1981 European Tour


The 1981 European Tour was the 10th official season of golf tournaments known as the PGA European Tour and organised by the Professional Golfers' Association.
The Order of Merit was won by West Germany's Bernhard Langer.

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The local rule that had been introduced on the tour in 1976 which allowed spike marks to be repaired was rescinded, and a local rule that prohibited touching of the line of a putt with a club was introduced.

Schedule

The table below shows the 1981 European Tour schedule which was made up of 22 tournaments counting for the Official Money List, and some non-counting tournaments later known as "Approved Special Events". There were several changes from the previous season, with the addition of the Lawrence Batley International, and the loss of the Newcastle Brown "900" Open and the Merseyside International Open.
DatesTournamentHost countryWinnerNotes
9–12 AprMasters TournamentUnited States Tom Watson Major championship; non-tour event
23–26 AprMadrid OpenSpain Manuel Piñero
30 Apr – 3 MayItalian OpenItaly José Maria Cañizares
7–10 MayPaco Rabanne Open de FranceFrance Sandy Lyle
14–17 MayMartini InternationalEngland Greg Norman
22–25 MaySun Alliance PGA ChampionshipEngland Nick Faldo
28–31 MayDunlop MastersEngland Greg Norman
4–7 JunLawrence Batley InternationalEngland Sandy Lyle New tournament
11–14 JunCold Shield Greater Manchester OpenEngland Bernard Gallacher
18–21 JunU.S. OpenUnited States David Graham Major championship; non-tour event
18–21 JunBilly Butlin Jersey OpenJersey Tony Jacklin
25–28 JunCoral ClassicWales Des Smyth
2–5 JulScandinavian Enterprise OpenSweden Seve Ballesteros
8–11 JulState Express ClassicEngland Rodger Davis
16–19 JulThe Open ChampionshipEngland Bill Rogers Major championship
23–26 JulKLM Dutch OpenNetherlands Harold Henning
30 Jul – 2 AugGerman OpenWest Germany Bernhard Langer
6–9 AugPGA ChampionshipUnited States Larry Nelson Major championship; non-tour event
13–16 AugCarroll's Irish OpenRepublic of Ireland Sam Torrance
20–23 AugBenson and Hedges International OpenEngland Tom Weiskopf
27–30 AugSwiss OpenSwitzerland Manuel Piñero
3–6 SepDixcel Tissues European OpenEngland Graham Marsh
10–13 SepHaig Whisky TPCScotland Brian Barnes
18–20 SeptRyder CupEngland United StatesApproved special event; team event
24–27 SepBob Hope British ClassicEngland Bernhard Langer
1–4 OctBenson and Hedges Spanish OpenSpain Seve Ballesteros
8–11 OctSuntory World Match PlayEngland Seve Ballesteros Approved special event
15–18 OctLancome TrophyFrance David Graham Approved special event
22–25 OctCacharel World Under-25 ChampionshipFrance Tim Simpson Approved special event

Official Money List

The PGA European Tour's money list was known as the "Official Money List". It was based on prize money earned during the season and calculated in Pound sterling.
PositionPlayerCountryPrize money
1Bernhard Langer81,036
2Nick Faldo48,109
3Sandy Lyle44,732
4Greg Norman44,254
5Manuel Piñero39,640
6Sam Torrance36,012
7Seve Ballesteros35,154
8Des Smyth29,105
9Eamonn Darcy25,805
10José Maria Cañizares25,529

Awards