The New Year’s Invitational has been played at St Petersburg Country Club every year since 1927.

The 1928 match play winner was 17-year-old Johnny Revolta, at the time working at the club as course ranger/lockerroom attendant. Revolta went on to win 18 times on the PGA Tour included a PGA championship in 1935.

The tournament switched to a stroke play format in 1956 The first stroke play winner was Bob Goalby who enjoyed a long PGA Tour career which included a Masters title in 1968. Pete Arend, a New Jersey native and a club member here, set the early 72-hole record in 1959 with a 285 total. Arend’s second round 63 remains the lowest score recorded in the tournament In 1965 the tournament was reduced to 54 holes, retaining that format through 1975.

Jack Veghte, one of Florida’s finest amateurs of the 1960’s and 70’s, produced the lowest 54-hole record, shooting 207 in l965. Gary Koch, with his win in 1974, tied that total.

Buddy Alexander won his first of six Invitational titles in 1972. Buddy’s father, Skip, was our head professional from 1951 to 1984.

Arend’s 1959 72-hole total was finally eclipsed by Wake Forest’s Gary Hallberg in 1980. Hallberg’s 277 total stood as the record until 1991 when Buddy Alexander’s 272 established a new mark.

In 2000, Jeff Klauk, then a senior at Florida Southern College, established the 72-hole record which remains to this day, shooting 67-68-67-65-267.

Brandt Snedeker won the 2004 event, having finished second twice previously. Along with Brandt, more than 30 of our participants have gone on to PGA Tour careers. A list is available in the history section of the website.

The tournament was abbreviated to 54 holes by weather in 2020 and 2023, and the past 2 years has been scheduled as a 54-hole event. Cooper Smith, a senior as USF and Cayden Pope, an Auburn sophomore, won the 2024 and 2025 tournaments, both with 13-under par 203 totals.