Delve into the rich history of the Automatik Open on a trip through the record books
Beginning in 2018, more than two dozen of golf's fiercest competitors have converged on the hallowed confines of Sunnyvale Municipal with a simple-yet-elusive goal: to etch their names into the annals of golf history. Nine grueling late-August Saturdays have seen 34 Green Jerseys distributed to deserving champions, with the vanquished left to rue lost White Tiger balls, misused mulligans and shanked chips from behind the 18th green.
Throughout it all, the Automatik Open Competition Committee (AOCC) has meticulously tracked each competitor's performance and individual achievements. Read on to peruse the numbers and revel in the rich history of this truly unique event.
Champions
In 2026 Matt Accola and Mike Popek added their names to the exclusive list of 3-time Open winners, joining the esteemed Kevin Murphy and Clay Armistead. 5 golfers each with two Green Jerseys will hope to join them next August. Andrew Pattison shook off his demons and earned his first Green Jersey in 2026, leaving only 6 unlucky competitors who have not yet earned their place at the Champions Breakfast.
Long Drive
Clay Armistead pulled off a huge upset in 2026, dethroning powerhouse Mark Meyer as long drive champion. Meyer has owned this prize in recent years, taking the crown in both 2023 and 2025. Drew Braugh has also won two long drive titles with the last coming in 2020. He is going back to the drawing board after his pre-tournament diet of creatine and peptides failed to yield results in 2026.
Closest-to-Pin
Two winners were awarded in 2026, with the irascible Andrew Pattison and solid-as-a-fir Doug Elsworth taking the respective 7th hole and Benj shot titles. It is Pattison's second closest-to-pin award. He joins Scott Petersmeyer and Kevin Murphy, with 3 awards apiece, as the only multiple winners in this category.
Best Teammate
With an average finishing position of 1.8, the incomparable Gary "GP" Petersmeyer always has his team at or near the top of the Open leaderboard. Honorary mention goes to competitors Jared Parkinson, Kevin Murphy and the Petersmeyers whose teams have averaged -7 or better over 9 years of the Open.
Team Scoring
Average team scores saw a dramatic downturn to just -5.2 in 2026, owing to the fast and firm greens at TPC Sunnyvale reaching an Augusta-like 13.5 on the Stimpmeter. The AOCC is conducting a full review and is working with the groundskeeping staff to ensure more equitable scoring conditions for next year's tournament. The 2020 Triple Lindy team (S Petersmeyer, Parkinson, Armistead, Wilson) continues to hold the record for best overall score at -12.