With the 100th anniversary of the birth of the legendary Roberto De Vicenzo coming next year, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and Golfplay have joined efforts to announce the launch of the Roberto De Vicenzo Memorial 100 Years. This one-time tournament, scheduled for the week of March 20-26, 2023, at Ranelagh Golf Club in Buenos Aires, De Vicenzo’s home course, will be the fifth event on the 2022-23 PGA TOUR Latinoamérica schedule.
Born in Chilavert, in the province of Buenos Aires, on April 14, 1923, De Vicenzo went on to become one of golf’s most prolific winners, collecting 231 titles around the world. Beyond his long list of accomplishments, which includes his 1967 Open Championship victory and four other PGA TOUR titles, De Vicenzo became one of the greatest ambassadors of the game because of his talent and enormous charisma. Deeply respected across the globe and acknowledged as “El Maestro” in Argentina, De Vicenzo died June 1, 2017, at age 94.
“Roberto was and remains a huge inspiration to everybody involved in the development and growth of the game of golf across Latin America,” said Todd Rhinehart, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Executive Director. “Celebrating a tournament to honor his legacy on the year of his 100th birthday was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up. It’s going to be truly a special week this coming March.”
As one of 11 PGA TOUR Latinoamérica regular-season events leading up to the season-ending PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Tour Championship, this 72-hole tournament will feature a purse of U.S. $175,000, with 500 Totalplay Cup points going to the winner.
A PGA TOUR Latinoamérica partner since the Tour began in 2012, Golfplay General Manager Germán Galli is the promoter behind this tournament tribute.
“Roberto’s 100th birthday can’t be overlooked. His life and legacy have to be celebrated with a grand event, and this tournament, featuring the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica’s up-and-coming stars who are hoping to follow in Roberto’s footsteps, will do just that. It’s going to be a unique event,” said Galli.
No other venue seemed more appropriate for the week-long celebration than Ranelagh Golf Club, which opened in 1924, a year after Di Vicenzo’s birth. Located in Ranelagh, 20 miles from downtown Buenos Aires, club officials didn’t hesitate to host the event, the first time the club will be the site of a PGA TOUR Latinoamérica tournament.
“Roberto developed his game at Ranelagh and spent most of his life here. This was his home club, and as such, it always had a special place in his heart. It is an honor to celebrate Roberto by hosting this tournament,” said Ranelagh Board Member Paul Morey.
De Vicenzo won 231 tournaments around the world during his successful career. On his way to a record of 42 wins in national opens in 16 countries, he won the Argentina Open nine times and is a six-time Brazil Open champion. He represented Argentina at the World Cup 17 times, winning the team crown along with Antonio Cerdá at the inaugural 1953 tournament. He captured the International Trophy for individual supremacy in the event twice, in 1962 and 1970.
His crowning achievement was the 1967 Open Championship, which he won by two strokes over Jack Nicklaus at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England. De Vicenzo also finished second in 1950 and had five third-place finishes.
After turning 50, he won the inaugural U.S. Senior Open in 1980 at Winged Foot Golf Club, beating amateur William Campbell by four strokes. His other PGA TOUR Champions triumph came at the 1984 Merrill Lynch/Golf Digest Pro-Am. The World Golf Hall of Fame inducted him in 1989.
As the fourth and last PGA TOUR Latinoamérica event of the 2022-23 season in Argentina, the Roberto De Vicenzo Memorial 100 Years will mark the grand finale of the Zurich Argentina Swing. The competition provides a unified brand across the Tour events in Argentina will once again reward the player who earns the most Totalplay Cup points in the Argentine events with a bonus of U.S. $10,000.
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