1975 European Tour


The 1975 European Tour was a series of golf tournaments that comprised the Professional Golfers' Association Tournament Players’ Section circuit. It is officially recognised as the fourth season of the PGA European Tour.
Historically, the PGA's Order of Merit only included tournaments in Great Britain and Ireland, but in 1970 events in continental Europe were included for the first time. The circuit and organisation evolved further over the following years, adopting the name PGA European Golf Tour in 1979.
The Order of Merit was won by South Africa's Dale Hayes.

Schedule

The table below shows the 1975 European Tour schedule which was made up of 19 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.
There were several changes from the previous season, with the addition of the Carroll's Irish Open, which replaced the Carroll's International, and the Kerrygold International Classic; and the loss of the Penfold Tournament, the W.D. & H.O. Wills Tournament and the El Paraiso Open. Following the withdrawal of sponsors, Lord Derby's Young Professionals' Tournament and the Coca-Cola Young Professionals' Championship were also lost from the schedule, the PGA ultimately decided to sponsor an under-25's event themselves.
DatesTournamentHost countryWinnerNotes
8–11 AprPortuguese OpenPortugal Hal Underwood
10–13 AprMasters TournamentUnited States Jack Nicklaus Major championship; non-tour event
16–19 AprSpanish OpenSpain Arnold Palmer
23–26 AprMadrid OpenSpain Bob Shearer
1–4 MayFrench OpenFrance Brian Barnes
7–10 MayPiccadilly MedalEngland Bob Shearer
14–17 MaySumrie-Bournemouth Better-BallEngland Jack Newton &
John O'Leary 		Pairs event; not counting for the Order of Merit
23–26 MayPenfold PGA ChampionshipEngland Arnold Palmer
11–14 JunMartini InternationalEngland Christy O'Connor Jnr
Ian Stanley
19–22 JunU.S. OpenUnited States Lou Graham Major championship; non-tour event
9–12 JulThe Open ChampionshipScotland Tom Watson Major championship
17–20 JulSwiss OpenSwitzerland Dale Hayes
24–27 JulScandinavian Enterprise OpenSweden George Burns
31 Jul – 3 AugGerman OpenWest Germany Maurice Bembridge
7–10 AugPGA ChampionshipUnited States Jack Nicklaus Major championship; non-tour event
7–10 AugDutch OpenNetherlands Hugh Baiocchi
13–16 AugBenson & Hedges FestivalEngland Vicente Fernández
28–31 AugCarroll's Irish OpenRepublic of Ireland Christy O'Connor Jnr New tournament
3–6 SepSun Alliance Match Play ChampionshipEngland Eddie Polland
11–14 SepKerrygold International ClassicRepublic of Ireland George Burns New tournament
18–20 SepT.P.D. Young Professionals' ChampionshipEngland Dale Hayes Approved special event
19–21 SepRyder CupUnited States United StatesApproved special event; team event
23–24 SepDouble Diamond StrokeplayScotland Peter Dawson
25–27 SepDouble Diamond InternationalScotland The AmericasApproved special event; team event
1–4 OctDunlop MastersEngland Bernard Gallacher
9–11 OctPiccadilly World Match PlayEngland Hale Irwin Approved special event
16–19 OctItalian OpenItaly Billy Casper

Order of Merit

The PGA European Tour's money list was known as the "Order of Merit". It was based on a points system, which meant that some players could finish lower than others despite accumulating more prize money.
PositionPlayerCountryPointsPrize money
1Dale Hayes17,48720,507
2Bob Shearer13,92016,040
3Eamonn Darcy11,98814,845
4Brian Barnes10,49113,492
5Bernard Gallacher9,99512,039
6Hugh Baiocchi9,0639,631
7Christy O'Connor Jnr8,68011,978
8Jack Newton8,63116,394
9Vicente Fernández8,26310,108
10Neil Coles8,23711,769