WATERLOO - Nowadays, Mike Bender is a big name in golfing circles.

He owns his own teaching academy. He's the swing guru of 2007 Masters champion and Cedar Rapids native Zach Johnson. And, Bender occasionally opines on the evolution of golf for media outlets like ESPN.

But, even after all Bender has accomplished in the game of golf, he still clings tightly to memories of his roots back in Waterloo.

One piece of memorabilia reminds him where he's from every day.

"I have a Waterloo Open flag in my garage," said the Waterloo native and current Orlando, Fla., resident. "I won it in 1983, on the 50th anniversary."

This week marks another milestone for the Cedar Valley's venerable tournament - its 75th anniversary.

Ever since Howard Martin and Vic Bass tied for the first Waterloo Open professional title in 1934 the event has rarely lacked for lasting images.

You might recall:

1954, when the Open hosted 20 players who would eventually ply their trade on the PGA Tour. That list included Davenport native Jack Fleck, who once trumped the great Ben Hogan in a U.S. Open playoff.

1977, when 13-year-old Waterloo amateur Doug Dunakey shot a first-round 69.

1986, when Tom Lehman - who would go on to win the 1996 British Open - took home a title in Waterloo.

2003, when Belle Plaine native Lonnie Nielsen won to join Jack Rule as the only golfer to ever win in the Cedar Valley as an amateur, open pro and senior pro.

The list goes on.

The Open gained acclaim through the years with pros looking to swipe away a "vulture" purse after missing the cut in PGA events in St. Paul or the Quad Cities. Despite that fact, the galleries at Gates Park, Porky's and now Irv Warren never seemed insulted.

They simply enjoyed the action.

"It's just a unique tournament," said Bender, who played on the PGA Tour from 1987-89.

"They get a lot of great young guys - the list of names on that trophy are amazing."

That list of eventual golfing luminaries includes Woody Austin, who, since winning in Waterloo in 1993 has put more than $12.7 million in his coffers while playing on the PGA.

Austin's route to the 1993 title in Waterloo mirrors that of so many other fledgling pros who venture here with high hopes and low funds.

"Woody didn't have enough money to buy a hamburger," quipped longtime Waterloo Open coordinator Dean Fagerlind.

"The funniest story about that week is I borrowed $2,000 (for tournament entry fees) from the bank I worked at for the Dakotas Tour," Austin recalled at a 2007 press conference.

"I won a tournament in Orlando and won like $1,500 - that was going to be my spending money," Austin continued. "That check bounced. So I wanted to play in the Waterloo Open, but had no money."

Dunakey came to the rescue and paid the entry fee of his friend and eventual Waterloo title-winner. Barely two years later, Austin earned 1995 PGA rookie of the year accolades.

"Not only did I win the Waterloo Open," Austin noted, "but I won the first tournament on the Dakotas Tour. That gave me that start. It was a nice culmination."

Austin's tale is fairly familiar for the Waterloo Open - a tournament that, although a bit off the radar, is nevertheless steeped in history.

So much so, that it almost entices former Waterloo winners to come out of retirement.

"I wish I could come back and play again," said Bender, 52. "It was a lot of fun."

Contact Kelly Beaton at (319) 291-1456 or kelly.beaton@wcfcourier.com

For more Waterloo Open recollections, plus a tournament spectators guide, go to Beaton's Blog, at wcfcourier.com/blogs/beaton