1977 European Tour


The 1977 European Tour was a series of golf tournaments that comprised the Professional Golfers' Association European Tournament Players’ Division circuit. It is officially recognised as the sixth 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, with the Tournament Players’ Division reaching an agreement to join with their continental counterparts, the Continental Tournament Players' Association, in December 1976 and as a result added the word "European" to their name for the 1977 season. The title of the circuit was changed to the PGA European Golf Tour in 1979.
The Order of Merit was won by Spain's Seve Ballesteros.

Schedule

The table below shows the 1977 European Tour schedule which was made up of 22 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 the other tournaments mostly held in England and Scotland.
There were several changes from the previous season, with the addition of the Callers of Newcastle and the Tournament Players Championship, which replaced the Piccadilly Medal. Two events not counting for the Order of Merit, the Phillip Morris Nations Cup and the Sumrie Better-Ball, originally pencilled in for May, were cancelled.
DatesTournamentHost countryWinnerNotes
6–9 AprPortuguese OpenPortugal Manuel Ramos
7–10 AprMasters TournamentUnited States Tom Watson Major championship; non-tour event
13–16 AprSpanish OpenSpain Bernard Gallacher
20–23 AprMadrid OpenSpain Antonio Garrido
28 Apr – 1 MayItalian OpenItaly Ángel Gallardo
5–8 MayFrench OpenFrance Seve Ballesteros
11–14 MayBenson and Hedges International OpenEngland Antonio Garrido
18–21 MaySun Alliance Match Play ChampionshipEngland Hugh Baiocchi
25–28 MayPenfold PGA ChampionshipEngland Manuel Piñero
2–5 JunKerrygold InternationalRepublic of Ireland Liam Higgins
8–11 JunMartini InternationalEngland Greg Norman
16–19 JunU.S. OpenUnited States Hubert Green Major championship; non-tour event
16–19 JunGreater Manchester OpenEngland Eamonn Darcy
22–25 JunUniroyal International ChampionshipEngland Seve Ballesteros
29 Jun – 2 JulPhillip Morris Nations CupFranceCancelledApproved special event; team event
6–9 JulThe Open ChampionshipScotland Tom Watson Major championship
14–17 JulSwiss OpenSwitzerland Seve Ballesteros
21–24 JulScandinavian Enterprise OpenSweden Bob Byman
28–31 JulCallers of NewcastleEngland John Fourie New tournament
4–7 AugGerman OpenWest Germany Tienie Britz
11–14 AugPGA ChampionshipUnited States Lanny Wadkins Major championship; non-tour event
11–14 AugDutch OpenNetherlands Bob Byman
16–17 AugSkol Lager IndividualScotland Nick Faldo
18–20 AugDouble Diamond InternationalScotland United StatesApproved special event; team event
25–28 AugCarroll's Irish OpenRepublic of Ireland Hubert Green
7–10 SepTournament Players ChampionshipEngland Neil Coles New tournament
15–17 SeptRyder CupEngland United StatesApproved special event; team event
28 Sep – 1 OctDunlop MastersEngland Guy Hunt
5–8 OctColgate World Match Play ChampionshipEngland Graham Marsh Approved special event
13–16 OctLancome TrophyFrance Graham Marsh Approved special event

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.
PositionPlayerCountryPrize money
1Seve Ballesteros46,436
2Hugh Baiocchi32,251
3Antonio Garrido21,581
4Manuel Piñero26,569
5Bob Byman19,452
6Brian Barnes17,557
7Peter Dawson17,583
8Nick Faldo23,978
9Francisco Abreu13,294
10Ángel Gallardo14,765

Awards