Still surviving: Moscow Elks to celebrate its 75th Sole Survivor

Seventy-five years ago, Moscow’s Ken Jordan helped spawn what’s believed to be the original and longest-running survivor format golf tournament in the Northwest.

Today, the Moscow Elks Golf Club will honor its living past champions at the 75th edition of its annual Fourth of July event: the Ken Jordan Sole Survivor.

“I think it’s going to be very sentimental because a lot of these past champions and Sole Survivor winners became close to our family,” said Kathy Christian, an Elks committee member, tournament organizer and daughter of Ken Jordan. “We have many repeat winners. It’s fun to know something that started that far (back), in 1950, is still going strong today.”

The Sole Survivor is famous for its format: 10 golfers start on hole No. 1 and the participant with the worst score on each hole is eliminated until only two remain coming up to No. 9 on the nine-hole course. That’s where the winner is crowned.

The basics

The event, which is open to the public, will begin with pre-tournament festivities at noon at the Moscow Elks Golf Club. There will be free hot dogs, giveaways, golf cart decorating and a reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance.

New this year for the 75h anniversary will be a presentation and token gift for the surviving past winners.

Christian said 17 past champs have been invited and about half are expected to be there in person.

The oldest is Joe Pattinson, who is 86 and is “still playing golf.” He won the Sole Survivor back in 1974.

The golf tournament begins at 2 p.m.

Anything can happen

This tournament is all about surviving each individual hole and it’s not always the best golfer who wins.

Drama is always part of the spectacle.

Last year, three-time champion Sean Dorigo was eliminated on the first hole, making it anyone’s game the rest of the way.

The eventual champion? Jeff Spellman, who the previous year had been the one to go out on No. 1.

“All it takes is one bad shot and you get eliminated,” Christian said. “I think it was from No. 6 on last year, we had people who it was basically almost their first Sole Survivor. It’s not necessarily the best golfer that wins.”

Dorigo, also this year’s club champion, and Spellman return to this year’s field.

The only other previous champion is Kevin Peterson, also the winner in 2015 and ’21.

Kyle Peterson, Kevin Peterson’s son, is playing too and will try to outlast his dad.

Examining a lengthy history

One of the gifts that will be presented to the past champs is a pamphlet with all past winners listed, photos and a rundown of the history.

And a lengthy history it is.

Long before the Sole Survivor began, the Moscow Elks held a Fourth of July picnic for the public as early as the 1920s.

Golf tournaments were added in the 1940s and the first Sole Survivor in its current format teed off in 1950.

The first champion was Lionel Sterner, who would go on to win two more times in 1954 and 1959.

In total, 18 champs have gone on to win the event more than once.

The most victories go to Wayne Anderson and Jarrod Nichols at five apiece. And Ken Jordan Jr. is among the four-time champions — a mark Dorigo will be shooting for today.

Over the years, attendance has ranged from a few hundred spectators to several thousand.

In recent years, about two dozen to three dozen golf courts follow the entourage around the course, eager to see who will survive until the end.

“You just never know,” Christian said.

Wiebe may be contacted at (208) 848-2277, swiebe@lmtribune.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @StephanSports.