Atlanta Classic

AT&T Classic
Tournament information
Location	Duluth, Georgia
Established	1934
Course(s)	TPC Sugarloaf
Par	72
Length	7,179 yards (6,564 m)
Tour(s)	PGA Tour
Format	Stroke play
Prize fund	US$5,500,000
Month played	May
Final year	2008
Tournament record score
Aggregate	260 Phil Mickelson (2006)
To par	−28 as above
Final champion
	Ryuji Imada
Location map
	TPC Sugarloaf Location in the United States TPC Sugarloaf Location in Georgia

The Atlanta Classic was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour, a regular stop in suburban Atlanta for over four decades. It was founded in 1967, although previous events dating to 1934 are included in the PGA Tour's past winners list. AT&T was the last title sponsor of the tournament.

From 1967 to 1996, it was played at the Atlanta Country Club in Marietta, northwest of Atlanta. From 1997 to 2008, it was played over the Stables and Meadows nines at TPC at Sugarloaf in Duluth, northeast of Atlanta.

For most of its years, the Atlanta tournament was usually held in May. From 1999 to 2006, it was moved to early April, the week before the Masters. Its final two editions were in mid-May, a week after the Players Championship (which was moved from late March). The tournament was cancelled after the 2008 season.^[2]

This event is not to be confused with the AT&T Champions Classic played in Valencia, California, a Champions Tour (now PGA Tour Champions) tournament which bore the "AT&T Classic" name in 2006, prior to AT&T's acquisition of BellSouth. It was cancelled after the 2009 season.

TPC Sugarloaf currently hosts an annual PGA Tour Champions event, the Mitsubishi Electric Classic, which debuted in 2013.

Tournament highlights[edit]

1967: Bob Charles wins the first modern era PGA Tour event played in Atlanta. He finishes two shots ahead of Gardner Dickinson, Tommy Bolt, and Richard Crawford.^[3]
1968; Bob Lunn is victorious for the second straight week on the PGA Tour. He wins by three shots over Lee Trevino.^[4]
1970: Georgia native Tommy Aaron wins by one shot over Dan Sikes.^[5] Tom Weiskopf came to the 72nd hole tied with Aaron but closed with a double bogey.
1972: Bob Lunn becomes the tournament's first repeat winner. He beats Gary Player by two shots.^[6]
1977: Hale Irwin becomes the first Atlanta champion to successfully defend his title. He beats Steve Veriato by two shots.^[7]
1979: Andy Bean shoots a third round 61 on his way to an 8-stroke victory over Joe Inman.^[8]
1980: Georgian Larry Nelson wins by seven shots over Don Pooley and defending champion Andy Bean.^[9]
1983: Calvin Peete shoots a final round 63, including a hole out for birdie from a bunker on the 71st hole. He wins by two shots over Chip Beck, Jim Colbert, and Don Pooley.^[10]
1986: Bob Tway shoots a final round 64 to win by two shots over Hal Sutton.^[11]
1988: Larry Nelson birdies the 72nd hole to become a two-time winner of the tournament. He edges Chip Beck by one shot.^[12]
1990: Wayne Levi birdies the 72nd hole in near darkness to earn his first PGA Tour win in five years. He finishes one shot ahead of Nick Price, Keith Clearwater, and Larry Mize.^[13]
1992: Tom Kite begins the final round bogey-bogey before making six consecutive birdies on his way to a three shot victory over Jay Don Blake.^[14] Amateur David Duval, a junior at Georgia Tech held the 54 hole lead^[15] by two strokes before shooting a final round 79 to finish T13.^[16]
1994: John Daly wins by one shot over Brian Henninger and defending champion Nolan Henke. Afterwards Daly says "This is the first tournament I've won on the PGA Tour in a sober fashion."^[17]
1996: Sixth alternate Paul Stankowski birdies the first sudden death playoff hole to defeat Brandel Chamblee.^[18]
1998: Tiger Woods notches his only victory of the year in Atlanta. He finishes one shot ahead of Jay Don Blake.^[19]
2000: Phil Mickelson wins for the first time in Atlanta. He birdies the first hole of a sudden death playoff to defeat Gary Nicklaus.^[20]
2003: Ben Crane shoots a final round 63 to win by four shots over Bob Tway.^[21]
2006: Mickelson dominates the field, using two drivers in preparation for the Masters the following week. He concluded with an eagle on the 72nd hole to post a score of 28-under-par, a career best. Mickelson won by 13 strokes over José María Olazábal and Zach Johnson, and would go on to win the Masters the next week.
2007: Zach Johnson seems to like playing golf in Georgia. His third career PGA Tour victory like his first two, the 2004 BellSouth Classic and the 2007 Masters Tournament take place in the state. He defeats Ryuji Imada on the first hole of a sudden death playoff.^[22]
2008: The last version of the tournament sees Ryuji Imada win in a sudden death playoff over Kenny Perry.^[23]

Winners[edit]

Year	Winner	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up	Winner's share ($)
AT&T Classic
2008	Ryuji Imada	273	−15	Playoff	Kenny Perry	990,000
2007	Zach Johnson (2)	273	−15	Playoff	Ryuji Imada	972,000
BellSouth Classic
2006	Phil Mickelson (3)	260	−28	13 strokes	Zach Johnson José María Olazábal	954,000
2005	Phil Mickelson (2)	208	−8	Playoff	Arjun Atwal Rich Beem Brandt Jobe José María Olazábal	900,000
2004	Zach Johnson	275	−13	1 stroke	Mark Hensby	810,000
2003	Ben Crane	272	−16	4 strokes	Bob Tway	720,000
2002	Retief Goosen	272	−16	4 strokes	Jesper Parnevik	684,000
2001	Scott McCarron (2)	280	−8	3 strokes	Mike Weir	594,000
2000	Phil Mickelson	205	−11	Playoff	Gary Nicklaus	504,000
1999	David Duval	270	−18	2 strokes	Stewart Cink	450,000
1998	Tiger Woods	271	−17	1 stroke	Jay Don Blake	324,000
1997	Scott McCarron	274	−14	3 strokes	David Duval Brian Henninger Lee Janzen	270,000
1996	Paul Stankowski	280	−8	Playoff	Brandel Chamblee	234,000
1995	Mark Calcavecchia	271	−17	2 strokes	Jim Gallagher Jr.	234,000
1994	John Daly	274	−14	1 stroke	Nolan Henke Brian Henninger	216,000
1993	Nolan Henke	271	−17	2 strokes	Mark Calcavecchia Nick Price Tom Sieckmann	216,000
1992	Tom Kite (2)	272	−16	3 strokes	Jay Don Blake	180,000
BellSouth Atlanta Golf Classic
1991	Corey Pavin	272	−16	Playoff	Steve Pate	180,000
1990	Wayne Levi (2)	275	−13	1 stroke	Keith Clearwater Larry Mize Nick Price	180,000
1989	Scott Simpson	278	−10	Playoff	Bob Tway	162,000
Georgia-Pacific Atlanta Golf Classic
1988	Larry Nelson (2)	268	−20	1 stroke	Chip Beck	126,000
1987	Dave Barr	265	−23	4 strokes	Larry Mize	108,000
1986	Bob Tway	269	−19	2 strokes	Hal Sutton	90,000
1985	Wayne Levi	273	−15	Playoff	Steve Pate	90,000
1984	Tom Kite	269	−19	5 strokes	Don Pooley	72,000
1983	Calvin Peete	206	−10	2 strokes	Chip Beck Jim Colbert Don Pooley	72,000
1982	Keith Fergus	273	−15	Playoff	Raymond Floyd	54,000
Atlanta Classic
1981	Tom Watson	277	−11	Playoff	Tommy Valentine	54,000
1980	Larry Nelson	270	−18	7 strokes	Andy Bean Don Pooley	54,000
1979	Andy Bean	265	−23	8 strokes	Joe Inman	54,000
1978	Jerry Heard	269	−19	2 strokes	Lou Graham Bob Murphy Tom Watson	40,000
1977	Hale Irwin (2)	273	−15	1 stroke	Steve Veriato	40,000
1976: No tournament
1975	Hale Irwin	271	−17	4 strokes	Tom Watson	45,000
1974: Atlanta Country Club hosted the Tournament Players Championship
1973	Jack Nicklaus	272	−16	2 strokes	Tom Weiskopf	30,000
1972	Bob Lunn (2)	275	−13	2 strokes	Gary Player	26,000
1971	Gardner Dickinson	275	−13	Playoff	Jack Nicklaus	25,000
1970	Tommy Aaron	275	−13	1 stroke	Dan Sikes	25,000
1969	Bert Yancey	277	−11	Playoff	Bruce Devlin	23,000
1968	Bob Lunn	280	−8	3 strokes	Lee Trevino	23,000
1967	Bob Charles	282	−6	2 strokes	Tommy Bolt Richard Crawford Gardner Dickinson	22,000
1948–1966: No tournament
Atlanta Open
1947	Toney Penna	281	−3	1 stroke	Jimmy Demaret	2,000
Atlanta Invitational
1946	Lew Worsham	279	−9	1 stroke	Jimmy Demaret	2,200
Atlanta Open
1945	Byron Nelson	263	−13	9 strokes	Sammy Byrd	2,000
1935–1944: No tournament
1934	Ky Laffoon	286	+6	6 strokes	Johnny Golden	500