The Sunnehanna Amateur was inaugurated in July of 1954. The tournament was the first country club sponsored 72-hole stroke play competition for amateurs in the United States. It was an idea whose time had come.

Until 1954, the nationwide format for amateur golf tournaments was typically match play. Customarily, one or two rounds of stroke play determined match play flights. The rapidly growing professional tour was strictly 72 holes of stroke play, with the one exception being the annual match play championship of the National Professional Golf Association (PGA).

Sunnehanna Country Club had an invitational tournament from 1936 through 1951, with the exception of the years during World War II. Qualifying rounds determined matches for 10 to 15 flights, with a championship flight consisting of 32 players.

The Invitational, through steady promotion, developed into more than a regional event. Arnold Palmer, Art Wall, and Julius Boros played in the Invitational. These three never played in the Amateur, but in the memories and thoughts of the members of the club, they played at Sunnehanna and have automatically been associated with Sunnehanna's tournament history over the years. Arnold, an 18-year old neighbor from over the mountain, won the 1948 Sunnehanna Invitational.

Palmer could not defend his championship the following year because of the National Intercollegiate Championship. In 1949, Palmer would return to Johnstown and win the nearby North Fork Invitational, shooting 66-70. The Latrobe sensation was already hitching up his pants and drawing crowds.

After the 1951 Invitational, the Board of Governors terminated the tournament because of uncontrolled gambling associated with the Calcutta Pool. After qualifying rounds, the players in the championship flight were auctioned and sold to the highest bidder. <more>