1972 European Tour
| Duration | 6 April 1972 – 22 October 1972 |
|---|---|
| Number of official events | 20 |
| Most wins |  Bob Charles (2)[a] Graham Marsh (2) Jack Newton (2) |
| Order of Merit |  Peter Oosterhuis |
| Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year |  Sam Torrance |
1973 → | |
The 1972 European Tour, titled as the 1972 PGA European Tour,[1] was the inaugural season of the European Tour, the main professional golf tour in Europe.
Changes for 1972
There were several changes from the previous year's British PGA circuit schedule, with the inclusion of the Madrid Open, the Dutch Open and the Lancia d'Oro tournament; they joined the five national opens in continental Europe that were included in 1971.[2] Also added were the John Player Trophy and the Sunbeam Electric Scottish Open, as well as the returning John Player Classic and Sumrie Better-Ball tournaments;[3] lost from the calendar were the Agfa-Gevaert Tournament, the Classic International, the Daks Tournament and the Gallaher Ulster Open.[4]
According to the United Press International, the circuit exceeded $1,000,000 in total prize money for the first time.[5]
Schedule
The following table lists official events during the 1972 season.[6][7][4]
Unofficial events
The following events were sanctioned by the European Tour, but did not carry official money, nor were wins official.
| Date | Tournament | Host country | Purse (£) |
Winner(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 May | Sumrie Better-Ball | England | 8,000 | Malcolm Gregson and Brian Huggett
|
Team event |
| 3 Jun | Coca-Cola Young Professionals' Championship | England | 4,000 | Peter Oosterhuis
|
|
| 2 Sep | Double Diamond International | England | 15,000 | Team England
|
Team event |
| 8 Sep | Lord Derby's Under-25 Match Play Championship | England | 2,255 | Sam Torrance
|
|
| 14 Oct | Piccadilly World Match Play Championship | England | 25,000 |  Tom Weiskopf
|
Limited-field event |
| 12 Nov | World Cup | Australia | US$2,000 |  Hsieh Min-Nan and Lu Liang-Huan
|
Team event |
| World Cup Individual Trophy | US$1,000 | Hsieh Min-Nan
|
Order of Merit
The Order of Merit was based on tournament results during the season, calculated using a points-based system.[7][8][9]
| Position | Player | Points | Prize money (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Oosterhuis |
1,751 | 18,525 |
| 2 | Guy Hunt |
1,710 | 9,809 |
| 3 | Brian Huggett |
1,702 | 10,167 |
| 4 | Peter Townsend |
1,640 | 8,592 |
| 5 | Jack Newton |
1,637 | 8,899 |
| 6 | John Garner |
1,616 | 8,006 |
| 7 | Peter Butler |
1,614 | 8,376 |
| 8 | Brian Barnes |
1,603 | 9,104 |
| 9 | Neil Coles |
1,597 | 8,629 |
| 10 | Clive Clark |
1,575 | 5,831 |
Awards
| Award | Winner | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year | Sam Torrance |
[10] |
Notes
- ^ Jack Nicklaus also won two events, but was not a European Tour member.
- ^ The number in brackets after each winner's name is the number of European Tour events they had won up to and including that tournament. This information is only shown for European Tour members and are inclusive of the three United States-based major championships which were included on the schedule for the first time in 1998, with earlier editions having retrospectively been recognised as official tour wins.
- ^ a b c Unofficial money event at the time, but retrospectively counted as an official win.
References
- ^ "Tour History". European Tour. Archived from the original on 4 April 2010. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
- ^ "Extra £32,000 at stake for Britons". The Times. 7 December 1971. p. 10. Retrieved 24 February 2020 – via The Times Digital Archive.
- ^ Dunn, Alan (23 February 1972). "New season enlivened". The Guardian. London, United Kingdom. p. 22. Retrieved 15 June 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Nearly £500,000 prize-money in British season". Glasgow Herald. 5 January 1972. p. 4. Retrieved 15 June 2020 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ "British Linksmen Now Able To Pass Up U.S. Pro Tour". Playground Daily News. Fort Walton Beach, Florida. 23 December 1971. p. 7A. Retrieved 3 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "1972 Tournament schedule". European Tour. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- ^ a b Simms, George (1973). John Player Golf Yearbook 1973. Queen Anne Press. pp. 82–136. ISBN 0362001278.
- ^ Huggins, Percy (1973). The Golfer's Handbook 1973. Munro-Barr. pp. XLiv–XLv. ISBN 9780900403064. Retrieved 24 January 2024 – via Archive.org.
- ^ Ryde, Peter (11 November 1972). "A man of supreme merit". The Times. p. 6. Retrieved 15 June 2020 – via The Times Digital Archive.
- ^ "Torrance wins Rookie award". Leicester Mercury. Leicester, United Kingdom. 7 November 1972. p. 48. Retrieved 21 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.