1980 European Tour


The 1980 European Tour was the ninth official season of golf tournaments known as the PGA European Tour and organised by the Professional Golfers' Association.
The Order of Merit was won by Scotland's Sandy Lyle.

Schedule

The table below shows the 1980 European Tour schedule which was made up of 23 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 Newcastle Brown "900" Open, the Merseyside International Open and the Bob Hope British Classic; and the loss of the British PGA Matchplay Championship, the Portuguese Open and the Belgian Open.
DatesTournamentHost countryWinnerNotes
10–13 AprMasters TournamentUnited States Seve Ballesteros Major championship; non-tour event
17–20 AprItalian OpenItaly Massimo Mannelli
24–27 AprMadrid OpenSpain Seve Ballesteros
1–4 MayBenson and Hedges Spanish OpenSpain Eddie Polland
8–11 MayPaco Rabanne Open de FranceFrance Greg Norman
15–18 MayMartini InternationalEngland Seve Ballesteros
23–26 MaySun Alliance PGA ChampionshipEngland Nick Faldo
29 May – 1 JunAvis Jersey OpenJersey José Maria Cañizares
5–8 JunNewcastle Brown "900" OpenEngland Des Smyth New tournament
12–15 JunU.S. OpenUnited States Jack Nicklaus Major championship; non-tour event
19–22 JunCold Shield Greater Manchester OpenEngland Des Smyth
26–29 JunCoral Welsh ClassicWales Sandy Lyle
3–6 JulScandinavian Enterprise OpenSweden Greg Norman
9–12 JulMazda Cars English ClassicEngland Manuel Piñero
17–20 JulThe Open ChampionshipScotland Tom Watson Major championship
24–27 JulDutch OpenNetherlands Seve Ballesteros
7–10 AugPGA ChampionshipUnited States Jack Nicklaus Major championship; non-tour event
7–10 AugBenson and Hedges International OpenEngland Graham Marsh
14–17 AugCarroll's Irish OpenRepublic of Ireland Mark James
21–24 AugBraun German OpenWest Germany Mark McNulty
28–31 AugSwiss OpenSwitzerland Nick Price
4–7 SepEuropean OpenEngland Tom Kite
11–14 SepHennessy Cognac CupEngland Great Britain and IrelandApproved special event; team event
11–13 SepMerseyside International OpenEngland Ian Mosey New tournament; alternate to the Hennessy Cognac Cup
18–21 SepHaig Whisky TPCEngland Bernard Gallacher
25–28 SepBob Hope British ClassicEngland José Maria Cañizares New tournament
1–4 OctDunlop MastersWales Bernhard Langer
9–12 OctSuntory World Match PlayEngland Greg Norman Approved special event
16–19 OctTrophée LancômeFrance Lee Trevino Approved special event
23–26 OctCacharel World Under-25 ChampionshipFrance Jack Renner Approved special event

Official Money List

In 1980, the PGA European Tour's money list was retitled as the "Official Money List" having previously been 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.
PositionPlayerCountryPrize money
1Sandy Lyle66,060
2Greg Norman74,829
3Seve Ballesteros52,090
4Nick Faldo46,054
5Brian Barnes38,598
6Mark James33,907
7José Maria Cañizares35,534
8Ken Brown33,220
9Bernhard Langer32,395
10Des Smyth31,521

Awards