1973 European Tour
The 1973 European Tour was a series of golf tournaments that comprised the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) tournament circuit. It is officially recognised as the second season of the PGA European Tour.
| Duration | 28 March 1972 – 13 October 1972 |
|---|---|
| Number of official events | 21 |
| Most wins | 3 – Peter Oosterhuis |
| Order of Merit | Peter Oosterhuis |
| Leading money winner | Tony Jacklin |
| Sir Henry Cotton rookie of the year | Pip Elson |
← 1972 1974 → | |
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, adopting the name PGA European Golf Tour in 1979.[1]
The Order of Merit was won by England's Peter Oosterhuis.
Schedule
The table below shows the 1973 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 other tournaments mostly held in England, Scotland and Wales.[2]
There were three changes from the previous season, with the addition of the Portuguese Open and the Scandinavian Enterprise Open, and the loss of the John Player Trophy.[3]
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- The numbers in parentheses after the winners' names show the number of official career wins they had on the European Tour up to and including that event. Totals are only shown for members of the European Tour and are inclusive of the three United States-based major championships since, although not official tour events at the time, they have been recognised as such retrospecively. Victories in tournaments later designated as "Approved Special Events", along with other events not counting towards the Order of Merit, are not recognised as official tour wins.
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.[4]
| Position | Player | Country | Points | Prize money (£) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Oosterhuis |  England | 3,440.42 | 17,455 |
| 2 | Maurice Bembridge | England | 2,980.14 | 10,773 |
| 3 | Hugh Baiocchi | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} South Africa | 2,904.35 | 11,870 |
| 4 | Dale Hayes | South Africa | 2,736.07 | 10,188 |
| 5 | Brian Barnes |  Scotland | 2,675.62 | 9,778 |
| 6 | Eddie Polland |  Northern Ireland | 2,635.25 | 8,146 |
| 7 | Tony Jacklin | England | 24,840 | |
| 8 | Bernard Gallacher | Scotland | 8,676 | |
| 9 | Neil Coles | England | 14,748 | |
| 10 | Jack Newton | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Australia | 7,939 |
Awards
| Award | Winner | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year | Pip Elson | England |
References
- "Tour History". PGA European Tour. Archived from the original on 4 April 2010.
- "£½m. to be won on PGA circuit". Glasgow Herald. 19 January 1973. p. 4. Retrieved 15 June 2020 – via Google News Archive.
- Rodney, Bob (26 January 1973). "Top two for Player Classic". Daily Mirror. p. 27. Retrieved 15 June 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "Oosty ahead of Bembridge". Birmingham Daily Post. 13 October 1973. p. 21. Retrieved 15 June 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.