# 1981 European Tour

The 1981 European Tour, titled as the 1981 PGA European Golf Tour, was the 10th season of the European Tour, the main professional golf tour in Europe since its inaugural season in 1972.

## Changes for 1981

The season was made up of 22 tournaments counting for the Official money list, and some non-counting tournaments later known as "Approved Special Events".
There were several changes from the previous season, with the addition of the Lawrence Batley International, and the loss of the Newcastle Brown "900" Open and the Merseyside International Open.

### Rule changes

The local rule that had been introduced on the tour in 1976 which allowed spike marks to be repaired was rescinded, and a local rule that prohibited touching of the line of a putt with a club was introduced.

## Schedule

The following table lists official events during the 1981 season.
| Date | Tournament | Host country | Purse (£) | Winner | Notes |
| 12 Apr | Masters Tournament | United States | US$365,000 | Tom Watson (5) | Major championship |
| 26 Apr | Madrid Open | Spain | 37,500 | Manuel Piñero (5) | |
| 3 May | Italian Open | Italy | 45,000 | José María Cañizares (4) | |
| 10 May | Paco Rabanne Open de France | France | 37,500 | Sandy Lyle (5) | |
| 17 May | Martini International | England | 65,000 | Greg Norman (5) | |
| 25 May | Sun Alliance PGA Championship | England | 70,000 | Nick Faldo (4) | |
| 31 May | Dunlop Masters | England | 75,000 | Greg Norman (6) | |
| 7 Jun | Lawrence Batley International | England | 60,000 | Sandy Lyle (6) | New tournament |
| 14 Jun | Cold Shield Greater Manchester Open | England | 40,000 | Bernard Gallacher (7) | |
| 21 Jun | Billy Butlin Jersey Open | Jersey | 45,000 | Tony Jacklin (7) | |
| 21 Jun | U.S. Open | United States | US$360,000 | David Graham (n/a) | Major championship |
| 28 Jun | Coral Classic | Wales | 40,000 | Des Smyth (4) | |
| 5 Jul | Scandinavian Enterprise Open | Sweden | 50,000 | Seve Ballesteros (15) | |
| 11 Jul | State Express Classic | England | 65,000 | Rodger Davis (1) | |
| 19 Jul | The Open Championship | England | 200,000 | Bill Rogers (n/a) | Major championship |
| 26 Jul | KLM Dutch Open | Netherlands | 40,000 | Harold Henning (1) | |
| 2 Aug | German Open | West Germany | 40,000 | Bernhard Langer (2) | |
| 9 Aug | PGA Championship | United States | US$400,000 | Larry Nelson (n/a) | Major championship |
| 16 Aug | Carroll's Irish Open | Ireland | 80,000 | Sam Torrance (3) | |
| 23 Aug | Benson & Hedges International Open | England | 90,000 | Tom Weiskopf (1) | |
| 30 Aug | Swiss Open | Switzerland | 55,000 | Manuel Piñero (6) | |
| 6 Sep | Dixcel Tissues European Open | England | 105,000 | Graham Marsh (8) | |
| 13 Sep | Haig Whisky TPC | Scotland | 60,000 | Brian Barnes (9) | |
| 27 Sep | Bob Hope British Classic | England | 90,000 | Bernhard Langer (3) | Pro-Am |
| 4 Oct | Benson & Hedges Spanish Open | Spain | 50,000 | Seve Ballesteros (16) | |

### 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 Sep | Ryder Cup | England | n/a | Team USA | Team event |
| 11 Oct | Suntory World Match Play Championship | England | 100,000 | Seve Ballesteros | Limited-field event |
| 18 Oct | Trophée Lancôme | France | 45,000 | David Graham | |
| 25 Oct | Cacharel World Under-25 Championship | France | n/a | Tim Simpson | |

## Official money list

The official money list was based on prize money won during the season, calculated in Pound sterling.
| Position | Player | Prize money (£) |
| 1 | Bernhard Langer | 81,036 |
| 2 | Nick Faldo | 48,108 |
| 3 | Sandy Lyle | 44,732 |
| 4 | Greg Norman | 44,254 |
| 5 | Manuel Piñero | 39,640 |
| 6 | Sam Torrance | 36,012 |
| 7 | Seve Ballesteros | 35,154 |
| 8 | Des Smyth | 29,105 |
| 9 | Eamonn Darcy | 25,805 |
| 10 | José María Cañizares | 25,529 |

## Awards

| Award | Winner | Ref. |
| Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year | Jeremy Bennett | |