1977 European Tour Explained
The 1977 European Tour, titled as the 1977 PGA European Tournament Players' Division,[1] [2] [3] was the sixth season of the European Tour, the main professional golf tour in Europe since its inaugural season in 1972.
Changes for 1977
There were several changes from the previous season, with the addition of the Callers of Newcastle and the Tournament Players Championship, which replaced the Piccadilly Medal.[3] [4] Two events not counting for the Order of Merit, the Phillip Morris Nations Cup and the Sumrie Better-Ball, originally pencilled in for May,[5] were cancelled.[6]
Schedule
The following table lists official events during the 1977 season.[7]
| Date | Tournament | Host country | Purse
(£) | Winner | Notes |
|---|
| 9 Apr | Portuguese Open | Portugal | 25,000 |  Manuel Ramos (1) | |
| 10 Apr | Masters Tournament | United States | US$280,477 |  Tom Watson (2) | Major championship |
| 16 Apr | Spanish Open | Spain | 30,000 | Bernard Gallacher (4) | |
| 23 Apr | Madrid Open | Spain | 21,500 | Antonio Garrido (2) | |
| 1 May | Italian Open | Italy | 25,000 | Ángel Gallardo (1) | |
| 8 May | French Open | France | 23,500 | Seve Ballesteros (2) | |
| 14 May | Benson & Hedges International Open | England | 40,000 | Antonio Garrido (3) | |
| 21 May | Sun Alliance Match Play Championship | England | 20,000 |  Hugh Baiocchi (4) | |
| 28 May | Penfold PGA Championship | England | 50,000 | Manuel Piñero (3) | |
| 5 Jun | Kerrygold International | Ireland | 15,000 |  Liam Higgins (1) | |
| 11 Jun | Martini International | England | 15,000 |  Greg Norman (1) | |
| 19 Jun | Greater Manchester Open | England | 20,000 | Eamonn Darcy (1) | |
| 19 Jun | U.S. Open | United States | US$200,000 | Hubert Green (n/a) | Major championship |
| 25 Jun | Uniroyal International Championship | England | 30,000 | Seve Ballesteros (3) | |
| 9 Jul | The Open Championship | Scotland | 100,000 | Tom Watson (3) | Major championship |
| 17 Jul | Swiss Open | Switzerland | 35,000 | Seve Ballesteros (4) | |
| 24 Jul | Scandinavian Enterprise Open | Sweden | 45,000 | Bob Byman (1) | |
| 31 Jul | Callers of Newcastle | England | 25,000 | John Fourie (1) | New tournament |
| 7 Aug | German Open | West Germany | 30,000 | Tienie Britz (1) | |
| 14 Aug | Dutch Open | Netherlands | 30,000 | Bob Byman (2) | |
| 14 Aug | PGA Championship | United States | US$250,000 | Lanny Wadkins (n/a) | Major championship |
| 17 Aug | Skol Lager Individual | Scotland | 20,000 | Nick Faldo (1) | |
| 28 Aug | Carroll's Irish Open | Ireland | 40,000 | Hubert Green (n/a) | |
| 10 Sep | Tournament Players Championship | England | 40,000 | Neil Coles (6) | New tournament |
| 1 Oct | Dunlop Masters | England | 40,000 | Guy Hunt (1) | | |
Unofficial events
The following events were sanctioned by the European Tour, but did not carry official money, nor were wins official.
Order of Merit
The Order of Merit was based on tournament results during the season, calculated using a points-based system.[8] [9]
| Position | Player | Points | Prize money (£) |
|---|
| 1 | | 28,699 | 46,436 |
| 2 | | 24,159 | 32,251 |
| 3 | | 19,728 | 21,581 |
| 4 | | 19,173 | 26,569 |
| 5 | | 18,959 | 19,452 |
| 6 | | 16,344 | 17,557 |
| 7 | | 15,941 | 17,583 |
| 8 | | 14,752 | 23,978 |
| 9 | | 13,019 | 13,293 |
| 10 | | 12,975 | 14,765 | |
Notes and References
- Web site: Tour History . European Tour . 17 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100404045237/http://www.europeantour.com/tourgroup/history/index.html . 4 April 2010.
- Book: Duel in the Sun . Corcoran, Michael . Simon and Schuster . 11 May 2010 . 103 . 9781439141922.
- News: Cash boost as top players chase rising pound! . Neville . Foulger . Coventry Evening Telegraph . Coventry, United Kingdom . 23 December 1976 . 29 . British Newspaper Archive . subscription . 12 June 2020.
- News: European golf prizes top £1m . David . Davies . Birmingham Daily Post . Birmingham, United Kingdom . 21 December 1976 . 10 . British Newspaper Archive . subscription . 12 June 2020.
- News: Golf . Liverpool Echo . Liverpool, United Kingdom . 16 December 1976 . 22 . British Newspaper Archive . subscription . 12 June 2020.
- News: No Sumrie . Reading Evening Post . Reading, United Kingdom . 20 April 1977 . 26 . British Newspaper Archive . subscription . 12 June 2020.
- Web site: 1977 Tournament schedule . European Tour . 21 October 2023.
- Book: Simms, George . World of Golf 1978 . Macdonald and Jane's . 1978 . 0354090356 . Archive.org . 70–110 . 24 November 2023.
- Penningligan-77: Europa . Money list-77: Europe . sv . Svensk Golf . 21 October 2023 . January 1978 . 1 . 17.
- News: Award for Faldo . The Daily Telegraph . London, United Kingdom . 32 . 7 October 1977 . 21 October 2023 . subscription . Newspapers.com.
