The World Series of Golf was a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, played at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. From its inception in 1962 through 1975, it was an unofficial 36-hole event matching the winners of the four major championships. In 1976 it became an official PGA Tour event; the field expanded to 20 players and the event was lengthened to 72 holes. the victory and $100,000 winner's share went to Nicklaus. The field was increased to over 40 players in 1983, though it never exceeded 50; NEC began sponsoring the event in 1984.
The tournament was last played in 1998, but was replaced by the newly created WGC-NEC Invitational in 1999. Firestone Country Club had hosted that tournament (later known as the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational) every year until 2019, except for 2002.
History
Invitation era
The World Series of Golf was founded as a four-man invitational event in 1962, comprising the winners of the four major championships in a 36-hole event. Opposite this competition was the regular tour event in Denver, which had a winner's share of $4,300. The highest paying major at the time was the Masters with a winner's share of $20,000; Nicklaus had won $17,500 at the U.S. Open at Oakmont, which included a sizable $2,500 playoff bonus from the extra day's gate receipts, well-attended due to the presence of favorite son Palmer. At the time of his big Akron payday, the U.S. Open was Nicklaus' only tour victory as a rookie, but he won the next two events at Seattle ($4,300) and Portland ($3,500).
In 1963, Nicklaus won two majors, so a fourth player was added to the World Series via an 18-hole playoff between the three men who had lost playoffs in that year's majors; Palmer and Jacky Cupit in the U.S. Open and Phil Rodgers in the Open Championship. Palmer prevailed by five strokes in the August playoff. Nicklaus repeated as the World Series winner in September, one stroke ahead of Julius Boros, with Palmer in third and Bob Charles in fourth. The opposite tour event in 1963 was the Utah Open in Salt Lake City, with a winner's share of $6,400.
The first year with four players as reigning major champions was 1964, the first without Nicklaus. Tony Lema took the top spot, followed by Ken Venturi, Bobby Nichols, and Palmer. This was also the first year without a concurrent PGA Tour event.
In the final year of the four-man format in 1975, Tom Watson won with a two-stroke advantage over runner-up Nicklaus. The money was the same as in 1962, except that third place received $7,500, claimed by Tom Weiskopf. Nicklaus had won his second major of the year, the PGA Championship, at the same course a month earlier. In the fourteen editions of the event, Nicklaus played in ten, won four, and finished as runner-up in six.
In subsequent years, if one had won multiple majors, the alternate was the winner of the Western Open or Canadian Open.
PGA Tour event
In 1976, it became a 72-hole, $300,000 PGA Tour event and its field was initially expanded to twenty; the victory and $100,000 winner's share went to Nicklaus. For many years a victory in it gave a 10-year exemption on the PGA Tour, the same as was granted for a victory in a major championship at that time, and twice as long as is given even for winning a major now. The field consisted of the winners of all the high status men's professional golf tournaments around the world in the previous twelve months.
The field was expanded in 1984 to include some international players, all tour event winners, and the top fifteen on the current money list, with 47 players eligible.
Winners
PGA Tour event
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!Year
!Winner
!Score
!To par
!Margin of<br>victory
!Runner(s)-up
!Winner's<br>share ($)
|-
!colspan=8 |NEC World Series of Golf
|-
| 1998 || David Duval || align=center|269 || align=center|−11 || 2 strokes || Phil Mickelson || align=center|405,000
|-
| 1997 || Greg Norman (2) || align=center|273 || align=center|−7 || 4 strokes || Phil Mickelson || align=center|396,000
|-
| 1996 || Phil Mickelson || align=center|274 || align=center|−6 || 3 strokes || Billy Mayfair<br> Duffy Waldorf<br> Steve Stricker || align=center|378,000
|-
| 1995 || Greg Norman || align=center|278 || align=center|−2 || Playoff || Billy Mayfair<br> Nick Price || align=center|360,000
|-
| 1994 || José María Olazábal (2) || align=center|269 || align=center|−11 || 1 stroke || Scott Hoch || align=center|360,000
|-
| 1993 || Fulton Allem || align=center|270 || align=center|−10 || 5 strokes || Jim Gallagher Jr.<br> Nick Price<br> Craig Stadler || align=center|360,000
|-
| 1992 || Craig Stadler (2) || align=center|273 || align=center|−7 || 1 stroke || Corey Pavin || align=center|252,000
|-
| 1991 || Tom Purtzer || align=center|279 || align=center|−1 || Playoff || Jim Gallagher Jr.<br> Davis Love III || align=center|216,000
|-
| 1990 || José María Olazábal || align=center|262 || align=center|−18 || 12 strokes || Lanny Wadkins || align=center|198,000
|-
| 1989 || David Frost || align=center|276 || align=center|−4 || Playoff || Ben Crenshaw || align=center|180,000
|-
| 1988 || Mike Reid || align=center|275 || align=center|−5 || Playoff || Tom Watson || align=center|162,000
|-
| 1987 || Curtis Strange || align=center|275 || align=center|−5 || 3 strokes || Fulton Allem || align=center|144,000
|-
| 1986 || Dan Pohl || align=center|277 || align=center|−3 || 1 stroke || Lanny Wadkins || align=center|126,000
|-
| 1985 || Roger Maltbie || align=center|268 || align=center|−12 || 4 strokes || Denis Watson || align=center|126,000
|-
| 1984 || Denis Watson || align=center|271 || align=center|−9 || 2 strokes || Bruce Lietzke || align=center|126,000
|-
!colspan=8 |World Series of Golf
|-
| 1983 || Nick Price || align=center|270 || align=center|−10 || 4 strokes || Jack Nicklaus || align=center|100,000
|-
| 1982 || Craig Stadler || align=center|278 || align=center|−2 || Playoff || Raymond Floyd || align=center|100,000
|-
| 1981 || Bill Rogers || align=center|275 || align=center|−5 || 1 stroke || Tom Kite || align=center|100,000
|-
| 1980 || Tom Watson || align=center|270 || align=center|−10 || 2 strokes || Raymond Floyd || align=center|100,000
|-
| 1979 || Lon Hinkle || align=center|272 || align=center|−8 || 1 stroke || Larry Nelson<br> Bill Rogers<br> Lee Trevino || align=center|100,000
|-
| 1978 || Gil Morgan || align=center|278 || align=center|−2 || Playoff || Hubert Green || align=center|100,000
|-
| 1977 || Lanny Wadkins || align=center|267 || align=center|−13 || 5 strokes || Hale Irwin<br> Tom Weiskopf || align=center|100,000
|-
| 1976 || Jack Nicklaus || align=center|275 || align=center|−5 || 4 strokes || Hale Irwin || align=center|100,000
|}
Unofficial event
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!Year !! Winner !! Runner(s)-up !! Third !! Fourth
|-
!colspan=8 |World Series of Golf
|-
| 1975 || Tom Watson || Jack Nicklaus || Tom Weiskopf || Lou Graham
|-
| 1974 || Lee Trevino || Gary Player || Bobby Nichols || Hale Irwin
|-
| 1973 || Tom Weiskopf || colspan="2" |<small>(T2)</small> Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller || Tommy Aaron
|-
| 1972 || Gary Player || colspan="2" |<small>(T2)</small> Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino || Gay Brewer
|-
| 1971 || Charles Coody || Jack Nicklaus || Lee Trevino || Bruce Crampton
|-
| 1970 || Jack Nicklaus || colspan="2" |<small>(T2)</small> Billy Casper, Dave Stockton || Tony Jacklin
|-
| 1969 || Orville Moody || George Archer || colspan="2" |<small>(T3)</small> Tony Jacklin, Raymond Floyd
|-
| 1968 || Gary Player || Bob Goalby || Julius Boros || Lee Trevino
|-
| 1967 || Jack Nicklaus || Gay Brewer || Roberto De Vicenzo || Don January
|-
| 1966 || Gene Littler || colspan="2" |<small>(T2)</small> Jack Nicklaus, Al Geiberger || Billy Casper
|-
| 1965 || Gary Player || Jack Nicklaus || Peter Thomson || Dave Marr
|-
| 1964 || Tony Lema || Ken Venturi || Bobby Nichols || Arnold Palmer