1978 European Tour


The 1978 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 seventh 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 title of the circuit being changed to PGA European Golf Tour in 1979.
The Order of Merit was won by Spain's Seve Ballesteros.

Schedule

The table below shows the 1978 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 the other tournaments mostly held in England, Wales and Scotland.
There were several changes from the previous season, with the addition of the Belgian Open, the B.A./Avis Open in Jersey, and the European Open; the return of the Sumrie Better-Ball; and the loss of the Uniroyal International Championship, the Callers of Newcastle, and the Double Diamond team and individual events. In addition, the Kerrygold International was omitted from the schedule in 1978 due to the World Cup being held at Waterville. The Lancome Trophy, which clashed with the new European Open, was also missing.
DatesTournamentHost countryWinnerNotes
6–9 AprMasters TournamentUnited States Gary Player Major championship; non-tour event
12–15 AprPortuguese OpenPortugal Howard Clark
19–22 AprSpanish OpenSpain Brian Barnes
26–29 AprMadrid OpenSpain Howard Clark
4–7 MayItalian OpenItaly Dale Hayes
12–15 MayFrench OpenFrance Dale Hayes
18–21 MayMartini InternationalEngland Seve Ballesteros
26–29 MayColgate PGA ChampionshipEngland Nick Faldo
1–4 JunB.A./Avis OpenJersey Brian Huggett New tournament
8–11 JunBelgian OpenBelgium Noel Ratcliffe New tournament
15–18 JunU.S. OpenUnited States Andy North Major championship; non-tour event
15–18 JunGreater Manchester OpenEngland Brian Barnes
21–24 JunSumrie-Bournemouth Better-BallEngland Eamonn Darcy &
Christy O'Connor Jnr 		Pairs event, non-counting for the Order of Merit
28 Jun – 1 JulSun Alliance Match Play ChampionshipScotland Mark James
12–15 JulThe Open ChampionshipScotland Jack Nicklaus Major championship
21–23 JulDutch OpenNetherlands Bob Byman
27–30 JulBraun German OpenWest Germany Seve Ballesteros
3–6 AugPGA ChampionshipUnited States John Mahaffey Major championship; non-tour event
3–6 AugScandinavian Enterprise OpenSweden Seve Ballesteros
9–12 AugBenson and Hedges International OpenEngland Lee Trevino
24–27 AugCarroll's Irish OpenRepublic of Ireland Ken Brown
31 Aug – 3 SepSwiss OpenSwitzerland Seve Ballesteros
14–17 SepTournament Players ChampionshipEngland Brian Waites
21–23 SepHennessy Cognac CupFrance Great Britain and IrelandApproved special event; team event
4–7 OctDunlop MastersWales Tommy Horton
12–15 OctColgate World Match Play ChampionshipEngland Isao Aoki Approved special event
12–15 OctCacharel World Under-25 ChampionshipFrance Jim Nelford Approved special event
19–22 OctEuropean OpenEngland Bobby Wadkins New tournament

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
1Seve Ballesteros47,17754,348
2Dale Hayes30,20443,891
3Nick Faldo28,49537,912
4Ken Brown24,92929,843
5Howard Clark24,47332,739
6Neil Coles23,15030,348
7Mark James19,02027,861
8Brian Barnes18,10523,386
9Bernard Gallacher17,71421,812
10Tommy Horton16,26418,007

Awards