The 1978 European Tour, titled as the 1978 PGA European Tournament Players' Division, was the seventh season of the European Tour, the main professional golf tour in Europe since its inaugural season in 1972.
Changes for 1978 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 Championship; 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.
Schedule The following table lists official events during the 1978 season.
DateTournamentHost countryPurse(£)WinnerNotes9 AprMasters TournamentUnited StatesUS$262,402 Gary Player (n/a)Major championship15 AprPortuguese OpenPortugal25,000 Howard Clark (1)22 AprSpanish OpenSpain30,000 Brian Barnes (5)29 AprMadrid OpenSpain20,500 Howard Clark (2)7 MayItalian OpenItaly27,700 Dale Hayes (2)15 MayFrench OpenFrance35,000 Dale Hayes (3)21 MayMartini InternationalEngland30,000 Seve Ballesteros (5)29 MayColgate PGA ChampionshipEngland50,000 Nick Faldo (2)4 JunB.A./Avis OpenJersey20,000 Brian Huggett (2)New tournament11 JunBelgian OpenBelgium25,000 Noel Ratcliffe (1)New to European Tour18 JunGreater Manchester OpenEngland20,000 Brian Barnes (6)18 JunU.S. OpenUnited StatesUS$310,200 Andy North (n/a)Major championship1 JulSun Alliance Match Play ChampionshipScotland40,000 Mark James (1)15 JulThe Open ChampionshipScotland125,000 Jack Nicklaus (n/a)Major championship23 JulDutch OpenNetherlands30,300 Bob Byman (3)30 JulBraun German OpenWest Germany30,000 Seve Ballesteros (6)6 AugScandinavian Enterprise OpenSweden35,000 Seve Ballesteros (7)6 AugPGA ChampionshipUnited StatesUS$300,000 John Mahaffey (n/a)Major championship12 AugBenson & Hedges International OpenEngland50,000 Lee Trevino (n/a)27 AugCarroll's Irish OpenIreland50,000 Ken Brown (1)3 SepSwiss OpenSwitzerland50,000 Seve Ballesteros (8)17 SepTournament Players ChampionshipEngland40,000 Brian Waites (1)7 OctDunlop MastersWales40,000 Tommy Horton (4)22 OctEuropean Open ChampionshipEngland105,000 Bobby Wadkins (n/a)New tournament
Unofficial events The following events were sanctioned by the European Tour, but did not carry official money, nor were wins official.
DateTournamentHost countryPurse(£)Winner(s)Notes24 JunSumrie-Bournemouth Better-BallEngland20,000 Eamonn Darcy and Christy O'Connor JnrTeam event10 SepDonald Swaelens Memorial TournamentBelgiumn/a Nick FaldoLimited-field event23 SepHennessy Cognac CupFrancen/a Team GB&ITeam event15 OctCacharel World Under-25 ChampionshipFrancen/a Jim Nelford15 OctColgate World Match Play ChampionshipEngland130,000 Isao AokiLimited-field event22 OctTrophée LancômeFrance50,000 Lee TrevinoLimited-field event3 DecWorld CupUnited Statesn/a John Mahaffey and Andy NorthTeam eventWorld Cup Individual Trophy John Mahaffey
Order of Merit The Order of Merit was based on tournament results during the season, calculated using a points-based system.
Position Player Points Prize money (£)1 Seve Ballesteros 47,178 54,3482 Dale Hayes 30,205 43,8913 Nick Faldo 28,496 37,9124 Ken Brown 24,929 29,8435 Howard Clark 24,474 32,7396 Neil Coles 23,151 30,3487 Mark James 19,020 27,8618 Brian Barnes 18,105 23,3869 Bernard Gallacher 17,715 21,81210 Tommy Horton 16,265 18,007
Awards AwardWinner Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Sandy Lyle
Notes
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