| Year: | 1976 |
| Tour: | European Tour |
| Regular Season: | – |
| No Of Events: | 21 |
| Most Wins: |  Baldovino Dassù (2)Sam Torrance (2) |
| Honor1: | Order of Merit |
| Honoree1: |  Seve Ballesteros |
| Honor2: | Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year |
| Honoree2: | Mark James |
| Prevseason: | 1975 |
| Nextseason: | 1977 |
The 1976 European Tour, titled as the 1976 PGA Tournament Players' Division,[1] was the fifth season of the European Tour, the main professional golf tour in Europe since its inaugural season in 1972.
The season was made up of 21 tournaments counting for the Order of Merit, and some non-counting tournaments that later became known as "Approved Special Events". The schedule included the major national opens around Europe, with the other tournaments mostly held in England and Scotland.[2]
There were several changes from the previous season, with the addition of the Greater Manchester Open and the Uniroyal International;[3] along with non-counting events the Cacharel World Under-25 Championship and the Lancome Trophy; and the Benson & Hedges Festival being retitled as the Benson & Hedges International Open.
The following table lists official events during the 1976 season.[4] [5]
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 May | Sumrie-Bournemouth Better-Ball | England | 12,000 |  Eamonn Darcy and Christy O'Connor Jnr | Team event |
| 5 Jun | Cacharel World Under-25 Championship | France | n/a | Eamonn Darcy | New tournament |
| 3 Jul | Phillip Morris International | France | n/a | Team USA | Team event |
| 21 Aug | Double Diamond International | Scotland | 25,000 | Team England | Team event |
| 18 Sep | T.P.D. Under-25 Championship | England | 5,000 | Howard Clark | |
| 9 Oct | Piccadilly World Match Play Championship | England | 75,000 |  David Graham | Limited-field event |
| 17 Oct | Trophée Lancôme | France | US$40,000 | Seve Ballesteros | New to European Tour |
| 12 Dec | World Cup | United States | US$4,200 | Seve Ballesteros and Manuel Piñero | Team event |
| World Cup Individual Trophy | US$2,100 |  Ernesto Pérez Acosta |
The Order of Merit was based on tournament results during the season, calculated using a points-based system.[5] [6] [7]
| Position | Player | Points | Prize money (£) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21,495 | 39,504 | ||
| 2 | 16,741 | 25,027 | ||
| 3 | 16,627 | 20,917 | ||
| 4 | 16,474 | 19,946 | ||
| 5 | 16,185 | 22,781 | ||
| 6 | 15,976 | 20,543 | ||
| 7 | 12,669 | 17,436 | ||
| 8 | 12,256 | 23,350 | ||
| 9 | 11,961 | 13,405 | ||
| 10 | 11,893 | 15,196 |
