| PBA Bowling Tour: 1981 Season | |
| League: | Professional Bowlers Association |
| Sport: | Ten-pin bowling |
| Duration: | January 6 – November 21, 1981 |
| Season: | PBA Tour |
| Mvp: | Earl Anthony |
| Seasonslist: | Professional Bowlers Association Seasons |
| Seasonslistnames: | PBA Tour |
| Prevseason Link: | PBA Bowling Tour: 1980 Season |
| Prevseason Year: | 1980 |
| Nextseason Link: | PBA Bowling Tour: 1982 Season |
| Nextseason Year: | 1982 |
This is a recap of the 1981 season for the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. It was the tour's 23rd season, and consisted of 33 events. 1981 was a season of "fours" for Earl Anthony. He won an unprecedented fourth PBA Player of the Year award (his first since 1976), and captured his fourth PBA National Championship among his four titles on the season.
Marshall Holman, who had served a suspension for part of the 1980 season, came back strong to win three titles in 1981, taking his second career major at the BPAA U.S. Open. Steve Cook was the titlist at the Firestone Tournament of Champions.
| Event | Bowling center | City | Dates | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miller High Life Classic | Brunswick Wonderbowl | Anaheim, California | Jan 6–10 | Steve Martin (4) | |
| Showboat Invitational | Showboat Bowling Center | Las Vegas, Nevada | Jan 11–17 | Mark Roth (24) | |
| ARC Alameda Open | Mel's Southshore Bowl | Alameda, California | Jan 20–24 | Bob Handley (1) | |
| Quaker State Open | Forum Bowling Lanes | Grand Prairie, Texas | Jan 27–31 | Marshall Holman (12) | |
| BPAA U.S. Open | Big Texan Lanes | Houston, Texas | Feb 1–7 | Marshall Holman (13)[1] | |
| Rolaids Open | Dick Weber Lanes | Florissant, Missouri | Feb 10–14 | Earl Anthony (33) | |
| AMF Magicscore Open | Landmark Plaza Recreation Center | Peoria, Illinois | Feb 17–21 | Earl Anthony (34) | |
| Cleveland Open | Buckeye Lanes | North Olmsted, Ohio | Feb 24–28 | Mal Acosta (1)[2] | |
| PBA National Championship | Imperial Lanes | Toledo, Ohio | Mar 1–7 | Earl Anthony (35)[3] | |
| Miller High Life Open | Red Carpet Celebrity Lanes | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Mar 10–14 | Mike Durbin (8) | |
| King Louie Open | King Louie West Lanes | Overland Park, Kansas | Mar 17–21 | Marshall Holman (14) | |
| True Value Open | Don Carter's Kendall Lanes | Miami, Florida | Mar 24–28 | Bo Bowden (1) | |
| Fair Lanes Open | Fair Lanes Woodlawn | Baltimore, Maryland | Mar 31 – Apr 4 | Wayne Webb (7) | |
| Long Island Open | Garden City Bowl | Garden City, New York | Apr 7–11 | Earl Anthony (36) | |
| Greater Hartford Open | Bradley Bowl | Windsor Locks, Connecticut | Apr 14–18 | Wayne Webb (8) | |
| Firestone Tournament of Champions | Riviera Lanes | Akron, Ohio | Apr 20–25 | Steve Cook (3)[4] | |
| U.S. Polychemical Open | Mowry Lanes | Fremont, California | May 19–23 | Mal Acosta (2) | |
| City of Roses Open | Timber Lanes | Portland, Oregon | May 26–30 | Bill Spigner (3) | |
| Seattle Open | Leilani Lanes | Seattle, Washington | Jun 2–6 | Jeff Morin (1) | |
| Pennzoil Open | Gable House Bowl | Torrance, California | Jun 9–13 | Tom Baker (2) | |
| Tucson Open | Golden Pin Lanes | Tucson, Arizona | Jun 15–19 | Matt Surina (3) | |
| Showboat Doubles Classic | Showboat Bowling Center | Las Vegas, Nevada | Jun 23–27 | Joe Hutchinson (3), Tom Baker (3) | |
| Denver Open | Celebrity Fun Center | Denver, Colorado | Jul 3–7 | Tom Baker (4) | |
| Waukegan Open | Bertrand Lanes | Waukegan, Illinois | Jul 10–14 | Ted Hannahs (1) | |
| Canadian Open | Rose Bowl Lanes | Windsor, Ontario | Jul 17–21 | Mike Aulby (4) | |
| Buffalo Open | Thruway Lanes | Cheektowaga, New York | Jul 24–28 | Roy Buckley (7) | |
| Sarasota Open | Galaxy Lanes | Sarasota, Florida | Jul 31 – Aug 4 | Mike Durbin (9) | |
| Aqua Fest Mr. Gatti's Open | Highland Lanes | Austin, Texas | Aug 7–11 | Dave Soutar (16) | |
| Kessler Classic | Woodland Bowl | Indianapolis, Indiana | Oct 16–20 | Steve Cook (4) | |
| Lansing Open | Royal Scot Lanes | Lansing, Michigan | Oct 23–27 | Mark Roth (25) | |
| Columbia 300 Open | Westgate Lanes | Fairview Park, Ohio | Oct 30 – Nov 3 | Mark Roth (26) | |
| Syracuse Open | Brunswick Holiday Bowl | Syracuse, New York | Nov 6–10 | Frank Ellenburg (1) | |
| Brunswick Memorial World Open | Brunswick Northern Bowl | Glendale Heights, Illinois | Nov 15–21 | Steve Martin (5) |