1981 European Tour Explained
The 1981 European Tour, titled as the 1981 PGA European Golf Tour,[1] 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".[2] [3]
There were several changes from the previous season, with the addition of the Lawrence Batley International,[4] 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The local rule that had been introduced on the tour in 1976 which allowed spike marks to be repaired was rescinded, and a local rule that prohibited touching of the line of a putt with a club was introduced.[3]
Schedule
The following table lists official events during the 1981 season.[5]
| Date | Tournament | Host country | Purse
(£) | Winner | Notes |
|---|
| 12 Apr | Masters Tournament | United States | US$365,000 |  Tom Watson (5) | Major championship |
| 26 Apr | Madrid Open | Spain | 37,500 |  Manuel Piñero (5) | |
| 3 May | Italian Open | Italy | 45,000 | José María Cañizares (4) | |
| 10 May | Paco Rabanne Open de France | France | 37,500 | Sandy Lyle (5) | |
| 17 May | Martini International | England | 65,000 |  Greg Norman (5) | |
| 25 May | Sun Alliance PGA Championship | England | 70,000 | Nick Faldo (4) | |
| 31 May | Dunlop Masters | England | 75,000 | Greg Norman (6) | |
| 7 Jun | Lawrence Batley International | England | 60,000 | Sandy Lyle (6) | New tournament |
| 14 Jun | Cold Shield Greater Manchester Open | England | 40,000 | Bernard Gallacher (7) | |
| 21 Jun | Billy Butlin Jersey Open | Jersey | 45,000 | Tony Jacklin (7) | |
| 21 Jun | U.S. Open | United States | US$360,000 | David Graham (n/a) | Major championship |
| 28 Jun | Coral Classic | Wales | 40,000 |  Des Smyth (4) | |
| 5 Jul | Scandinavian Enterprise Open | Sweden | 50,000 | Seve Ballesteros (15) | |
| 11 Jul | State Express Classic | England | 65,000 | Rodger Davis (1) | |
| 19 Jul | The Open Championship | England | 200,000 | Bill Rogers (n/a) | Major championship |
| 26 Jul | KLM Dutch Open | Netherlands | 40,000 |  Harold Henning (1) | |
| 2 Aug | German Open | West Germany | 40,000 | Bernhard Langer (2) | |
| 9 Aug | PGA Championship | United States | US$400,000 | Larry Nelson (n/a) | Major championship |
| 16 Aug | Carroll's Irish Open | Ireland | 80,000 | Sam Torrance (3) | |
| 23 Aug | Benson & Hedges International Open | England | 90,000 | Tom Weiskopf (1) | |
| 30 Aug | Swiss Open | Switzerland | 55,000 | Manuel Piñero (6) | |
| 6 Sep | Dixcel Tissues European Open | England | 105,000 | Graham Marsh (8) | |
| 13 Sep | Haig Whisky TPC | Scotland | 60,000 | Brian Barnes (9) | |
| 27 Sep | Bob Hope British Classic | England | 90,000 | Bernhard Langer (3) | Pro-Am |
| 4 Oct | Benson & Hedges Spanish Open | Spain | 50,000 | Seve Ballesteros (16) | | |
Unofficial events
The following events were sanctioned by the European Tour, but did not carry official money, nor were wins official.
Official money list
The official money list was based on prize money won during the season, calculated in Pound sterling.[6]
| Position | Player | Prize money (£) |
|---|
| 1 | | 81,036 |
| 2 | | 48,108 |
| 3 | | 44,732 |
| 4 | | 44,254 |
| 5 | | 39,640 |
| 6 | | 36,012 |
| 7 | | 35,154 |
| 8 | | 29,105 |
| 9 | | 25,805 |
| 10 | | 25,529 | |
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.
- News: Jacobs . Raymond . Putting an end to Europe's spiky problem . Glasgow Herald . Glasgow, United Kingdom . 17 December 1980 . 17 . Google News Archive . 9 June 2020.
- News: Plumridge . Christopher . Putting an end to Europe's spiky problem . The Guardian . London, United Kingdom . 17 December 1980 . 21 . Newspapers.com . 9 June 2020 . subscription.
- News: Chairman's tournament . The Times . London, United Kingdom . 16 December 1980 . 22 . The Times Digital Archive . 9 June 2020 . limited.
- Web site: 1981 Tournament schedule . European Tour . 21 October 2023.
- News: Langer way out in front . Hull Daily Mail . Hull, United Kingdom . 22 . 8 October 1981 . 21 October 2023 . subscription . Newspapers.com.
- News: Jeremy Bennett named Rookie for Year . The Daily Telegraph . Michael . Williams . London, United Kingdom . 28 . 24 November 1981 . 21 October 2023 . subscription . Newspapers.com.
