1985 European Tour
Introduction The '''1985 European Tour''', titled as the '''1985 PGA European Tour''', was the 14th season of the European Tour, the main professional golf tour in Europe since its inaugural season in 1972.
Changes for 1985 The season was made up of 26 tournaments counting for the Order of Merit, and some non-counting "Approved Special Events".There were several changes from the previous season, with the GSI L'Equipe Open replacing the Timex Open; the return of the British Masters and the Bob Hope Classic, which was rebranded as the Four Stars National Pro-Celebrity; and the loss of the Tournament Players Championship and the Celtic International.In addition, the Dunhill Cup, a new team event devised by Mark McCormack and held over the Old Course at St Andrews, was added to the schedule but did not count towards the Order of Merit; with a prize fund of  it was the richest tournament in the world, surpassing the Nedbank Million Dollar Challenge in South Africa.===Rule changes===In 1985, the European Tour became "All-Exempt", meaning that for the first time tournaments did not have their own pre-qualifying rounds. The final two rounds of all major tournaments were played as two-balls, having previously been three-balls.===Order of Merit name change===In April, it was announced that Epson would take over the title sponsorship of the Order of Merit from Sperry Corporation, being renamed as the '''Epson Order of Merit'''.
Schedule The following table lists official events during the 1985 season.DateTournamentHost countryPurse(£)WinnerNotes14 Apr'''Masters Tournament'''United StatesUS$700,000 '''Bernhard Langer''' (12)Major championship21 AprTunisian OpenTunisia70,000 Stephen Bennett (1)28 AprCepsa Madrid OpenSpain100,000 Manuel Piñero (8)5 MayItalian OpenItaly85,000 Manuel Piñero (9)12 MayCar Care Plan InternationalEngland110,000 David J. Russell (1)19 MayGSI L'Equipe OpenFrance75,000 Mark James (7)New tournament27 MayWhyte & Mackay PGA ChampionshipEngland180,000 Paul Way (2)2 JunFour Stars National Pro-CelebrityEngland140,000 Ken Brown (4)Pro-Am10 JunDunhill British MastersEngland200,000 Lee Trevino (n/a)16 JunJersey OpenJersey75,000 Howard Clark (5)16 Jun'''U.S. Open'''United StatesUS$650,000 '''Andy North''' (n/a)Major championship23 JunCarroll's Irish OpenIreland120,000 Seve Ballesteros (24)30 JunJohnnie Walker Monte Carlo OpenFrance125,000 Sam Torrance (11)7 JulPeugeot Open de FranceFrance80,000 Seve Ballesteros (25)13 JulLawrence Batley International Golf ClassicEngland120,000 Graham Marsh (9)21 Jul'''The Open Championship'''England530,000 '''Sandy Lyle''' (11)Major championship28 JulKLM Dutch OpenNetherlands120,000 Graham Marsh (10)4 AugScandinavian Enterprise OpenSweden130,000 Ian Baker-Finch (1)11 AugGlasgow OpenScotland90,000 Howard Clark (6)11 Aug'''PGA Championship'''United StatesUS$700,000 '''Hubert Green''' (n/a)Major championship18 AugBenson & Hedges International OpenEngland150,000 Sandy Lyle (12)25 AugLufthansa German OpenWest Germany100,000 Bernhard Langer (13)1 SepPanasonic European OpenEngland200,000 Bernhard Langer (14)8 SepEbel European Masters Swiss OpenSwitzerland190,000 Craig Stadler (n/a)22 SepSanyo OpenSpain120,000 Seve Ballesteros (26)6 OctTrophée LancômeFrance120,000 Nick Price (2)Limited-field event13 OctCompagnie de Chauffe Cannes OpenFrance80,000 Robert Lee (1)27 OctBenson & Hedges Spanish OpenSpain85,000 Seve Ballesteros (27)2 NovPortuguese OpenPortugal65,000 Warren Humphreys (1)===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)Notes15 SepRyder CupEnglandn/a Team EuropeTeam event29 SepSuntory World Match Play ChampionshipEngland180,000 Seve BallesterosLimited-field event20 OctDunhill CupScotlandUS$1,200,000 Team AustraliaNew tournamentTeam event24 NovWorld CupUnited StatesUS$743,000 Dave Barr and Dan HalldorsonTeam eventWorld Cup Individual Trophy Howard Clark
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   Sandy Lyle 162,5532   Bernhard Langer 115,7163   Seve Ballesteros 103,0424   Ian Woosnam 82,2355   Sam Torrance 79,5676   Howard Clark 79,3867   Manuel Piñero 71,1168   José María Cañizares 65,6339   Gordon Brand Jnr 65,57110   Paul Way 63,097
Awards AwardWinner Golfer of the Year   Bernhard Langer   Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year   Paul Thomas
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