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.
Changes for 1981
The 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
The 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 |  Johnny Miller (20) |
|
| Jan 18 | Bob Hope Desert Classic | California | 250,000 | Bruce Lietzke (6) |
Pro-Am |
| Jan 25 | Phoenix Open | Arizona | 300,000 |  David Graham (6) |
|
| Feb 2 | Bing Crosby National Pro-Am | California | 225,000 | John Cook (1) |
Pro-Am |
| Feb 8 | Wickes-Andy Williams San Diego Open | California | 250,000 | Bruce Lietzke (7) |
|
| Feb 14 | Hawaiian Open | Hawaii | 325,000 | Hale Irwin (12) |
|
| Feb 22 | Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open | California | 300,000 | Johnny Miller (21) |
|
| Mar 1 | Bay Hill Classic | Florida | 300,000 | Andy Bean (7) |
|
| Mar 8 | American Motors Inverrary Classic | Florida | 300,000 | Tom Kite (3) |
|
| Mar 15 | Doral-Eastern Open | Florida | 250,000 | Raymond Floyd (13) |
|
| Mar 23 | Tournament Players Championship | Florida | 400,000 | Raymond Floyd (14) |
Special event |
| Mar 29 | Sea Pines Heritage | South Carolina | 300,000 | Bill Rogers (2) |
Invitational |
| Apr 5 | Greater Greensboro Open | North Carolina | 300,000 | Larry Nelson (4) |
|
| Apr 12 | Masters Tournament | Georgia | 365,000 | Tom Watson (26) |
Major championship |
| Apr 12 | Magnolia Classic | Mississippi | 75,000 | Tom Jones (n/a) |
Second Tour[b] |
| Apr 19 | MONY Tournament of Champions | California | 300,000 | Lee Trevino (28) |
Winners-only event |
| Apr 19 | Tallahassee Open | Florida | 100,000 | Dave Eichelberger (4) |
Alternate event |
| Apr 26 | USF&G New Orleans Open | Louisiana | 350,000 | Tom Watson (27) |
|
| May 2 | Michelob-Houston Open | Texas | 262,500 | Ron Streck (2) |
|
| May 10 | Byron Nelson Golf Classic | Texas | 300,000 | Bruce Lietzke (8) |
|
| May 17 | Colonial National Invitation | Texas | 300,000 | Fuzzy Zoeller (3) |
Invitational |
| May 24 | Memorial Tournament | Ohio | 350,000 | Keith Fergus (1) |
Invitational |
| May 31 | Kemper Open | Maryland | 400,000 | Craig Stadler (3) |
|
| Jun 7 | Atlanta Classic | Georgia | 300,000 | Tom Watson (28) |
|
| Jun 14 | Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic | New York | 400,000 | Raymond Floyd (15) |
|
| Jun 21 | U.S. Open | Pennsylvania | 360,000 | David Graham (7) |
Major championship |
| Jun 28 | Danny Thomas Memphis Classic | Tennessee | 300,000 | Jerry Pate (6) |
|
| Jul 5 | Western Open | Illinois | 300,000 | Ed Fiori (2) |
|
| Jul 12 | Greater Milwaukee Open | Wisconsin | 250,000 | Jay Haas (2) |
|
| Jul 19 | The Open Championship | England | £200,000 | Bill Rogers (3) |
Major championship[c] |
| Jul 19 | Quad Cities Open | Illinois | 200,000 |  Dave Barr (1) |
Alternate event |
| Jul 26 | Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic | Virginia | 300,000 | John Mahaffey (6) |
|
| Aug 2 | Canadian Open | Canada | 425,000 |  Peter Oosterhuis (1) |
|
| Aug 9 | PGA Championship | Georgia | 400,000 | Larry Nelson (5) |
Major championship |
| Aug 16 | Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open | Connecticut | 300,000 | Hubert Green (17) |
|
| Aug 23 | Buick Open | Michigan | 350,000 | Hale Irwin (13) |
|
| Aug 30 | World Series of Golf | Ohio | 400,000 | Bill Rogers (4) |
Limited-field event |
| Sep 6 | B.C. Open | New York | 275,000 | Jay Haas (3) |
|
| Sep 13 | Pleasant Valley Jimmy Fund Classic | Massachusetts | 300,000 | Jack Renner (2) |
|
| Sep 20 | LaJet Classic | Texas | 350,000 | Tom Weiskopf (15) |
New tournament |
| Sep 27 | Hall of Fame | North Carolina | 250,000 | Morris Hatalsky (1) |
|
| Oct 1 | Texas Open | Texas | 250,000 | Bill Rogers (5) |
|
| Oct 11 | Southern Open | Georgia | 200,000 | J. C. Snead (7) |
|
| Oct 18 | Pensacola Open | Florida | 200,000 | Jerry Pate (7) |
|
| Oct 25 | Walt Disney World National Team Championship | Florida | 400,000 | Vance Heafner (1) and Mike Holland (1) |
Team event |
Unofficial events
The 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 USA
|
Team event |
| Dec 6 | JCPenney Mixed Team Classic | Florida | 550,000 | Beth Daniel and Tom Kite
|
Team event |
Money list
The money list was based on prize money won during the season, calculated in U.S. dollars.[6][7]
| Position | Player | Prize money ($) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Kite |
375,699 |
| 2 | Raymond Floyd |
359,360 |
| 3 | Tom Watson |
347,660 |
| 4 | Bruce Lietzke |
343,446 |
| 5 | Bill Rogers |
315,411 |
| 6 | Jerry Pate |
280,627 |
| 7 | Hale Irwin |
276,499 |
| 8 | Craig Stadler |
218,829 |
| 9 | Curtis Strange |
201,513 |
| 10 | Larry Nelson |
193,342 |
Awards
| Award | Winner | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| PGA Player of the Year | Bill Rogers |
[8] |
| Scoring leader (PGA Tour – Byron Nelson Award) | Tom Kite |
[9] |
| Scoring leader (PGA – Vardon Trophy) | Tom Kite |
[7] |
See also
Notes
- ^ 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
- ^ "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.
- ^ "2022–23 PGA Tour Media guide | Awards". PGA Tour. Retrieved October 22, 2023.