The 1973 European Tour, titled as the 1973 PGA European Tour,[1] was the second season of the European Tour, the main professional golf tour in Europe since its inaugural season in 1972.
| Duration | 28 March 1973 – 6 October 1973 |
|---|---|
| Number of official events | 21 |
| Most wins |  Peter Oosterhuis (3) |
| Order of Merit | Peter Oosterhuis |
| Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year | Pip Elson |
← 1972 1974 → | |
Changes for 1973 edit
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.[2]
Schedule edit
The following table lists official events during the 1973 season.[3][4][5]
Unofficial events edit
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 May | Sumrie Better-Ball | Scotland | 8,000 | Neil Coles and Bernard Hunt
|
Team event |
| 16 Jun | Coca-Cola Young Professionals' Championship | England | 4,000 |  Bernard Gallacher
|
|
| 20 Jul | Lord Derby's Under-25 Match Play Championship | England | 2,500 | Brian Thompson
|
|
| 1 Sep | Double Diamond International | England | 15,000 | Team Scotland
|
Team event |
| 22 Sep | Ryder Cup | Scotland | n/a |  Team USA
|
Team event |
| 13 Oct | Piccadilly World Match Play Championship | England | 30,000 |  Gary Player
|
Limited-field event |
| 25 Nov | World Cup | Spain | US$4,200 | Johnny Miller and Jack Nicklaus
|
Team event |
| World Cup Individual Trophy | US$2,100 | Johnny Miller
|
Order of Merit edit
The Order of Merit was based on tournament results during the season, calculated using a points-based system.[4][6][7]
| Position | Player | Points | Prize money (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Oosterhuis |
3,440 | 17,455 |
| 2 | Maurice Bembridge |
2,980 | 10,773 |
| 3 | Hugh Baiocchi |
2,904 | 11,870 |
| 4 | Dale Hayes |
2,736 | 10,188 |
| 5 | Brian Barnes |
2,676 | 9,778 |
| 6 |  Eddie Polland |
2,635 | 8,146 |
| 7 | Tony Jacklin |
2,588 | 24,840 |
| 8 | Bernard Gallacher |
2,561 | 8,676 |
| 9 | Neil Coles |
2,437 | 14,748 |
| 10 |  Jack Newton |
2,399 | 7,939 |
Awards edit
| Award | Winner | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year | Pip Elson |
[8] |
Notes edit
- ^ 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 edit
- ^ "Tour History". European Tour. Archived from the original on 4 April 2010. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
- ^ Rodney, Bob (26 January 1973). "Top two for Player Classic". Daily Mirror. London, United Kingdom. p. 27. Retrieved 15 June 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "1973 Tournament schedule". European Tour. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- ^ a b Simms, George (1974). John Player Golf Yearbook 1974. Queen Anne Press. pp. 82–136. ISBN 0362001758.
- ^ "£½m. to be won on PGA circuit". Glasgow Herald. 19 January 1973. p. 4. Retrieved 15 June 2020 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ "Oosty ahead of Bembridge". Birmingham Daily Post. Birmingham, United Kingdom. 13 October 1973. p. 21. Retrieved 15 June 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Brittiska Cirkusen | Order of Merit" [British Tour | Order of Merit]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). No. 8. December 1973. p. 48. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- ^ "Cotton's guidance wins 'rookie' title for Elson". The Birmingham Post. Birmingham, United Kingdom. 5 October 1973. p. 15. Retrieved 21 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.