# 1997 Senior PGA Tour

The 1997 Senior PGA Tour was the 18th season of the Senior PGA Tour, the main professional golf tour in the United States for men aged 50 and over.

## Schedule

The following table lists official events during the 1997 season.
| Date | Tournament | Location | Purse (US$) | Winner | Notes |
| Jan 19 | MasterCard Championship | Hawaii | 1,000,000 | Hale Irwin (5) | |
| Feb 2 | Royal Caribbean Classic | Florida | 850,000 | Gibby Gilbert (6) | |
| Feb 9 | LG Championship | Florida | 1,000,000 | Hale Irwin (6) | |
| Feb 16 | GTE Classic | Florida | 900,000 | David Graham (1) | |
| Feb 23 | American Express Invitational | Florida | 1,200,000 | Buddy Allin (1) | |
| Mar 16 | Toshiba Senior Classic | California | 1,000,000 | Bob Murphy (11) | |
| Mar 30 | Southwestern Bell Dominion | Texas | 800,000 | David Graham (2) | |
| Apr 6 | The Tradition | Arizona | 1,200,000 | Gil Morgan (2) | Senior PGA Tour major championship |
| Apr 20 | PGA Seniors' Championship | Florida | 1,200,000 | Hale Irwin (7) | Senior major championship |
| Apr 27 | Las Vegas Senior Classic | Nevada | 1,000,000 | Hale Irwin (8) | |
| May 4 | Bruno's Memorial Classic | Alabama | 1,150,000 | Jay Sigel (3) | |
| May 11 | Home Depot Invitational | North Carolina | 900,000 | Jim Dent (11) | |
| May 18 | Cadillac NFL Golf Classic | New Jersey | 950,000 | Bruce Crampton (20) | |
| May 25 | Bell Atlantic Classic | Pennsylvania | 1,000,000 | Bob Eastwood (1) | |
| Jun 1 | Ameritech Senior Open | Illinois | 1,200,000 | Gil Morgan (3) | |
| Jun 8 | BellSouth Senior Classic | Tennessee | 1,300,000 | Gil Morgan (4) | |
| Jun 15 | du Maurier Champions | Canada | 1,100,000 | Jack Kiefer (2) | |
| Jun 22 | Nationwide Championship | Georgia | 1,300,000 | Graham Marsh (4) | |
| Jun 29 | U.S. Senior Open | Illinois | 1,300,000 | Graham Marsh (5) | Senior major championship |
| Jul 6 | Kroger Senior Classic | Ohio | 1,000,000 | Jay Sigel (4) | |
| Jul 13 | Ford Senior Players Championship | Michigan | 1,800,000 | Larry Gilbert (3) | Senior PGA Tour major championship |
| Jul 20 | Burnet Senior Classic | Minnesota | 1,350,000 | Hale Irwin (9) | |
| Jul 27 | Senior British Open | Northern Ireland | £350,000 | Gary Player (21) | Senior major championship |
| Jul 27 | Franklin Quest Championship | Utah | 1,000,000 | Dave Stockton (14) | |
| Aug 3 | BankBoston Classic | Massachusetts | 1,000,000 | Hale Irwin (10) | |
| Aug 10 | Northville Long Island Classic | New York | 1,000,000 | Dana Quigley (1) | |
| Aug 17 | First of America Classic | Michigan | 1,000,000 | Gil Morgan (5) | |
| Aug 24 | Saint Luke's Classic | Missouri | 1,000,000 | Bruce Summerhays (1) | |
| Aug 31 | Pittsburgh Senior Classic | Pennsylvania | 1,100,000 | Hugh Baiocchi (1) | |
| Sep 7 | Bank One Classic | Kentucky | 800,000 | Vicente Fernández (2) | |
| Sep 14 | Boone Valley Classic | Missouri | 1,300,000 | Hale Irwin (11) | |
| Sep 21 | Comfort Classic | Indiana | 1,050,000 | David Graham (3) | |
| Sep 28 | Emerald Coast Classic | Florida | 1,100,000 | Isao Aoki (7) | |
| Oct 5 | Vantage Championship | North Carolina | 1,500,000 | Hale Irwin (12) | |
| Oct 12 | The Transamerica | California | 800,000 | Dave Eichelberger (3) | |
| Oct 19 | Hyatt Regency Maui Kaanapali Classic | Hawaii | 850,000 | Hale Irwin (13) | |
| Oct 26 | Raley's Gold Rush Classic | California | 900,000 | Bob Eastwood (2) | |
| Nov 2 | Ralphs Senior Classic | California | 1,000,000 | Gil Morgan (6) | |
| Nov 9 | Energizer Senior Tour Championship | South Carolina | 1,850,000 | Gil Morgan (7) | Tour Championship |

### Unofficial events

The following events were sanctioned by the Senior PGA Tour, but did not carry official money, nor were wins official.
| Date | Tournament | Location | Purse ($) | Winners | Notes |
| Dec 7 | Office Depot Father/Son Challenge | Florida | 860,000 | Raymond Floyd and son Raymond Floyd Jr. | Team event |

## Money list

The money list was based on prize money won during the season, calculated in U.S. dollars.
| Position | Player | Prize money ($) |
| 1 | Hale Irwin | 2,343,364 |
| 2 | Gil Morgan | 2,160,562 |
| 3 | Isao Aoki | 1,410,499 |
| 4 | Jay Sigel | 1,294,838 |
| 5 | David Graham | 1,173,579 |

## Awards

| Award | Winner |
| Player of the Year (Jack Nicklaus Trophy) | Hale Irwin |
| Rookie of the Year | Gil Morgan |
| Scoring leader (Byron Nelson Award) | Hale Irwin |
| Comeback Player of the Year | George Archer |