It was founded in 1930 when it was sponsored by a Manchester newspaper, the Daily Dispatch.
From 1931 it was sponsored by Dunlop and was known as the Dunlop-Southport Tournament, being jointly funded by Southport Corporation.
The last event was played in 1948 when Southport Corporation withdrew their funding.
[1] It was replaced by the "Dunlop Tournament", played at various location in the United Kingdom.
Qualifying, over 36 holes, took place at local courses immediately before the tournament.