1986 European Tour
Introduction The '''1986 European Tour''', titled as the '''1986 PGA European Tour''', was the 15th season of the European Tour, the main professional golf tour in Europe since its inaugural season in 1972.
Changes for 1986 There were several changes from the previous season, with the addition of the Epson Grand Prix of Europe Matchplay Championship and the PLM Open; the return of the Bell's Scottish Open, as the Glasgow Open was rebranded, and the loss of the GSI L'Equipe Open.Before the season started, the Tunisian Open, scheduled as the opening event opposite the Masters Tournament, was cancelled after sponsors withdrew funding for the event.===Order of Merit minimum tournaments===In 1986 the minimum number of tournaments needed to qualify for the Order of Merit was increased from seven to nine.
Schedule The following table lists official events during the 1986 season.DateTournamentHost countryPurse(£)WinnerOWGRpointsNotes13 AprTunisian OpenTunisia–''Cancelled''–13 Apr'''Masters Tournament'''United StatesUS$785,000 '''Jack Nicklaus''' (n/a)100Major championship20 AprSuze OpenFrance100,000 John Bland (2)2027 AprCepsa Madrid OpenSpain125,000 Howard Clark (7)204 MayItalian OpenItaly100,000 David Feherty (1)2011 MayEpson Grand Prix of Europe Matchplay ChampionshipWales125,000 Ove Sellberg (1)20New tournamentLimited-field event18 MayPeugeot Spanish OpenSpain150,000 Howard Clark (8)4026 MayWhyte & Mackay PGA ChampionshipEngland200,000 Rodger Davis (2)401 JunLondon Standard Four Stars National Pro-CelebrityEngland150,000 Antonio Garrido (5)20Pro-Am8 JunDunhill British MastersEngland200,000 Seve Ballesteros (28)4015 JunJersey OpenJersey80,000 John Morgan (1)2015 Jun'''U.S. Open'''United StatesUS$700,000 '''Raymond Floyd''' (n/a)100Major championship22 JunCarroll's Irish OpenIreland200,000 Seve Ballesteros (29)4028 JunJohnnie Walker Monte Carlo OpenFrance150,000 Seve Ballesteros (30)207 JulPeugeot Open de FranceFrance125,000 Seve Ballesteros (31)4012 JulCar Care Plan InternationalEngland100,000 Mark Mouland (1)2020 Jul'''The Open Championship'''Scotland600,000 '''Greg Norman''' (10)100Major championship27 JulKLM Dutch OpenNetherlands150,000 Seve Ballesteros (32)403 AugScandinavian Enterprise OpenSweden150,000 Greg Turner (1)4010 AugPLM OpenSweden125,000 Peter Senior (1)20New to European Tour10 Aug'''PGA Championship'''United StatesUS$800,000 '''Bob Tway''' (n/a)100Major championship17 AugBenson & Hedges International OpenEngland175,000 Mark James (8)4024 AugBell's Scottish OpenScotland125,000 David Feherty (2)2031 AugGerman OpenWest Germany175,000 Bernhard Langer (15)247 SepEbel European Masters Swiss OpenSwitzerland275,000 José María Olazábal (1)4014 SepPanasonic European OpenEngland200,000 Greg Norman (11)4421 SepLawrence Batley International T.P.C.England125,000 Ian Woosnam (4)2012 OctSanyo OpenSpain175,000 José María Olazábal (2)4019 OctTrophée LancômeFrance175,000 Seve Ballesteros (33) Bernhard Langer (16)34Title sharedLimited-field event26 OctPortuguese OpenPortugal100,000 Mark McNulty (3)20===Unofficial events===The following events were sanctioned by the European Tour, but did not carry official money, nor were wins official.DateTournamentHost countryPurse(£)Winner(s)OWGRpointsNotes28 SepDunhill CupScotlandUS$1,000,000 Team Australian/aTeam event5 OctSuntory World Match Play ChampionshipEngland175,000 Greg Norman32Limited-field event
Order of Merit The Order of Merit was titled as the '''Epson Order of Merit''' and was based on prize money won during the season, calculated in Pound sterling.Position  Player  Prize money (£)1   Seve Ballesteros 242,2092   José María Olazábal 136,7753   Howard Clark 121,9034   Ian Woosnam 111,7995   Gordon J. Brand 106,3146   Mark McNulty 101,3277   Rodger Davis 95,4298   Anders Forsbrand 84,7069   Ronan Rafferty 80,33610   Gordon Brand Jnr 78,639
Awards AwardWinner Golfer of the Year   Seve Ballesteros   Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year   José María Olazábal
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