14th hole. For the second straight year, pro Art Clark was even par for the tournament and runnerup to Snead.
1938: Lefthanded Frank Crum of Williamson wore down Paul Bennett of Martinsburg, 5 and 4, in the title match. Crum, known as the “Pride of Pigeon Creek”, took a four-up lead on the first 18 holes and increased his lead by sinking a 30-foot putt on the 23rd hole. Semifinals: Crum def. George Hoffer, Wheeling, 8 and 6; Bennett def. Roy Blizzard, Charleston, 2 and1. Medalist: Fred Bannerot, 69-75—144.
Sam Snead gave par another trouncing at the Cedar Rocks course near Wheeling to win his third straight West Virginia Open title. Snead completed the 72-hole tournament in 280, 12 strokes under par on the par-73 layout and 11 strokes better than runnerup Art Clark of Gary. It was the third straight year that Snead and Clark finished one-two in the Open. Snead’s winning check was $125. He opened with a pair of 73s and trailed Clark by a stroke after the first day but took charge on the final day with 68 and 66 rounds. Sam had a course record 64 in a tuneup round and shot 69 in the pro-am while playing with 15-year-old amateur partner Billy Campbell.
1939: Young Ed Tutwiler, 19, of Mount Hope banged out drives estimated at 260 to 325 yards while defeating Bryan Brown of Hinton, 7 and 6, for the Amateur title. Although often in the rough, Tutwiler took a 2-up lead in the morning round with a 74 score and pulled away in the afternoon. Semifinals: Tutwiler def. Ira Eyler, Martinsburg, 4 and 3; Brown def. Fred Bannerot, 4 and 3. Medalists: Alpha Lawson, Clarksburg, 71-72—143, and Bud Rittenhouse, Parkersburg, 73-70—143.
Steady Logan Country Club pro Clem Wiechman led from start to finish in capturing the West Virginia Open at Bluefield Country Club. His first place prize was $125. Wiechman posted a 278 total to win by four strokes over pro Earl Tolley, a young protege of Sam Snead, who did not defend his title.