1950: Bill Campbell won five of the first six holes and rolled to an 8 and 7 victory over Ernie Hoffer of Wheeling in clinching his second Amateur title. Campbell fired a 69 in the morning round, with six holes played in a thunderstorm. Campbell, who hit three drives estimated at 300 yards, was one over par for the 27 holes while Hoffer was 10 over. Semifinalists: Campbell def. Ed Tutwiler, 3 and 2; Hoffer def. Jack Peck, 3 and 2. Medalist: Campbell, 69-65—134 (qualifying record).
Bill Campbell put on a blazing finish with rounds of 68 and 65 on the final day at Parkersburg Country Club and became the first amateur to win the West Virginia Open in the 18-year history of the tournament. Campbell ended up with a 72-hole total of 274, 14 under par, and finished 13 strokes ahead of runnerup Larry Wiechman. Campbell’s brilliant 33-32–65 round equalled the amateur course record which he already shared with Jack Hoblitzell of Parkersburg.
1951: Bill Campbell made it three in a row but had to go 39 holes to defeat Frank Harned of Huntington in the title match. Campbell parred the 220-yard 39th hole while Harned missed a short putt of about a foot for bogey. Campbell took an early four-up lead in the match but Harned caught him on the 30th hole. Big Bill was 16 under par for 137 holes in the tourney. Semifinals: Campbell def. Bill Loving, White Sulphur Springs, 1 up; Harned def. Clyde Carver, Jr., Bluefield, 3 and 2. Medalist: Campbell: 69-68—137.
Ed Tutwiler became the second amateur to capture the West Virginia Open by staging a final day charge at White Oak Country Club in Oak Hill for a six-stroke victory. Tutwiler began the last day two strokes behind pro Ray Vaughan, Jr., but took command on his home course with a four-under-par 66 in the morning and finished up with a 68 for a 276 total. Tutwiler, who said the Open title.
1952: Ed Tutwiler claimed his fourth Amateur crown with a 5 and 4 victory over Bill Campbell. Tutwiler shot a 67 to Campbell’s 70 in the morning round for a three-up lead. Campbell had putting troubles and never led. Semifinals: Tutwiler def. Arman Fletcher, Bluefield, 21st hole; Campbell def. Bill Rendleman, Huntington, 1 up. Medalist: Jack Peck, 72-67—139.
Sam Snead missed a lot of makable putts but it didn’t really matter as he still rolled to his sixth West Virginia Open title in as many attempts. Snead strung together rounds of 68, 68, 70 and 66 on a course he knew very well, the par 70 Old White at The Greenbrier. His 272 total gave him a nine-stroke victory over defending champion Ed Tutwiler. Snead displayed his usual brilliant tee shots and generally good approach shots but failed to make numerous six and seven-foot putts, causing him to observe that he couldn’t remember when he had been worse on the greens. Tutwiler fired a 67 in the second round and ended with a 281 total to take low amateur honors for the fourth time in five years.
1953: Ed Tutwiler, now living in Charleston, again defeated Bill Campbell in the title match, this time by 2 and 1. Both golfers played well, with Tutwiler four under par and Campbell two under. Tut had 11 birdies and Campbell seven birdies. Tut, who often joked with the gallery of several hundred fans, highlighted the match by sinking a 60-foot chip shot on the 27th hole. Semifinals: Tutwiler def. Bill Miller, Moundsville, 7 and 5; Campbell def. Bill Rendleman, 5 and 4. Medalist: Tutwiler, 69-69—138.
Amateur Bill Campbell became the first golfer to beat Sam Snead in the West Virginia Open, holding off the Slammer for a four-stroke victory at Parkersburg Country Club. Campbell opened with a 65 and maintained a slim lead over Snead after every round to capture his second Open title. Campbell was 17 under par at 271, Snead was 13 under at 275 and pro Joe Taylor was 10 under at 278 for third. Trailing by four strokes with nine holes left, Snead made a bid for the lead with an eagle three on the 10th hole and a birdie four on the 12th hole. But his chances died with bogeys on two of the final three holes. Campbell started his final round with four straight birdies, added another on the ninth hole and then played careful, steady par on the final nine holes to shoot a clinching 67. It was Snead’s first non-victory in seven Open attempts
Photo shows Edgar M. Tutwiler Jr. (Ed Tutwiler) during the 1967 British Amateur Championship at Formby. Copyright Unknown/Courtesy USGA Archives.
Newsprint attached to back of photo reads: “Playing From A Bunker. Almost out of sight, America’s E. Tutwiler plays from a bunker in his match against his compatriot R.J. Curredo in the amateur golf championship at Formby, Lancashire today. Curredo won by one hole. June 1, 1967.”
1954: For the third straight year, Ed Tutwiler defeated Bill Campbell in the finals and raised his Amateur title total to six. Tut won the match, 4 and 3,and closed it out by knocking in a 40-foot birdie putt on the 33rd hole. Tut had eight birdies on the day. Semifinals: Tutwiler def. Buddy Cook, Man, 1 up; Campbell def. Tom Stolling, Charleston, 7 and 6. Medalist: Cook, 66 (qualifying changed to 18 holes). LEFT: Ed Tutwiler
Charleston pro Joe Taylor played a cautious, deliberate game over a tough Williams Country Club course in Weirton to win the West Virginia Open by a 10-stroke margin over runnerup Ed Tutwiler. Taylor finished strong with a three-under-par 70, the best round of the tournament, and ended up with an even par total of 292.
1955: Bill Campbell returned to the winner’s circle with a 10 and 9 thrashing of Parkersburg’s Dave Clovis in the finals. Campbell assured his fourth Amateur title by shooting a sizzling 63 medal score in the morning round for an eight-hole lead. He had six birdies and sank a 60-foot eagle putt on the 535-yard 12th hole. Campbell ran in a 10-foot birdie putt on the 27th hole to close out Clovis, a senior at Yale. Semifinals: Clovis def. Ed Tutwiler, 20th hole; Campbell def. Tom Bloch, 4 and 2. Medalist: Clovis, 68.
The state’s two premier amateur golfers battled it out and Bill Campbell took advantage of his home course knowledge to finish five strokes ahead of Ed Tutwiler at Guyan Country Club in Huntington. It was the third West Virginia Open title for Campbell in six years.
1956: Ed Tutwiler and Bill Campbell met for the fifth time in the finals and King Tut came out on top for the fourth time. Tutwiler downed Campbell, 3 and 2, to gain his seventh crown. Both players agreed that it was a good match but neither played his best. Tutwiler was two over par and Campbell four over for the 34 holes. Semifinals: Tutwiler def. Herman Hall, Milton, 5 and 4; Campbell def. Jack Freeman, Huntington, 6 and 5. Medalists: Tutwiler 66, and Campbell, 66.
Ed Tutwiler put together four rounds of near-perfect golf at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs to notch his second West Virginia Open triumph. Tutwiler finished with a three-under-par total of 277 and wound up seven strokes ahead of runnerup Joe Taylor. Tut was both the State Amateur and State Open champion that year. The first, third and fourth rounds of the Open were held on the Old White course and the second round on the Greenbrier course. Tutwiler made seven birdies and four bogeys during the tournament, showing the steadiness of his play.
1957: Bill Campbell downed Dave Clovis, 6 and 5, in a rematch of the 1955 finals. It was the fifth title for Campbell. He fired a 66 in the morning for a 5-up lead and played par golf in the afternoon. A shoulder injury kept Ed Tutwiler from competing. Semifinals: Campbell def. Dick Foutche, Charleston, 1 up; Clovis def. Lou Cuffaro, Wheeling, 2 up. Medalists: Bob Teyro, Huntington, 69; John Haner, Madison, 69, and Campbell, 69.
Sam Snead finished an incredible 22 strokes ahead of his nearest competitor in the 54-hole West Virginia Open at Berry Hills Country Club in Charleston. The Slammer shot 66, 67 and 66 on the par 70 course for a 199 total — 11 under par. It was Snead’s seventh State Open title in eight attempts. He took first place money and didn’t waste any time making his getaway. He was whisked away by helicopter in front of the clubhouse to Kanawha Airport where he began a journey to Japan for an international tournament.
1958: Ed Tutwiler and Bill Campbell staged one of their closest title matches with Tut winning a titanic 1-up struggle to earn his eighth Amateur title. Tutwiler rammed in an 18-foot birdie putt on the final green to preserve his lead with Campbell just two feet from the hole for a birdie. Campbell played the first nine holes in 30 strokes for a 4-up lead before Tutwiler fought back. Tut finished with a 136 medal score and Campbell with 137, both below par, 140. Tutwiler had a record 29 on the front nine in a semifinal match. Semifinals: Tutwiler def. Dick Foutche,Charleston, 7 and 6; Campbell def. Ned Payne, Beckley, 3 and 2. Medalist: Dave Clovis, 68.
Sam Snead shot a pair of 67 rounds at Lakeview Country Club near Morgantown to notch his eighth West Virginia Open victory. The scheduled 54-hole tournament was cut to 36 holes because of heavy rain which washed out the second day’s round. He had four birdies and 14 pars in each round without a single bogey. His 134 total for 36 holes was 14 strokes better than Runner-up Bill Campbell’s 148.
1959: Bill Campbell steamed to his sixth title with a 3 and 2 victory in the finals over West Virginia University golf captain Adolph Popp of Morgantown. Campbell sank successive putts of 15, 28, 4 and 22 feet early in the afternoon round to go four up. Ed Tutwiler, bothered by a sore arm and side muscles, had an 80 in qualifying and withdrew. Co-medalist Pete Byer of White Sulphur Springs was disqualified because he had worked as a caddie when over 21. There was a record 156 entries. Semifinals: Campbell def. P.T. Taylor, Huntington, 7 and 5; Popp def. LouCuffaro, 1 up. Medalists: Byer, 69, and Jim Ward, Huntington, 69.
The West Virginia Open was not played in 1959.