The 1981 PGA Tour, titled as the 1981 TPA Tour, was the 66th season of the PGA Tour, the main professional golf tour in the United States. It was also the 13th season since separating from the PGA of America.
| Duration | January 8, 1981 – October 25, 1981 |
|---|---|
| Number of official events | 44 |
| Most wins |  Bill Rogers (4) |
| Money list | Tom Kite |
| PGA Player of the Year | Bill Rogers |
| Rookie of the Year | Mark O'Meara |
← 1980 1982 → | |
Changes for 1981
editThe tour changed its name to the TPA Tour in late August, for the "Tournament Players Association".[1][2] After less than seven months, it reverted to the PGA Tour in mid-March 1982.[3]
Schedule
editThe following table lists official events during the 1981 season.[4][5]
| Date | Tournament | Location | Purse (US$) |
Winner(s)[a] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 11 | Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open | Arizona | 300,000 | ||
| Jan 18 | Bob Hope Desert Classic | California | 250,000 | Pro-Am | |
| Jan 25 | Phoenix Open | Arizona | 300,000 | ||
| Feb 2 | Bing Crosby National Pro-Am | California | 225,000 | Pro-Am | |
| Feb 8 | Wickes-Andy Williams San Diego Open | California | 250,000 | ||
| Feb 14 | Hawaiian Open | Hawaii | 325,000 | ||
| Feb 22 | Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open | California | 300,000 | ||
| Mar 1 | Bay Hill Classic | Florida | 300,000 | ||
| Mar 8 | American Motors Inverrary Classic | Florida | 300,000 | ||
| Mar 15 | Doral-Eastern Open | Florida | 250,000 | ||
| Mar 23 | Tournament Players Championship | Florida | 400,000 | Special event | |
| Mar 29 | Sea Pines Heritage | South Carolina | 300,000 | Invitational | |
| Apr 5 | Greater Greensboro Open | North Carolina | 300,000 | ||
| Apr 12 | Masters Tournament | Georgia | 365,000 | Major championship | |
| Apr 12 | Magnolia Classic | Mississippi | 75,000 | Second Tour[b] | |
| Apr 19 | MONY Tournament of Champions | California | 300,000 | Winners-only event | |
| Apr 19 | Tallahassee Open | Florida | 100,000 | Alternate event | |
| Apr 26 | USF&G New Orleans Open | Louisiana | 350,000 | ||
| May 2 | Michelob-Houston Open | Texas | 262,500 | ||
| May 10 | Byron Nelson Golf Classic | Texas | 300,000 | ||
| May 17 | Colonial National Invitation | Texas | 300,000 | Invitational | |
| May 24 | Memorial Tournament | Ohio | 350,000 | Invitational | |
| May 31 | Kemper Open | Maryland | 400,000 | ||
| Jun 7 | Atlanta Classic | Georgia | 300,000 | ||
| Jun 14 | Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic | New York | 400,000 | ||
| Jun 21 | U.S. Open | Pennsylvania | 360,000 | Major championship | |
| Jun 28 | Danny Thomas Memphis Classic | Tennessee | 300,000 | ||
| Jul 5 | Western Open | Illinois | 300,000 | ||
| Jul 12 | Greater Milwaukee Open | Wisconsin | 250,000 | ||
| Jul 19 | The Open Championship | England | £200,000 | Major championship[c] | |
| Jul 19 | Quad Cities Open | Illinois | 200,000 | Alternate event | |
| Jul 26 | Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic | Virginia | 300,000 | ||
| Aug 2 | Canadian Open | Canada | 425,000 | ||
| Aug 9 | PGA Championship | Georgia | 400,000 | Major championship | |
| Aug 16 | Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open | Connecticut | 300,000 | ||
| Aug 23 | Buick Open | Michigan | 350,000 | ||
| Aug 30 | World Series of Golf | Ohio | 400,000 | Limited-field event | |
| Sep 6 | B.C. Open | New York | 275,000 | ||
| Sep 13 | Pleasant Valley Jimmy Fund Classic | Massachusetts | 300,000 | ||
| Sep 20 | LaJet Classic | Texas | 350,000 | New tournament | |
| Sep 27 | Hall of Fame | North Carolina | 250,000 | ||
| Oct 1 | Texas Open | Texas | 250,000 | ||
| Oct 11 | Southern Open | Georgia | 200,000 | ||
| Oct 18 | Pensacola Open | Florida | 200,000 | ||
| Oct 25 | Walt Disney World National Team Championship | Florida | 400,000 | Team event |
Unofficial events
editThe following events were sanctioned by the PGA Tour, but did not carry official money, nor were wins official.
| Date | Tournament | Location | Purse ($) |
Winner(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 20 | Ryder Cup | England | n/a | Team event | |
| Dec 6 | JCPenney Mixed Team Classic | Florida | 550,000 | Team event |
Money list
editThe money list was based on prize money won during the season, calculated in U.S. dollars.[6][7]
| Position | Player | Prize money ($) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 375,699 | |
| 2 | 359,360 | |
| 3 | 347,660 | |
| 4 | 343,446 | |
| 5 | 315,411 | |
| 6 | 280,627 | |
| 7 | 276,499 | |
| 8 | 218,829 | |
| 9 | 201,513 | |
| 10 | 193,342 |
Awards
editSee also
editNotes
edit- ^ The number in parentheses after each winner's name is the number of PGA Tour events they had won up to and including that tournament. This information is only shown for PGA Tour members.
- ^ Official money; unofficial win.
- ^ Unofficial money event at the time, but retrospectively counted as an official win.
References
edit- ^ "Pro golf tour changes name". The New York Times. August 31, 1981. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
- ^ "Touring pros get new name - TPA". Eugene Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. Associated Press. August 31, 1981. p. 2B.
- ^ "Tour changes its name again". The New York Times. March 20, 1982. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
- ^ "1981 Tournament schedule". PGA Tour. Archived from the original on September 8, 2018. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
- ^ "1982 PGA Tour Media Guide" (PDF). PGA Tour. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
- ^ "1981 Official money". PGA Tour. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
- ^ a b "Kite Hoping For Penney Golf Win". The Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida. November 30, 1981. p. 29 (7-C in paper). Retrieved November 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Rogers, Player of Year, Will Be Honored Jan. 25". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. December 27, 1981. p. 48. Retrieved November 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Diaz, Jaime (December 7, 1998). "Making Waves By winning big, Mark O'Meara finally blew his cover as just another run-of-the-mill pro". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
A nice player is one who has won as often as O'Meara (16 times on Tour) over a long career (he was rookie of the year in 1981).
- ^ "2022–23 PGA Tour Media guide | Awards". PGA Tour. Retrieved October 22, 2023.