This year, the MaineHealth Memorial Hospital Golf Open reached its 46th milestone at the Wentworth Golf Club in Jackson on July 16. Founded in 1980 by former Congressman Bill Zeliff and Jackson businessman Lee Harmon, the tournament has become a community fixture. Its standing as a local tradition continues to draw golf enthusiasts and supporters from near and far.

The Cognizant Classic once commanded a prize fund greater than all four major championships. With Brooks Koepka making a home start, the tournament’s history sparks renewed curiosity about how it rose to prominence and why it no longer dominates the golf calendar.