# 1981 LPGA Tour

The 1981 LPGA Tour was the 32nd season since the LPGA Tour officially began in 1950. The season ran from January 29 to November 8. The season consisted of 36 official money events. Donna Caponi won the most tournaments, five. Beth Daniel led the money list with earnings of $206,998, becoming the first player to win over $200,000 in a season.
The season saw the first tournament with a $50,000 first prize, the World Championship of Women's Golf. There were five first-time winners in 1981: Patty Hayes, Kathy Hite, Cathy Reynolds, Patty Sheehan, and Beth Solomon.
The tournament results and award winners are listed below.

## Tournament results

The following table shows all the official money events for the 1981 season. "Date" is the ending date of the tournament. The numbers in parentheses after the winners' names are the number of wins they had on the tour up to and including that event. Majors are shown in bold.
| Date | Tournament | Location | Winner | Score | Purse ($) | 1st prize ($) |
| Feb 1 | Whirlpool Championship of Deer Creek | Florida | Sandra Palmer (17) | 284 (−8) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Feb 8 | Elizabeth Arden Classic | Florida | Sally Little (8) | 283 (−5) | 125,000 | 18,750 |
| Feb 15 | S&H Golf Classic | Florida | JoAnne Carner (30) | 215 (−1) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Feb 22 | Bent Tree Ladies Classic | Florida | Amy Alcott (14) | 276 (−12) | 150,000 | 22,500 |
| Mar 1 | Olympia Gold Classic | California | Sally Little (9) | 142 (−4)^ | 150,000 | 22,500 |
| Mar 8 | Arizona Copper Classic | Arizona | Nancy Lopez (21) | 278 (−14) | 125,000 | 18,750 |
| Mar 15 | Sun City Classic | Arizona | Patty Hayes (1) | 277 (−15) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Mar 22 | LPGA Desert Inn Pro-Am | Nevada | Donna Caponi (20) | 286 (−3) | 200,000 | 30,000 |
| Mar 29 | Women's Kemper Open | California | Pat Bradley (8) | 284 (E) | 175,000 | 26,250 |
| Apr 5 | Colgate-Dinah Shore | California | Nancy Lopez (22) | 277 (−11) | 250,000 | 37,500 |
| Apr 12 | American Defender/WRAL Golf Classic | North Carolina | Donna Caponi (21) | 208 (−8) | 125,000 | 18,750 |
| Apr 19 | Florida Lady Citrus | Florida | Beth Daniel (6) | 281 (−7) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| Apr 26 | Birmingham Classic | Alabama | Beth Solomon (1) | 206 (−10) | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| May 3 | CPC Women's International | South Carolina | Sally Little (10) | 287 (−1) | 125,000 | 18,750 |
| May 10 | Lady Michelob | Georgia | Amy Alcott (15) | 209 (−8) | 125,000 | 18,750 |
| May 17 | Coca-Cola Classic | New Jersey | Kathy Whitworth (81) | 211 (−8) | 125,000 | 18,750 |
| May 24 | Corning Classic | New York | Kathy Hite (1) | 282 (−6) | 125,000 | 18,750 |
| May 31 | Golden Lights Championship | Connecticut | Cathy Reynolds (1) | 285 (−3) | 125,000 | 18,750 |
| Jun 7 | McDonald's Classic | Pennsylvania | Sandra Post (8) | 282 (−6) | 150,000 | 22,500 |
| Jun 14 | LPGA Championship | Ohio | Donna Caponi (22) | 280 (−8) | 150,000 | 22,500 |
| Jun 21 | Lady Keystone Open | Pennsylvania | JoAnne Carner (31) | 203 (−13) | 125,000 | 18,750 |
| Jun 28 | The Sarah Coventry | New York | Nancy Lopez (23) | 285 (−7) | 125,000 | 18,750 |
| Jul 5 | Peter Jackson Classic | Canada | Jan Stephenson (5) | 278 (−10) | 200,000 | 30,000 |
| Jul 12 | Mayflower Classic | Indiana | Debbie Austin (7) | 279 (−9) | 150,000 | 22,500 |
| Jul 19 | WUI Classic | New York | Donna Caponi (23) | 282 (−2) | 125,000 | 18,750 |
| Jul 26 | U.S. Women's Open | Illinois | Pat Bradley (9) | 279 (−9) | 150,000 | 22,000 |
| Aug 2 | Boston Five Classic | Massachusetts | Donna Caponi (24) | 276 (−12) | 150,000 | 22,500 |
| Aug 9 | West Virginia Bank Classic | West Virginia | Hollis Stacy (8) | 212 (−4) | 125,000 | 18,750 |
| Aug 16 | Mary Kay Classic | Texas | Jan Stephenson (6) | 198 (−18) | 155,000 | 23,250 |
| Aug 23 | World Championship of Women's Golf | Ohio | Beth Daniel (7) | 284 (−4) | 150,000 | 50,000 |
| Aug 30 | Columbia Savings LPGA Classic | Colorado | JoAnne Carner (32) | 278 (−10) | 150,000 | 22,500 |
| Sep 7 | Rail Charity Golf Classic | Illinois | JoAnne Carner (33) | 205 (−11) | 125,000 | 18,750 |
| Sep 13 | United Virginia Bank Classic | Virginia | Jan Stephenson (7) | 205 (−14) | 125,000 | 18,750 |
| Sep 20 | Henredon Classic | North Carolina | Sandra Haynie (40) | 281 (−7) | 165,000 | 24,750 |
| Oct 11 | Inamori Classic | California | Hollis Stacy (9) | 286 (−6) | 150,000 | 22,500 |
| Nov 8 | Mazda Japan Classic | Japan | Patty Sheehan (1) | 213 (−9) | 250,000 | 30,000 |
^ - weather-shortened tournament

## Awards

| Award | Winner | Country |
| Money winner | Beth Daniel (2) | United States |
| Scoring leader (Vare Trophy) | JoAnne Carner (3) | United States |
| Player of the Year | JoAnne Carner (2) | United States |
| Rookie of the Year | Patty Sheehan | United States |