# 1972 European Tour

The 1972 European Tour, titled as the 1972 PGA European Tour, was the inaugural season of the European Tour, the main professional golf tour in Europe.

## Changes for 1972

There were several changes from the previous year's British PGA circuit schedule, with the inclusion of the Madrid Open, the Dutch Open and the Lancia d'Oro tournament; they joined the five national opens in continental Europe that were included in 1971. Also added were the John Player Trophy and the Sunbeam Electric Scottish Open, as well as the returning John Player Classic and Sumrie Better-Ball tournaments; lost from the calendar were the Agfa-Gevaert Tournament, the Classic International, the Daks Tournament and the Gallaher Ulster Open.
According to the United Press International, the circuit exceeded $1,000,000 in total prize money for the first time.

## Schedule

The following table lists official events during the 1972 season.
| Date | Tournament | Host country | Purse (£) | Winner | Notes |
| 9 Apr | Masters Tournament | United States | US$204,649 | Jack Nicklaus (n/a) | Major championship |
| 15 Apr | Spanish Open | Spain | 10,060 | Antonio Garrido (1) | |
| 22 Apr | Madrid Open | Spain | 10,060 | Jimmy Kinsella (1) | |
| 27 Apr | Piccadilly Medal | England | 12,000 | Tommy Horton (1) | |
| 13 May | Penfold-Bournemouth Tournament | England | 8,000 | Peter Oosterhuis (1) | |
| 27 May | John Player Trophy | England | 8,000 | Ross Whitehead (1) | |
| 10 Jun | Martini International | England | 8,000 | Brian Barnes (1) | |
| 20 Jun | U.S. Open | United States | US$200,000 | Jack Nicklaus (n/a) | Major championship |
| 25 Jun | Carroll's International | Ireland | 15,000 | Christy O'Connor Snr (1) | |
| 1 Jul | Sunbeam Electric Scottish Open | Scotland | 10,000 | Neil Coles (1) | |
| 15 Jul | The Open Championship | Scotland | 50,000 | Lee Trevino (n/a) | Major championship |
| 23 Jul | French Open | France | 11,020 | Barry Jaeckel (1) | |
| 30 Jul | Swiss Open | Switzerland | 10,240 | Graham Marsh (1) | |
| 6 Aug | German Open | West Germany | 11,600 | Graham Marsh (2) | |
| 6 Aug | PGA Championship | United States | US$225,000 | Gary Player (n/a) | Major championship |
| 13 Aug | Dutch Open | Netherlands | 10,700 | Jack Newton (1) | |
| 19 Aug | Benson & Hedges Festival of Golf | England | 15,000 | Jack Newton (2) | |
| 26 Aug | Viyella PGA Championship | England | 15,000 | Tony Jacklin (1) | |
| 16 Sep | Benson & Hedges Match Play Championship | England | 20,000 | John Garner (1) | |
| 23 Sep | W.D. & H.O. Wills Tournament | Scotland | 15,000 | Peter Thomson (1) | |
| 30 Sep | John Player Classic | Scotland | 56,550 | Bob Charles (1) | |
| 7 Oct | Dunlop Masters | England | 15,000 | Bob Charles (2) | |
| 15 Oct | Italian Open | Italy | 15,000 | Norman Wood (1) | |
| 22 Oct | Lancia d'Oro | Italy | 10,700 | José María Cañizares (1) | |

### Unofficial events

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 |
| 20 May | Sumrie Better-Ball | England | 8,000 | Malcolm Gregson and Brian Huggett | Team event |
| 3 Jun | Coca-Cola Young Professionals' Championship | England | 4,000 | Peter Oosterhuis | |
| 2 Sep | Double Diamond International | England | 15,000 | Team England | Team event |
| 8 Sep | Lord Derby's Under-25 Match Play Championship | England | 2,255 | Sam Torrance | |
| 14 Oct | Piccadilly World Match Play Championship | England | 25,000 | Tom Weiskopf | Limited-field event |
| 12 Nov | World Cup | Australia | US$2,000 | Hsieh Min-Nan and Lu Liang-Huan | Team event |
| 12 Nov | World Cup Individual Trophy | Australia | US$1,000 | Hsieh Min-Nan | |

## Order of Merit

The Order of Merit was based on tournament results during the season, calculated using a points-based system.
| Position | Player | Points | Prize money (£) |
| 1 | Peter Oosterhuis | 1,751 | 18,525 |
| 2 | Guy Hunt | 1,710 | 9,809 |
| 3 | Brian Huggett | 1,702 | 10,167 |
| 4 | Peter Townsend | 1,640 | 8,592 |
| 5 | Jack Newton | 1,637 | 8,899 |
| 6 | John Garner | 1,616 | 8,006 |
| 7 | Peter Butler | 1,614 | 8,376 |
| 8 | Brian Barnes | 1,603 | 9,104 |
| 9 | Neil Coles | 1,597 | 8,629 |
| 10 | Clive Clark | 1,575 | 5,831 |

## Awards

| Award | Winner | Ref. |
| Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year | Sam Torrance | |