PENN TWP— The Western Pennsylvania Golf Association's Open Championship is returning to Butler Country Club.

The 36-hole event takes place Monday and Tuesday. This marks the 104th West Penn Open, which began in 1899, and the first at Butler Country Club since 1993.

"Our Open tournament coincides with the West Penn Amateur as our longest running events,"said WPGA executive director Jeff Rivard.

The only years the tournament hasn't been held are 1917-18 because of World War I and 1943-45 due to World War II.

Roy Vucinich won the West PennOpen here in 1993. A five-time champion of the event, Vucinich has emerged victorious in four different decades.

He was champion in 1977 and 1978, 1985, 1993 and 2005. The latter victory occurred at Oakmont Country Club and was the last time the WPGAhad to hold qualifiers to play in the event.

"We had 260 players and, through qualifiers, we whittled the field down to 120,"Rivard said. "We thought we might need some qualifiers this year and had them set up, but we didn't need them."

This year's field consists of 144 golfers, the maximum field permitted, Rivard said.

Vucinich is one of two five-time West PennOpen champions. The other is Jock Hutchison, who won five times over a seven-year stretch from 1909 through 1915.

Hutchison went on to win the PGAand British Open championships during his career.

"He was a great, great player,"Rivard said. "He might have won our tournament more, but he moved out of the area."

Four golfers, Arnold Palmer, Ed Furgol, Lew Worsham and Sam Parks Jr., have won the West PennOpen and U.S. Open.

"Not many associations can make that claim,"Rivard said. "We have a lot of history here."

Numerous Butler County area golfers are in the field, including BCCpros Paul Hollstein and Rob McClellan, St. Jude Golf Club members Sean Knapp and Nathan Smith, Aubrey's Dubbs Dred pro John Aubrey, Butler amateurs Jon Pratkanis and Rob Voltz, Grove City standout Cameron Peterson and Treesdale club pro Joe Boros.

"Jeff (Rivard)will come in and set the course up,"Hollstein said. "We're limited in how far back we can go in some cases, so I'm not anticipating anything too far out of the ordinary.

"The field of golfers is going to be so talented ... I don't think there will be a home course advantage for anybody."

Six of the 10 most recent West PennOpen champions, Dan Thompson, Bob Friend, Vucinich, Rick Stimmel, Brent Johnson and John Aber, are in this year's field as well.

Thompson defeated Knapp in a playoff to win last year's event at Nemacolin Woodlands' Mystic Rock course.

Friend, son of former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Bob Friend, won the 2006 Open at Totteridge and finished four strokes off the pace last year.

Friend tied for third in 2005 at Oakmont and is one of only two golfers — Smith being the other — to finish among the top 10 in the West PennOpen each of the past three years.

Smith comes into this event fresh off his second consecutive West Penn Amateur title last week. He's also finished second in the Northeast Amateur in Rhode Island and third in another recent tournament.

"I believe you can ride momentum from one tournament to the next, but that will be tough in this case,"Smith said. "Butler Country Club is a great course, but the greens are difficult. The lines play straight and you have to be right on it.

"On this course, mixing in the pros with the amateurs — it's going to be a great tournament."

Hollstein agreed.

"With the number of good players out there, it's going to be wide open,"he said. "There is no favorite."

Of the 103 West PennOpens, an amateur has emerged victorious only 13 times. The most recent was Marshall Marraccini in 2001 and he is not playing in this year's event.

Notes: The highest winning score in West Penn Open history was 145, posted by Frank Fuhrer III in 1986 at St. Clair Country Club. ... Butler Country Club has hosted this event in 1937, 1948, 1969, 1976, 1980 and 1993. ... Butler's Aubrey won the 1996 Open in a playoff over Steve Savor at Indiana Country Club.

The WPGA Open Championship has been an annual event — with theexception of the World War I and II years — since 1899.The names of the past 28 winners follow, with the sites in parentheses:<B>2007: </B>Dan Thompson (Nemacolin Woodlands)<B>2006: </B>Bob Friend (Totteridge)<B>2005: </B>Roy Vucinich (Oakmont)<B>2004: </B>Steve Wheatcroft (Westmoreland Country Club)<B>2003: </B>Sean Farren (Willowbrook)<B>2002: </B>Rick Stimmel (Sewickley Heights)<B>2001: </B>Marshall Marraccini (Edgewood CC)<B>2000: </B>Brent Johnson (Valley Brook CC)<B>1999: </B>John Aber (Longue Vue)<B>1998: </B>Joe Klinchock (Tom's Run)<B>1997: </B>Billy Anderson (Allegheny CC)<B>1996: </B>John Aubrey (Indiana CC)<B>1995: </B>Jim Cichra (Beaver Lakes CC)<B>1994: </B>John C. Jones III(Westmoreland CC)<B>1993: </B>Roy Vucinich (Butler CC)<B>1992: </B>Kent Stauffer (Chartiers CC)<B>1991: </B>John Baker (Westmoreland CC)<B>1990: </B>Arnold Cutrell (Nemacolin CC)<B>1989: </B>Max Messing (Montour Heights CC)<B>1988: </B>Chuck Scally Jr. (Valley Brook CC)<B>1987: </B>Phil Newcamp (Rolling Hills CC)<B>1986: </B>Frank B. Fuhrer III (St. Clair CC)<B>1985: </B>Roy Vucinich (South Hills CC)<B>1984: </B>Jim Watterson (N/A)<B>1983: </B>John Baker (Allegheny CC)<B>1982: </B>Ron Milanovich (Oakmont)<B>1981: </B>Marshall Marraccini (Nemacolin CC)<B>1980: </B>Bob Meyer (Butler CC)

<B>Hole No. 1</B>7:45 a.m.: Dave Antill, Andrew Rickard, Bernie Quinn7:55: Steven Antinucci, Don Erickson III, Justin Scott8:05:John Aber, Chuck Scally Jr., Sean Knapp8:15:Kevin Shields, Ryan Sikora, David Brown8:25:Erik Bertrand, John Popeck, Paul Schlachter8:35:Rick Bojalad, Cameron Peterson, Daniel Braun8:45:Michael O'Connor, William Miller, Joe Boros8:55:Greg Bowser, Charles Nettles, Doug Stadler9:05:Brett Bergman, Stan Namola Jr., Stephen Markovitz9:15:James Cichra, Dennis Munko, Rick Stimmel9:25:Eric Johnson, Nathan Smith, Grant Sturgeon12:15 p.m.:David DeNunzio, Jim McGrath, Tony Traci12:25 p.m.:John Aubrey, Ed Schoeffel, Josh Vasilko12:35:Tom Koehle, Brian Sterlitz, Rob Hippert12:45:Shane Brant, Sean Sweithelm, Bernard Hough12:55:Rich Burlett III, Stephen Wojnar, Frank Blazewick1:05:James Casello, Zachary Turek, Jason Marciniec1:15 p.m.:Chad Warmbein, Mike Marron, Matt Montgomery1:25:Barry Erenrich, Travis Willner, Joe Corsi1:35:James McGrath, Aaron Williams, Mike McGuire1:45:Justin Cameron, Steven Hale, Grant Martens1:55:Thomas Bummer Jr., Eric Teasdale, Jonathan Thomas<B>Hole No. 11</B>7:45 a.m.: Joseph Cordaro, Patrick Greer, Robert Voltz7:55:Arnold Cuttrell, John Mazza, Dick von Tacky8:05:Joe DiMuccio, Travis Dickson, Andrew Wallisch8:15:John Jones, Robert McClellan, Roy Vucinich8:25:Jon Pratkanis, Corey Shemelya, Gene Walter8:35:Frank Fairman, Bobby MacWhinnie, David Wedzik8:45:Bob Ford, Dennis Dolci, Vince Zachetti8:55:Bob Friend, Brent Johnson, Dan Thompson9:05:Trent Karlik, Ryan Castanet, Brian Tutich9:15:David Malatak, Robert Gordon, Jeffrey Varga9:25:Todd Grassi, Al Hromulak, Rich Mottura9:35:Paul Hollstein, Scott Jenkins, Stori Snider9:45:James Markovitz, James Bryan, Jim Sullivan Jr.12:15 p.m.:John Rech, Tyler Dice, Adam Corson12:25:Stu Michaels, Jason Martin, Mike Wolfe12:35:Ben Wolfe, Matthew DeFazio, Bill Wotus12:45:Andy Hay, Ronald DeNunzio, Douglas Mehall12:55:Keifer O'Neill, David Owen, Dennis Clark1:05:Jeff Dyer, David Gedris, Michael Turner1:15:George Bilowick, Andrew Glover, Don Dubyak1:25 p.m.: Joe Nieporte, Michael Richards Jre., Jon Patterson1:35:Alex Nichamin, Shane Miller, Drew Deimel1:45:Nicholas Milicevich, Kevin Davis, Nicholas Milito1:55:Jonathan Austin, Seth Rockwell, Daniel Rodgers2:05:Drew Bohn, Ryan Swierczynski, Jared Kubenik2:15:Jared Schmader, Chase Zamperini, Randy Wright