Rio Pinar Country Club
{{refimprove|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox Golf Facility
|golf_facility_name = Rio Pinar Country Club
|image =
|imagesize =
|caption =
|location = Rio Pinar, Florida, U.S.
|coordinates = {{nowrap|{{coord|28.525|-81.265|region:US_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}}}
|establishment = 1957, {{Time ago|1957}}
|type = Semi/private
|owner =
|operator =
|holes = 18
|tournaments = Florida Citrus Open
Lady Citrus Open
|greens =
|fairways =
|website =
|course1 =
|designer1 = Mark Mahannah (1957)
Lloyd Clifton (1995)
|par1 = 72
|length1 = {{convert|7001|yd}}
|rating1 = 73.9
|pushpin_map = USA#USA Florida
|pushpin_relief = 1
|map_caption = Location in the United States##Location in Florida
| module = {{Infobox mapframe|wikidata=yes|zoom=14|marker=golf|coord={{WikidataCoord|display=i}}}}
}}
The Rio Pinar Country Club is a semi-private golf club located in Rio Pinar, Florida, a suburban subdivision of Orlando.
The golf course at Rio Pinar was initially designed by Mark Mahannah in 1957, and featured medium-sized greens, strategically placed bunkers and narrow fairways framed by pine and oak trees. Lloyd Clifton was hired by the club in 1995 to give a refresh to Mahannah's then forty-year old design. Clifton put a focus on enlarging the greens and reshaping bunkers while staying true to the original vision for the course.{{Cite web |title=Rio Pinar Country Club: A fixture on the Orlando golf scene for more than five decades |url=http://www.orlandogolf.com/departments/coursereviews/rio-pinar-country-club-fl-14013.htm |access-date=2023-12-26 |website=OrlandoGolf.com |language=EN}}
Florida Citrus Open
Established in 1957, the golf course was the original site of the Florida Citrus Open (now Arnold Palmer Invitational) on the PGA Tour from 1966 through 1978. with the initial purse being $110,000, with a $21,000 cut for the winner.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5NpaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=j2wDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4656%2C3096590 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |agency=Associated Press |title=Dickinson takes lead in golf |date=March 19, 1966 |page=12 }} The winner's share increased to $40,000 by 1975.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pjYpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=s1kDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5255%2C6097173 |newspaper=St. Petersburg Times |last=Lenoir |first=Bob |title=McLendon dream pays off - $40,000 |date=March 6, 1978 |page=1C }}
In the 13-year span that Rio Pinar hosted the Open, the tournament was a popular stop on the PGA Tour, with winners of the event including Lee Trevino, Hale Irwin, Julius Boros, and Arnold Palmer, all of which are members of the World Golf Hall of Fame. Palmer's win in the 1971 Citrus Open was his first of four wins during the 1971 PGA Tour, which would be his final tournament wins as a solo player. After purchasing the nearby Bay Hill Club and Lodge in 1974, Palmer lobbied PGA officials to move their Orlando tournament to his course, which they did in 1979.{{Cite web |last=By |date=1996-07-14 |title=TWO GOLF COURSE COMMUNITIES BUILT ON COW PASTURES HAVE RICH HISTORIES |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1996/07/14/two-golf-course-communities-built-on-cow-pastures-have-rich-histories/ |access-date=2023-12-26 |website=Orlando Sentinel |language=en-US}}
After the departure of the PGA, Rio Pinar was the site of the LPGA Tour's Lady Citrus Open from 1979 to 1982 until the tournament moved to the Cypress Creek Country Club in 1983. The event was dropped from the LPGA schedule altogether after the 1984 tour season. Plaques commemorating winners of both tournaments and other course record-holders sit just outside the club's pro-shop.{{Cite web |last=Revell |first=Jay |date=2018-05-24 |title=A Small Slice of Paradise |url=https://medium.com/@JayRevell/a-small-slice-of-paradise-a881d38b7add |access-date=2023-12-26 |website=Medium |language=en}}
Scorecard
{{golf18|title=Rio Pinar Country Club{{Cite web|url=https://course.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/course/course/riopinarcc/detailedscorecard.htm |title=Rio Pinar Country Club - Detailed Scorecard | Course Database }}}}{{Black18|79.3 / 130|569|380|414|194|391|410|566|213|422|3559|507|420|165|385|412|515|221|355|429|3409|6968}}
{{Gold18|72.2 / 127|538|369|407|180|358|399|549|171|409|3380|484|398|151|359|388|490|197|342|401|3210|6590}}
{{Blue18|70.4 / 125|520|353|391|159|344|384|533|152|389|3225|458|373|135|338|359|468|180|324|383|3018|6243}}
{{White18|67.0 / 117|457|304|309|154|329|328|477|136|365|2859|424|339|100|308|299|418|163|280|307|2638|5497}}
{{Handicap18|1|3|11|15|13|7|5|17|9|6|12|14|16|10|2|18|8|4|name=Men's}}
{{Par18|5|4|4|3|4|4|5|3|4|36|5|4|3|4|4|5|3|4|4|36|72}}
{{Handicap18|1|3|11|15|13|7|5|17|9|6|12|14|16|10|2|18|8|4|name=Ladies'}}
{{Blue18|76.2 / 135|520|353|391|159|344|384|533|152|389|3225|458|373|135|338|359|468|180|324|383|3018|6243}}
{{White18|72.0 / 128|457|304|309|154|329|328|477|136|365|2859|424|339|100|308|299|418|163|280|307|2638|5497}}
{{Red18|71.0 / 125|453|300|304|141|315|324|473|129|352|2791|412|326|96|295|290|401|149|270|294|2533|5324}}
{{end18}}
Tour winners
=PGA Tour=
| class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
!Year!!Player!!Country!!Score!!To par!!Winner's | ||||||
| colspan=7|Florida Citrus Open | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | align=left|Mac McLendon | align=left|{{USA}} | 271 | −17 | 40,000 | 200,000 |
| 1977 | align=left|Gary Koch | align=left|{{USA}} | 274 | −14 | 40,000 | 200,000 |
| 1976 | align=left|Hale Irwin | align=left|{{USA}} | 270 | −18 | 40,000 | 200,000 |
| 1975 | align=left|Lee Trevino | align=left|{{USA}} | 276 | −12 | 40,000 | 200,000 |
| 1974 | align=left|Jerry Heard (2) | align=left|{{USA}} | 273 | −15 | 30,000 | 150,000 |
| 1973 | align=left|Buddy Allin | align=left|{{USA}} | 265 | style="background: #ACE1AF"|−23 | 30,000 | 150,000 |
| 1972 | align=left|Jerry Heard | align=left|{{USA}} | 276 | −12 | 30,000 | 150,000 |
| colspan=7|Florida Citrus Invitational | ||||||
| 1971 | align=left|Arnold Palmer | align=left|{{USA}} | 270 | −18 | 30,000 | 150,000 |
| 1970 | align=left|Bob Lunn | align=left|{{USA}} | 271 | −17 | 30,000 | 150,000 |
| colspan=7|Florida Citrus Open Invitational | ||||||
| 1969 | align=left|Ken Still | align=left|{{USA}} | 278 | −10 | 23,000 | 115,000 |
| 1968 | align=left|Dan Sikes | align=left|{{USA}} | 274 | −14 | 23,000 | 115,000 |
| 1967 | align=left|Julius Boros | align=left|{{USA}} | 274 | −10 | 23,000 | 115,000 |
| 1966 | align=left|Lionel Hebert | align=left|{{USA}} | 279 | −5 | 21,000 | 110,000 |
Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.
Sources:[http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/arnold-palmer-invitational-presented-by-mastercard/past-winners.html Arnold Palmer Invitational - Winners] - at www.pgatour.com[http://www.golfobserver.com/new/golfstats.php?style=&tour=PGA&name=&year=&tournament=Arnold+Palmer+Invitational&in=Search Arnold Palmer Invitational - Winners] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716090850/http://www.golfobserver.com/new/golfstats.php?style=&tour=PGA&name=&year=&tournament=Arnold+Palmer+Invitational&in=Search |date=2011-07-16 }} - at www.golfobserver.com
=LPGA Tour=
| class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
!Year!!Player!!Country!!Score!!To par!!Winner's | ||||||
| colspan=7|Orlando Lady Classic | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | align=left|Patty Sheehan | align=left|{{USA}} | 209 | −7 | 22,500 | 150,000 |
| colspan=7|Florida Lady Citrus | ||||||
| 1981 | align=left|Beth Daniel | align=left|{{USA}} | 281 | −7 | 15,000 | 100,000 |
| 1980 | align=left|Donna White | align=left|{{USA}} | 283 | −9 | 15,000 | 100,000 |
| 1979 | align=left|Jane Blalock | align=left|{{USA}} | 286 | −6 | 15,000 | 100,000 |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{official website|http://www.riopinar.com}}
Category:Golf clubs and courses in Greater Orlando
Category:Golf in Orlando, Florida
Category:Sports venues in Orange County, Florida
Category:1957 establishments in Florida
Category:Sports venues completed in 1957
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