| Sahara Invitational | |
| Location: | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Establishment: | 1958 |
| Course: | Sahara Nevada Country Club |
| Par: | 71 |
| Yardage: | 6800yd[1] |
| Tour: | PGA Tour |
| Format: | Stroke play |
| Month Played: | September/October |
| Aggregate: | 269 Billy Casper (1965) |
| To-Par: | −15 as above |
| Final Year: | 1976 |
| Final Champion: |  George Archer |
| Map: | USA#USA Nevada |
| Map Label: | Sahara Nevada CC |
| Map Relief: | yes |
| Map Size: | 230 |
| Coordinates: | 36.128°N -115.125°W |
The Sahara Invitational was a PGA Tour event in Nevada from 1958 through 1976, played in Las Vegas and sponsored by the Sahara Hotel. In the first four years, it was the Sahara Pro-Am and an unofficial tour event. Paradise Valley Country Club hosted in 1970 and 1971, and Sahara Nevada Country Club from 1972 - 1976.
Jack Nicklaus won Sahara four times in a seven-year span in the 1960s, and three future major champions (Tony Lema,[2] Lanny Wadkins, and John Mahaffey) made Sahara their first tour victory.
A month after the 1976 event,[1] it was announced in early November that the Sahara Invitational was being discontinued. Edward M. Nigro, vice president and general manager of Hotel Sahara, cited rising costs, scheduling conflicts, and a decline in the national promotion benefit as the reasons for the tournament's cancellation.[3]
The Las Vegas Founders returned the PGA Tour to Las Vegas in 1983 with the Panasonic Las Vegas Pro Celebrity Classic; since 2007, it has been organized by the Shriners Hospitals for Children.
| Year | Tour | Winner | Score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up | Winner's share ($) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sahara Invitational | ||||||||
| 1976 | 271 | −13 | 2 strokes | 27,000 | ||||
| 1975 | 270 | −14 | Playoff | 27,000 | ||||
| 1974 | 273 | −11 | 3 strokes | 27,000 | ||||
| 1973 | 271 | −13 | 3 strokes | 27,000 | ||||
| 1972 | 273 | −11 | 1 stroke | 27,000 | ||||
| 1971 | 280 | −8 | 1 stroke | 27,000 | ||||
| 1970 | 276 | −12 | 1 stroke | 20,000 | ||||
| 1969 | Jack Nicklaus (4) | 272 | −12 | 4 strokes | 20,000 | |||
| 1968 | 274 | −10 | Playoff | 20,000 | ||||
| 1967 | Jack Nicklaus (3) | 270 | −14 | 1 stroke | 20,000 | |||
| 1966 | Jack Nicklaus (2) | 282 | −2 | 3 strokes | 20,000 | |||
| 1965 | 269 | −15 | 3 strokes | 20,000 | ||||
| 1964 | 275 | −9 | 3 strokes | 12,000 | ||||
| 1963 | 276 | −8 | 1 stroke | 13,000 | ||||
| 1962 | 270 | −14 | 3 strokes | 2,800 | ||||
| Sahara Pro-Am | ||||||||
| 1961 | ||||||||
| 1960 | ||||||||
| 1959 | ||||||||
| 1958 | ||||||||