1981 European Tour
Introduction The '''1981 European Tour''', titled as the '''1981 PGA European Golf Tour''', was the 10th season of the European Tour, the main professional golf tour in Europe since its inaugural season in 1972.
Changes for 1981 The season 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.===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changes===The local rule that had been introduced on the tour in 1976 which allowed spike marks to be repaired was rescinded, and a local rule that prohibited touching of the line of a putt with a club was introduced.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 following table lists official events during the 1981 season.DateTournamentHost countryPurse(£)WinnerNotes12 Apr'''Masters Tournament'''United StatesUS$365,000 '''Tom Watson''' (5)Major championship26 AprMadrid OpenSpain37,500 Manuel Piñero (5)3 MayItalian OpenItaly45,000 José María Cañizares (4)10 MayPaco Rabanne Open de FranceFrance37,500 Sandy Lyle (5)17 MayMartini InternationalEngland65,000 Greg Norman (5)25 MaySun Alliance PGA ChampionshipEngland70,000 Nick Faldo (4)31 MayDunlop MastersEngland75,000 Greg Norman (6)7 JunLawrence Batley InternationalEngland60,000 Sandy Lyle (6)New tournament14 JunCold Shield Greater Manchester OpenEngland40,000 Bernard Gallacher (7)21 JunBilly Butlin Jersey OpenJersey45,000 Tony Jacklin (7)21 Jun'''U.S. Open'''United StatesUS$360,000 '''David Graham''' (n/a)Major championship28 JunCoral ClassicWales40,000 Des Smyth (4)5 JulScandinavian Enterprise OpenSweden50,000 Seve Ballesteros (15)11 JulState Express ClassicEngland65,000 Rodger Davis (1)19 Jul'''The Open Championship'''England200,000 '''Bill Rogers''' (n/a)Major championship26 JulKLM Dutch OpenNetherlands40,000 Harold Henning (1)2 AugGerman OpenWest Germany40,000 Bernhard Langer (2)9 Aug'''PGA Championship'''United StatesUS$400,000 '''Larry Nelson''' (n/a)Major championship16 AugCarroll's Irish OpenIreland80,000 Sam Torrance (3)23 AugBenson & Hedges International OpenEngland90,000 Tom Weiskopf (1)30 AugSwiss OpenSwitzerland55,000 Manuel Piñero (6)6 SepDixcel Tissues European OpenEngland105,000 Graham Marsh (8)13 SepHaig Whisky TPCScotland60,000 Brian Barnes (9)27 SepBob Hope British ClassicEngland90,000 Bernhard Langer (3)Pro-Am4 OctBenson & Hedges Spanish OpenSpain50,000 Seve Ballesteros (16)===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)Notes20 SepRyder CupEnglandn/a Team USATeam event11 OctSuntory World Match Play ChampionshipEngland100,000 Seve BallesterosLimited-field event18 OctTrophée LancômeFrance45,000 David Graham25 OctCacharel World Under-25 ChampionshipFrancen/a Tim Simpson
Official money list The official money list was based on prize money won during the season, calculated in Pound sterling.Position  Player  Prize money (£)1   Bernhard Langer 81,0362   Nick Faldo 48,1083   Sandy Lyle 44,7324   Greg Norman 44,2545   Manuel Piñero 39,6406   Sam Torrance 36,0127   Seve Ballesteros 35,1548   Des Smyth 29,1059   Eamonn Darcy 25,80510   José María Cañizares 25,529
Awards AwardWinner Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year   Jeremy Bennett
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