NEC World Series of Golf
| Location | Akron, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Established | 1962, 1976 |
| Course(s) |
Firestone Country Club South Course |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 7,139 yards (6,528 m) |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Format |
Stroke play – (no cut) 72 holes (1976–1998) 36 holes (1962–1975) |
| Month played | August |
| Final year | 1998 |
| Aggregate | 262 José María Olazábal (1990) |
| To par | −18 as above |
 David Duval
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The World Series of Golf was a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, played at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. From its inception in 1962 through 1975, it was an unofficial 36-hole event matching the winners of the four major championships. In 1976 it became an official PGA Tour event; the field expanded to 20 players and the event was lengthened to 72 holes. the victory and $100,000 winner's share went to Nicklaus. The field was increased to over 40 players in 1983, though it never exceeded 50; NEC began sponsoring the event in 1984.
The tournament was last played in 1998, but was replaced by the newly created WGC-NEC Invitational in 1999. Firestone Country Club has hosted that tournament (now known as the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational) every year, except for 2002.
The World Series of Golf was founded as a four-man invitational event in 1962, comprising the winners of the four major championships in a 36-hole event. A made-for-television exhibition, the competitors played in one group for $75,000 in unofficial prize money, televised by NBC.
The inaugural edition in September 1962 included only the "Big Three" of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player. Palmer had won two majors that year and a fourth competitor was not added. Palmer shot a course record 65 in the first round on Saturday, but fell back with a 74 on Sunday. Nicklaus won with 135, four strokes ahead of Palmer and Player. Nicklaus, age 22, won a then-staggering $50,000, with $15,000 for second and $5,000 each for third and fourth, split between the other two for $12,500 each. Opposite this competition was the regular tour event in Denver, which had a winner's share of $4,300. The highest paying major at the time was the Masters with a winner's share of $20,000; Nicklaus had won $17,500 at the U.S. Open at Oakmont, which included a sizable $2,500 playoff bonus from the extra day's gate receipts, well-attended due to the presence of favorite son Palmer. At the time of his big Akron payday, the U.S. Open was Nicklaus' only tour victory as a rookie, but he won the next two events at Seattle ($4,300) and Portland ($3,500).
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