1974 European Tour


The 1974 European Tour was a series of golf tournaments that comprised the Professional Golfers' Association tournament circuit. It is officially recognised as the third season of the PGA European Tour.
Historically, the PGA's Order of Merit only included tournaments in Great Britain and Ireland, but in 1970 events in continental Europe were included for the first time. The circuit and organisation evolved further over the following years, adopting the name PGA European Golf Tour in 1979.
The Order of Merit was won by England's Peter Oosterhuis.

Schedule

The table below shows the 1974 European Tour schedule which was made up of 21 tournaments counting for the Order of Merit, and some non-counting tournaments that later became known as "Approved Special Events". The schedule included the major national opens around Europe, with other tournaments mostly held in England, Scotland and Wales.
There were several changes from the previous season, with the addition of the Double Diamond Strokeplay, the El Paraiso Open and the non-counting Ibergolf Trophy to conclude the season; and the loss of the Scottish Open. The John Player Classic was scheduled for late September, but ultimately cancelled due to a clash of dates with the PGA Tour's Kaiser International Open Invitational.
DatesTournamentHost countryWinnerNotes
10–13 AprPortuguese OpenPortugal Brian Huggett
11–14 AprMasters TournamentUnited States Gary Player Major championship; non-tour event
17–20 AprSpanish OpenSpain Jerry Heard
24–27 AprMadrid OpenSpain Manuel Piñero
2–5 MayFrench OpenFrance Peter Oosterhuis
8–11 MayPenfold TournamentEngland Tommy Horton
15–18 MaySumrie-Bournemouth Better-BallEngland Clive Clark &
Peter Butler 		Pairs event; not counting for the Order of Merit
22 25 MayPiccadilly MedalEngland Maurice Bembridge
5–8 JunMartini InternationalEngland Stewart Ginn
13–15 JunCoca-Cola Young Professionals' ChampionshipEngland Dale Hayes Approved special event
13–16 JunU.S. OpenUnited States Hale Irwin Major championship; non-tour event
20–23 JunCarroll's InternationalRepublic of Ireland Bernard Gallacher
10–13 JulThe Open ChampionshipEngland Gary Player Major championship
18–21 JulScandinavian Enterprise OpenSweden Tony Jacklin
24–27 JulSwiss OpenSwitzerland Bob Charles
1–4 AugGerman OpenWest Germany Simon Owen
6–8 AugLord Derby's Young Professionals' TournamentEngland Richard Jewell Approved special event
8–11 AugPGA ChampionshipUnited States Lee Trevino Major championship; non-tour event
8–11 AugDutch OpenNetherlands Brian Barnes
14–17 AugBenson & Hedges FestivalEngland Philippe Toussaint
20–21 AugDouble Diamond StrokeplayScotland Maurice Bembridge New tournament
22–24 AugDouble Diamond InternationalScotland EnglandApproved special event; team event
28–31 AugViyella PGA ChampionshipEngland Maurice Bembridge
12–15 SepBenson & Hedges Match Play ChampionshipScotland Jack Newton
18–21 SepW.D. & H.O. Wills TournamentEngland Neil Coles
25–28 SepJohn Player ClassicEnglandCancelled
2–5 OctDunlop MastersWales Bernard Gallacher
10–12 OctPiccadilly World Match PlayEngland Hale Irwin Approved special event
17–20 OctItalian OpenItaly Peter Oosterhuis
23–26 OctEl Paraiso OpenSpain Peter Oosterhuis
1–3 NovSotogrande MatchSpain Great Britain and IrelandNew tournament; approved special event; team event
8–10 NovIbergolf TrophySpain Gary Player New tournament; not counting for the Order of Merit

Order of Merit

The PGA European Tour's money list was known as the "Order of Merit". It was based on a points system, which meant that some players could finish lower than others despite accumulating more prize money.
PositionPlayerCountryPointsPrize money
1Peter Oosterhuis2,964.9932,127
2Dale Hayes2,378.8318,396
3Bernard Gallacher2,148.4018,515
4Brian Barnes2,110.5014,380
5Neil Coles2,079.8513,961
6Vicente Fernández2,061.167,819
7Tony Jacklin2,032.5019,547
8Brian Huggett2,031.9312,373
9Peter Townsend1,979.6215,828
10Tommy Horton1,902.3611,343

Awards