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1981 European Tour
Golf tour season
Golf tour season
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| year | 1981 |
| tour | European Tour |
| regular_season | – |
| no_of_events | 22 |
| most_wins | ESP Seve Ballesteros (2) |
| FRG Bernhard Langer (2) | |
| SCO Sandy Lyle (2) | |
| AUS Greg Norman (2) | |
| ESP Manuel Piñero (2) | |
| honor1 | Official money list |
| honoree1 | FRG Bernhard Langer |
| honor2 | Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year |
| honoree2 | ENG Jeremy Bennett |
| prevseason | 1980 |
| nextseason | 1982 |
FRG Bernhard Langer (2) SCO Sandy Lyle (2) AUS Greg Norman (2) ESP Manuel Piñero (2) The 1981 European Tour, titled as the 1981 PGA European Golf Tour, was the 10th season of the European Tour, the main professional golf tour in Europe since its inaugural season in 1972.
Changes for 1981
The season was made up of 22 tournaments counting for the Official money list, and some non-counting tournaments later known as "Approved Special Events".
There were several changes from the previous season, with the addition of the Lawrence Batley International, and the loss of the Newcastle Brown "900" Open and the Merseyside International Open.
Rule changes
The local rule that had been introduced on the tour in 1976 which allowed spike marks to be repaired was rescinded, and a local rule that prohibited touching of the line of a putt with a club was introduced.
Schedule
The following table lists official events during the 1981 season.
| Date | Tournament | Host country | Purse | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (£) | Winner | Notes | |||
| 12 Apr | Masters Tournament | United States | US$365,000 | USA Tom Watson (5) | Major championship |
| 26 Apr | Madrid Open | Spain | 37,500 | ESP Manuel Piñero (5) | |
| 3 May | Italian Open | Italy | 45,000 | ESP José María Cañizares (4) | |
| 10 May | Paco Rabanne Open de France | France | 37,500 | SCO Sandy Lyle (5) | |
| 17 May | Martini International | England | 65,000 | AUS Greg Norman (5) | |
| 25 May | Sun Alliance PGA Championship | England | 70,000 | ENG Nick Faldo (4) | |
| 31 May | Dunlop Masters | England | 75,000 | AUS Greg Norman (6) | |
| 7 Jun | Lawrence Batley International | England | 60,000 | SCO Sandy Lyle (6) | New tournament |
| 14 Jun | Cold Shield Greater Manchester Open | England | 40,000 | SCO Bernard Gallacher (7) | |
| 21 Jun | Billy Butlin Jersey Open | Jersey | 45,000 | ENG Tony Jacklin (7) | |
| 21 Jun | U.S. Open | United States | US$360,000 | AUS David Graham (n/a) | Major championship |
| 28 Jun | Coral Classic | Wales | 40,000 | IRL Des Smyth (4) | |
| 5 Jul | Scandinavian Enterprise Open | Sweden | 50,000 | ESP Seve Ballesteros (15) | |
| 11 Jul | State Express Classic | England | 65,000 | AUS Rodger Davis (1) | |
| 19 Jul | The Open Championship | England | 200,000 | USA Bill Rogers (n/a) | Major championship |
| 26 Jul | KLM Dutch Open | Netherlands | 40,000 | ZAF Harold Henning (1) | |
| 2 Aug | German Open | West Germany | 40,000 | FRG Bernhard Langer (2) | |
| 9 Aug | PGA Championship | United States | US$400,000 | USA Larry Nelson (n/a) | Major championship |
| 16 Aug | Carroll's Irish Open | Ireland | 80,000 | SCO Sam Torrance (3) | |
| 23 Aug | Benson & Hedges International Open | England | 90,000 | USA Tom Weiskopf (1) | |
| 30 Aug | Swiss Open | Switzerland | 55,000 | ESP Manuel Piñero (6) | |
| 6 Sep | Dixcel Tissues European Open | England | 105,000 | AUS Graham Marsh (8) | |
| 13 Sep | Haig Whisky TPC | Scotland | 60,000 | SCO Brian Barnes (9) | |
| 27 Sep | Bob Hope British Classic | England | 90,000 | FRG Bernhard Langer (3) | Pro-Am |
| 4 Oct | Benson & Hedges Spanish Open | Spain | 50,000 | ESP Seve Ballesteros (16) |
Unofficial events
The following events were sanctioned by the European Tour, but did not carry official money, nor were wins official.
| Date | Tournament | Host country | Purse | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (£) | Winner(s) | Notes | |||
| 20 Sep | Ryder Cup | England | n/a | USA Team USA | Team event |
| 11 Oct | Suntory World Match Play Championship | England | 100,000 | ESP Seve Ballesteros | Limited-field event |
| 18 Oct | Trophée Lancôme | France | 45,000 | AUS David Graham | |
| 25 Oct | Cacharel World Under-25 Championship | France | n/a | USA Tim Simpson |
Official money list
The official money list was based on prize money won during the season, calculated in Pound sterling.
| Position | Player | Prize money (£) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FRG Bernhard Langer | 81,036 |
| 2 | ENG Nick Faldo | 48,108 |
| 3 | SCO Sandy Lyle | 44,732 |
| 4 | AUS Greg Norman | 44,254 |
| 5 | ESP Manuel Piñero | 39,640 |
| 6 | SCO Sam Torrance | 36,012 |
| 7 | ESP Seve Ballesteros | 35,154 |
| 8 | IRL Des Smyth | 29,105 |
| 9 | IRL Eamonn Darcy | 25,805 |
| 10 | ESP José María Cañizares | 25,529 |
Awards
| Award | Winner | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year | ENG Jeremy Bennett |
Notes
References
References
- "Tour History". European Tour.
- Jacobs, Raymond. (17 December 1980). "Putting an end to Europe's spiky problem". Glasgow Herald.
- Plumridge, Christopher. (17 December 1980). "Putting an end to Europe's spiky problem". The Guardian.
- (16 December 1980). "Chairman's tournament". The Times.
- "1981 Tournament schedule". European Tour.
- (8 October 1981). "Langer way out in front". Hull Daily Mail.
- Williams, Michael. (24 November 1981). "Jeremy Bennett named Rookie for Year". The Daily Telegraph.
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