1979 European Tour


The 1979 European Tour was a series of golf tournaments that comprised the Professional Golfers' Association European Tournament Players' Division run PGA European Golf Tour. It was the first time the circuit carried the European Tour name and is officially recognised as the eighth 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, and adopted the title PGA European Golf Tour for the 1979 season. Also for the first time in 1979, players from continental Europe were eligible for the Ryder Cup.
The Order of Merit was won by Scotland's Sandy Lyle.

Schedule

The table below shows the 1979 European Tour schedule which was made up of 23 tournaments counting for the Order of Merit, and some non-counting tournaments that later became known as "Approved Special Events". It included the major national opens around Europe, with the other tournaments mostly being held in England, Wales and Scotland. There were several changes from the previous season, with the addition of the Welsh Golf Classic and Lada English Golf Classic. A new team event was also planned for France, replacing the Sumrie Better-Ball, but it was not held.
DatesTournamentHost countryWinnerNotes
12–15 AprMasters TournamentUnited States Fuzzy Zoeller Major championship; non-tour event
12–15 AprPortuguese OpenPortugal Brian Barnes
19–22 AprSpanish OpenSpain Dale Hayes
26–29 AprMadrid OpenSpain Simon Hobday
3–6 MayItalian OpenItaly Brian Barnes
10–13 MayFrench OpenFrance Bernard Gallacher
17–20 MayColgate PGA ChampionshipEngland Vicente Fernández
25–28 MayMartini InternationalEngland Greg Norman
31 May – 3 JunB.A./Avis OpenJersey Sandy Lyle
7–10 JunBelgian OpenBelgium Gavan Levenson
14–17 JunU.S. OpenUnited States Hale Irwin Major championship; non-tour event
14–17 JunWelsh Golf ClassicWales Mark James New tournament
21–24 JunGreater Manchester OpenEngland Mark McNulty
28 Jun – 1 JulLada English Golf ClassicEngland Seve Ballesteros New tournament
5–8 JulScandinavian Enterprise OpenSweden Sandy Lyle
18–21 JulThe Open ChampionshipScotland Seve Ballesteros Major championship
26–29 JulDutch OpenNetherlands Graham Marsh
2–5 AugPGA ChampionshipUnited States David Graham Major championship; non-tour event
2–5 AugSun Alliance Match Play ChampionshipScotland Des Smyth
9–12 AugBenson and Hedges International OpenEngland Maurice Bembridge
16–19 AugBraun German OpenWest Germany Tony Jacklin
23–26 AugCarroll's Irish OpenRepublic of Ireland Mark James
30 Aug – 2 SepSwiss OpenSwitzerland Hugh Baiocchi
6–9 SepEuropean OpenEngland Sandy Lyle
14–16 SeptRyder CupUnited States United StatesApproved special event; team event
20–23 SepSOS Talisman TPCEngland Michael King
27–30 SepCacharel World Under-25 ChampionshipFrance Bernhard LangerApproved special event
3–6 OctDunlop MastersWales Graham Marsh
11–14 OctSuntory World Match PlayEngland Bill Rogers Approved special event
25–28 OctLancome TrophyFrance Johnny Miller 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
1Sandy Lyle49,233
2Seve Ballesteros47,411
3Mark James38,534
4Dale Hayes32,540
5Michael King29,725
6Brian Barnes28,204
7Ken Brown25,407
8Antonio Garrido24,665
9Tony Jacklin22,179
10Neil Coles21,351

Awards