It was dubbed The Specialist Tournament , and it had a springtime run from 1948-50 as part of the $ 10,000 , 54-hole Cavalier Open .

Banks owned the posh Cavalier Hotel ( and later The Jefferson ). He helped entice the stars with free lodging for them and their families . In conjunction with the Norfolk Sports Club , each Specialist was guaranteed $ 500 and a snazzy maroon jacket like the first one the Masters presented ( to Sam Snead ) in 1947 .

Richmond auto dealer Tom Utterback , a member of the PGA Sponsor Committee , procured commitments from the players . Sixteen pros played 18 holes on Friday and 36 on Sunday , with the Specialist event sandwiched in between .

Legends Gene Sarazen and Walter Hagen were voted Specialist captains . Ben Hogan dropped out because of illness . Snead had a scheduling conflict .

“ This may prove to be one of golf ’ s great classics ,” Virginian-Pilot writer Tom Fergusson declared in his run-up to the event .

Sarazen ’ s team , which prevailed in front of a gallery of 2,500 , featured Chick Harbert ( driver , PGA champion ), Nelson ( long irons , six majors ), Herman Keiser ( short irons , Masters champ ), Dick Metz ( troubleshooter , 14 pro wins ) and Bobby Locke ( putter , four-time British Open winner ). Ed Furgol ( 1954 U . S . Open champ ) and local Chandler Harper ( 1950 PGA champ ) were alternates .

Hagen ’ s team : Scot Jimmy Thomson ( driver , Richmond ’ s John Marshall HS ), Johnny Palmer ( long irons , 18 pro wins ), Jimmy Demaret ( short irons , three-time Masters champ ), Lawson Little ( troubleshooter , U . S . Open , U . S . Amateur , British Amateur winner ) and Jim Ferrier ( putter , PGA winner ). Lew Worsham ( 1947 U . S . Open champ ), who won the tournament at 9-under 198 , and Bob Hamilton ( 1944 PGA victor ) were alternates .

Five of the 14 Specialists made the World Golf Hall of Fame . The field included the current U . S . Open , PGA and Masters champion .

Pre-match talk centered on how the two teams would devastate Cavalier ’ s par of 69 . It didn ’ t happen . Sarazen ’ s winners managed only a 1-under 68 .

Antsy captains switched players around at random ; Thomson and Harbert were erratic off the tee , and at times replaced . Extraordinary golf was promised . A playful exhibition was delivered .

Nonetheless , PGA president Ed Dudley , who refereed the match , lobbied for the event to continue — a sentiment echoed by the contestants .

“ This Specialist is something different ,” Jim Turnesa , 1950 Specialist , said . “ The golfers are looking forward each year to being invited to play in it . I know I ’ m happy to play here .”

“ We should play a tournament like this every week ,” Little added .

But there were several drawbacks . The 1949 tournament was expanded to four teams , but terrible weather impacted the event , which was won by Hamilton ’ s team of Demaret , Sarazen and Locke . Only about 2,000 braved bitter cold and stiff winds to witness the affair over Easter weekend .

The 1950 event , featuring newcomers Jack Burke , Jerry Barber , Clayton Haefner , Lloyd Mangrum and George Fazio , lacked the star

Legends like Gene Sarazen , above , and Walter Hagen were voted Specialist captains . A gallery of 2,500 watched the inaugural event at Cavalier Golf & Yacht Club in Virginia Beach .

power of the first two . Less than 1,000 fans watched , while 5,000 turned out on the last day of Fred Hawkins ’ 54-hole triumph .

Fans complained that they didn ’ t see the stars hit shots often enough . Longiron players sometimes went several holes without ever swinging a club .

The other , more essential issue was the event lost money all three years .

On February 14 , 1951 , Banks abandoned the Specialists . The PGA , he said , would not guarantee the selected stars would appear .

That was then . This is now . Might some corporation put up the money to deliver a Specialists Day to a Kingsmill ? Or Kinloch ? Royal New Kent ? The Highlands ? It would have one huge advantage the original Specialist didn ’ t : Television rights fees . If nothing else , Golf Channel would be all over it .

My team would have Lee Trevino as captain , Rory McIlroy ( driver ), Tommy Fleetwood ( long irons ), Scottie Scheffler ( short irons ; I know , a waste of his other remarkable talents ) and Sam Burns ( putting ). How would your team look ? Let us know . More to the point , where ’ s today ’ s

Charles Banks when we need him ?

HUM HISTORICAL / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO