1997 European Tour


The 1997 European Tour was the 26th official season of golf tournaments known as the PGA European Tour.
The Order of Merit was won by Scotland's Colin Montgomerie for the fifth year in succession.

Schedule

The table below shows the 1997 European Tour schedule which was made up of 34 tournaments counting for the Order of Merit, and several non-counting "Approved Special Events". There were several changes from the previous season, with the addition of the South African Open, which replaced the FNB Players Championship, and the loss of the Catalan Open, the Austrian Open and the Scottish Open, which was effectively superseded by the Loch Lomond World Invitational.
DatesTournamentHost countryWinnerOWGR
points		Notes
23–26 JanJohnnie Walker ClassicAustralia Ernie Els 44Co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour of Australasia
30 Jan – 2 FebHeineken ClassicAustralia Miguel Ángel Martín 40Co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour of Australasia
6–9 FebSouth African OpenSouth Africa Vijay Singh 34New tournament; co-sanctioned with the Southern Africa Tour
13–16 FebDimension Data Pro-AmSouth Africa Nick Price 26Co-sanctioned with the Southern Africa Tour
20–23 FebAlfred Dunhill South African PGA ChampionshipSouth Africa Nick Price 24Co-sanctioned with the Southern Africa Tour
27 Feb – 2 MarDubai Desert ClassicUnited Arab Emirates Richard Green 40
6–9 MarMoroccan OpenMorocco Clinton Whitelaw 20
13–16 MarPortuguese OpenPortugal Michael Jonzon 20
20–23 MarTurespaña Masters Open de CanariasSpain José María Olazábal 20
27–30 MarMadeira Island OpenPortugal Peter Mitchell 20
10–13 AprMasters TournamentUnited States Tiger Woods 100Major championship; non-tour event
17–20 AprEurope 1 Cannes OpenFrance Stuart Cage 20
24–27 AprPeugeot Open de EspañaSpain Mark James 38
1–4 MayConte of Florence Italian OpenItaly Bernhard Langer 28
8–11 MayBenson and Hedges International OpenEngland Bernhard Langer 36
15–18 MayAlamo English OpenEngland Per-Ulrik Johansson 34
23–26 MayVolvo PGA ChampionshipEngland Ian Woosnam 64Flagship event
29 May – 1 JunDeutsche Bank Open TPC of EuropeGermany Ross McFarlane 26
5–8 JunCompaq European Grand PrixEngland Colin Montgomerie 26
12–15 JunU.S. OpenUnited States Ernie Els 100Major championship; non-tour event
19–22 JunVolvo German OpenGermany Ignacio Garrido 24
26–29 JunPeugeot Open de FranceFrance Retief Goosen 34
3–6 JulMurphy's Irish OpenRepublic of Ireland Colin Montgomerie 38
9–12 JulGulfstream Loch Lomond World InvitationalScotland Tom Lehman 50
17–20 JulThe Open ChampionshipScotland Justin Leonard 100Major championship
24–27 JulSun Microsystems Dutch OpenNetherlands Sven Strüver 20
31 Jul – 3 AugVolvo Scandinavian MastersSweden Joakim Haeggman 34
7–10 AugChemapol Trophy Czech OpenCzech Republic Bernhard Langer 24
14–17 AugPGA ChampionshipUnited States Davis Love III 100Major championship; non-tour event
21–24 AugSmurfit European OpenRepublic of Ireland Per-Ulrik Johansson 32
28–31 AugBMW International OpenGermany Robert Karlsson 36
4–7 SepCanon European MastersSwitzerland Costantino Rocca 32
11–14 SepTrophée LancômeFrance Mark O'Meara 42
18–21 SepOne 2 One British MastersEngland Greg Turner 30
26–28 SepRyder CupSpainEuropen/aApproved special event; team event
2–5 OctLinde German MastersGermany Bernhard Langer 38
9–12 OctToyota World Match Play ChampionshipEngland Vijay Singh 42Approved special event
9–12 OctOpen Novotel PerrierFrance Anders Forsbrand &
Michael Jonzon 		n/aApproved special event; pairs event
16–19 OctAlfred Dunhill CupScotlandSouth African/aApproved special event; team event
23–26 OctOki Pro-AmSpain Paul McGinley 20
30 Oct – 2 NovVolvo MastersSpain Lee Westwood 28
6–9 NovSarazen World OpenUnited States Mark Calcavecchia 40Approved special event
20–23 NovWorld Cup of GolfUnited StatesIrelandn/aApproved special event; team event
20–23 NovWorld Cup of Golf International TrophyUnited States Colin Montgomerie n/aApproved special event; individual prize
3–4 JanAndersen Consulting World Championship of GolfUnited States Colin Montgomerie 58Approved special event

Order of Merit

The PGA European Tour's money list was known as the "Volvo Order of Merit". It was based on prize money earned during the season and calculated in Pound sterling.
PositionPlayerCountryPrize money
1Colin Montgomerie798,947
2Bernhard Langer692,398
3Lee Westwood588,718
4Darren Clarke537,409
5Ian Woosnam503,562
6Ignacio Garrido411,479
7Retief Goosen394,597
8Pádraig Harrington388,982
9José María Olazábal385,648
10Robert Karlsson364,542

Awards