The 1977 European Tour, titled as the 1977 PGA European Tournament Players' Division,[1][2][3] was the sixth season of the European Tour, the main professional golf tour in Europe since its inaugural season in 1972.

1977 European Tour season
Duration6 April 1977 (1977-04-06) – 1 October 1977 (1977-10-01)
Number of official events22
Most winsSpain Seve Ballesteros (3)
Order of MeritSpain Seve Ballesteros
Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the YearEngland Nick Faldo
1976
1978

Changes for 1977 edit

There were several changes from the previous season, with the addition of the Callers of Newcastle and the Tournament Players Championship, which replaced the Piccadilly Medal.[3][4] Two events not counting for the Order of Merit, the Phillip Morris Nations Cup and the Sumrie Better-Ball, originally pencilled in for May,[5] were cancelled.[6]

Schedule edit

The following table lists official events during the 1977 season.[7][8]

Date Tournament Host country Purse
(£)
Winner[a] Notes
9 Apr Portuguese Open Portugal 25,000   Manuel Ramos (1)
10 Apr Masters Tournament United States US$280,477   Tom Watson (2) Major championship[b]
16 Apr Spanish Open Spain 30,000   Bernard Gallacher (4)
23 Apr Madrid Open Spain 21,500   Antonio Garrido (2)
1 May Italian Open Italy 25,000   Ángel Gallardo (1)
8 May French Open France 23,500   Seve Ballesteros (2)
14 May Benson & Hedges International Open England 40,000   Antonio Garrido (3)
21 May Sun Alliance Match Play Championship England 20,000   Hugh Baiocchi (4)
28 May Penfold PGA Championship England 50,000   Manuel Piñero (3)
5 Jun Kerrygold International Ireland 15,000   Liam Higgins (1)
11 Jun Martini International England 15,000   Greg Norman (1)
19 Jun Greater Manchester Open England 20,000   Eamonn Darcy (1)
19 Jun U.S. Open United States US$200,000   Hubert Green (n/a) Major championship[b]
25 Jun Uniroyal International Championship England 30,000   Seve Ballesteros (3)
9 Jul The Open Championship Scotland 100,000   Tom Watson (3) Major championship
17 Jul Swiss Open Switzerland 35,000   Seve Ballesteros (4)
24 Jul Scandinavian Enterprise Open Sweden 45,000   Bob Byman (1)
31 Jul Callers of Newcastle England 25,000   John Fourie (1) New tournament
7 Aug German Open West Germany 30,000   Tienie Britz (1)
14 Aug Dutch Open Netherlands 30,000   Bob Byman (2)
14 Aug PGA Championship United States US$250,000   Lanny Wadkins (n/a) Major championship[b]
17 Aug Skol Lager Individual Scotland 20,000   Nick Faldo (1)
28 Aug Carroll's Irish Open Ireland 40,000   Hubert Green (n/a)
10 Sep Tournament Players Championship England 40,000   Neil Coles (6) New tournament
1 Oct Dunlop Masters England 40,000   Guy Hunt (1)

Unofficial events edit

The following events were sanctioned by the European Tour, but did not carry official money, nor were wins official.

Date Tournament Host country Purse
(£)
Winner(s) Notes
2 Jul Phillip Morris Nations Cup France Cancelled Team event
20 Aug Double Diamond International Scotland 25,000   Team USA Team event
17 Sep Ryder Cup England n/a   Team USA Team event
8 Oct Colgate World Match Play Championship England 130,000   Graham Marsh Limited-field event
16 Oct Trophée Lancôme France 50,000   Graham Marsh
11 Dec World Cup Philippines US$4,200   Seve Ballesteros and
  Antonio Garrido
Team event
World Cup Individual Trophy US$2,100   Gary Player

Order of Merit edit

The Order of Merit was based on tournament results during the season, calculated using a points-based system.[8][9]

Position Player Points Prize money (£)
1   Seve Ballesteros 28,699 46,436
2   Hugh Baiocchi 24,159 32,251
3   Antonio Garrido 19,728 21,581
4   Manuel Piñero 19,173 26,569
5   Bob Byman 18,959 19,452
6   Brian Barnes 16,344 17,557
7   Peter Dawson 15,941 17,583
8   Nick Faldo 14,752 23,978
9   Francisco Abreu 13,019 13,293
10   Ángel Gallardo 12,975 14,765

Awards edit

Award Winner Ref.
Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year   Nick Faldo [10]

Notes edit

  1. ^ The number in brackets after each winner's name is the number of European Tour events they had won up to and including that tournament. This information is only shown for European Tour members and are inclusive of the three United States-based major championships which were included on the schedule for the first time in 1998, with earlier editions having retrospectively been recognised as official tour wins.
  2. ^ a b c Unofficial money event at the time, but retrospectively counted as an official win.

References edit

  1. ^ "Tour History". European Tour. Archived from the original on 4 April 2010. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  2. ^ Corcoran, Michael (11 May 2010). Duel in the Sun. Simon and Schuster. p. 103. ISBN 9781439141922.
  3. ^ a b Foulger, Neville (23 December 1976). "Cash boost as top players chase rising pound!". Coventry Evening Telegraph. Coventry, United Kingdom. p. 29. Retrieved 12 June 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ^ Davies, David (21 December 1976). "European golf prizes top £1m". Birmingham Daily Post. Birmingham, United Kingdom. p. 10. Retrieved 12 June 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ^ "Golf". Liverpool Echo. Liverpool, United Kingdom. 16 December 1976. p. 22. Retrieved 12 June 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ^ "No Sumrie". Reading Evening Post. Reading, United Kingdom. 20 April 1977. p. 26. Retrieved 12 June 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ "1977 Tournament schedule". European Tour. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  8. ^ a b Simms, George (1978). World of Golf 1978. Macdonald and Jane's. pp. 70–110. ISBN 0354090356. Retrieved 24 November 2023 – via Archive.org.
  9. ^ "Penningligan-77: Europa" [Money list-77: Europe]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). No. 1. January 1978. p. 17. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  10. ^ "Award for Faldo". The Daily Telegraph. London, United Kingdom. 7 October 1977. p. 32. Retrieved 21 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

External links edit