Remember the Buy.com Tour? If you're a regular at The Wichita Open, you do. As you might expect after 21 years, The Open has seen a lot of changes in everything from venues for the event, the ever more talented field of professionals, and, yes, even the name of the tour itself – from Ben Hogan to Nike to Buy.com to Nationwide.
There were 30 original stops on the Ben Hogan Tour in 1990, its inaugural year. More than twice that number have come and gone in the years since. The Wichita Open is among only four who have had the proud distinction of celebrating a 20th anniversary. The reason is simple: Our community has welcomed and supported this event faithfully year in and year out.
It takes a lot more than golf fans to sustain a golf tournament. It takes an entire community that sees the value of hosting a professional sporting event of this caliber. It's a value that can be measured in the millions of dollars that have been generated for area charitable organizations and businesses. And in the tremendous asset The Wichita Open is to the quality of life our community enjoys.