1985 European Tour


The 1985 European Tour was the 14th official season of golf tournaments known as the PGA European Tour.
The Order of Merit was won by Scotland's Sandy Lyle, who won twice during the season including his first major, The Open Championship. Spain's Seve Ballesteros finished third on the money list despite recording four official tournament wins, including the French and Spanish Opens.

Rule changes

In 1985, the European Tour became "All-Exempt", meaning that for the first time tournaments did not have their own pre-qualifying rounds. The final two rounds of all major tournaments were played as two-balls, having previously been three-balls.

Schedule

The table below shows the 1985 European Tour schedule which was made up of 26 tournaments counting for the Order of Merit, and some non-counting "Approved Special Events". There were several changes from the previous season, with the GSI L'Equipe Open replacing the Timex Open; the return of the British Masters and the Bob Hope Classic, which was rebranded as the Four Stars National Pro-Celebrity; and the loss of the Tournament Players Championship and the Celtic International.
In addition, the Dunhill Cup, a new team event devised by Mark McCormack and held over the Old Course at St Andrews, was added to the schedule but did not count towards the Order of Merit; with a prize fund of US$1.2 million it was the richest tournament in the world, surpassing the Million Dollar Challenge in South Africa.
DatesTournamentHost countryWinnerNotes
11–14 AprMasters TournamentUnited States Bernhard Langer Major championship; non-tour event
18–21 AprTunisian OpenTunisia Stephen Bennett
25–28 AprCepsa Madrid OpenSpain Manuel Piñero
2–5 MayItalian OpenItaly Manuel Piñero
9–12 MayCar Care Plan InternationalEngland David J Russell
16–19 MayGSI L'Equipe OpenFrance Mark James New tournament
24–27 MayWhyte & Mackay PGA ChampionshipEngland Paul Way
30 May – 2 JunFour Stars National Pro-CelebrityEngland Ken Brown
7–10 JunDunhill British MastersEngland Lee Trevino
13–16 JunU.S. OpenUnited States Andy North Major championship; non-tour event
13–16 JunJersey OpenJersey Howard Clark
20–23 JunCarroll's Irish OpenRepublic of Ireland Seve Ballesteros
28–30 JunJohnnie Walker Monte Carlo OpenMonaco Sam Torrance
4–7 JulPeugeot Open de FranceFrance Seve Ballesteros
11–13 JulLawrence Batley International Golf ClassicEngland Graham Marsh
18–21 JulThe Open ChampionshipEngland Sandy Lyle Major championship
25–28 JulKLM Dutch OpenNetherlands Graham Marsh
1–4 AugScandinavian Enterprise OpenSweden Ian Baker-Finch
8–11 AugPGA ChampionshipUnited States Hubert Green Major championship; non-tour event
8–11 AugGlasgow OpenScotland Howard Clark
15–18 AugBenson and Hedges International OpenEngland Sandy Lyle
22–25 AugLufthansa German OpenWest Germany Bernhard Langer
29 Aug – 1 SepPanasonic European OpenEngland Bernhard Langer
5–8 SepEbel European Masters Swiss OpenSwitzerland Craig Stadler
13–15 SeptRyder CupEngland EuropeApproved special event; team event
19–22 SepSanyo OpenSpain Seve Ballesteros
26–29 SepSuntory World Match PlayEngland Seve Ballesteros Approved special event
3–6 OctLancome TrophyFrance Nick Price
10–13 OctCompagnie de Chauffe Cannes OpenFrance Robert Lee
17–20 OctDunhill CupScotland AustraliaNew tournament; approved special event; team event
24–27 OctBenson and Hedges Spanish OpenSpain Seve Ballesteros
30 Oct – 2 NovPortuguese OpenPortugal Warren Humphreys

Order of Merit

The PGA European Tour's money list was known as the "Order of Merit". It was based on prize money earned during the season and calculated in Pound sterling.
PositionPlayerCountryPrize money
1Sandy Lyle162,553
2Bernhard Langer115,716
3Seve Ballesteros103,042
4Ian Woosnam82,235
5Sam Torrance79,567
6Howard Clark79,386
7Manuel Piñero71,116
8José Maria Cañizares65,633
9Gordon Brand, Jnr65,571
10Paul Way63,097

Awards