1974 European Tour
Year1974
TourEuropean Tour
Regular season10 April 1974 – 26 October 1974
No of events21[a]
Most winsMaurice Bembridge (3)
Peter Oosterhuis (3)
Honor 1Order of Merit
Honoree 1Peter Oosterhuis
Honor 2Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year
Honoree 2Carl Mason
Prevseason1973
Nextseason1975

The 1974 European Tour, titled as the 1974 PGA European Tour,[1] was the third season of the European Tour, the main professional golf tour in Europe since its inaugural season in 1972.

Changes for 1974

There were several changes from the previous season, with the addition of the Double Diamond Strokeplay, the El Paraiso Open and the non-counting Ibergolf Trophy to conclude the season;[2] and the loss of the Scottish Open.[3] The John Player Classic was scheduled for late September, but ultimately cancelled due to a clash of dates with the PGA Tour's Kaiser International Open Invitational.[4]

Schedule

The following table lists official events during the 1974 season.[5][6][2]

DateTournamentHost countryPurse
(£)		Winner[b]Notes
13 AprPortuguese OpenPortugal15,000Brian Huggett (1)
14 AprMasters TournamentUnited StatesUS$229,549Gary Player (n/a)Major championship[c]
20 AprSpanish OpenSpain26,590Jerry Heard (1)
27 AprMadrid OpenSpain15,000Manuel Piñero (1)
5 MayFrench OpenFrance15,650Peter Oosterhuis (5)
11 MayPenfold TournamentEngland12,000Tommy Horton (2)
25 MayPiccadilly MedalEngland15,000Maurice Bembridge (2)
8 JunMartini InternationalEngland12,000Stewart Ginn (1)
16 JunU.S. OpenUnited StatesUS$219,900Hale Irwin (n/a)Major championship[c]
23 JunCarroll's Celebration InternationalIreland20,325Bernard Gallacher (1)
13 JulThe Open ChampionshipEngland50,000Gary Player (n/a)Major championship
21 JulScandinavian Enterprise OpenSweden30,000Tony Jacklin (4)
27 JulSwiss OpenSwitzerland20,700Bob Charles (4)
4 AugGerman OpenWest Germany17,500Simon Owen (1)
11 AugDutch OpenNetherlands19,000Brian Barnes (2)
11 AugPGA ChampionshipUnited StatesUS$225,000Lee Trevino (n/a)Major championship[c]
17 AugBenson & Hedges Festival of GolfEngland25,000Philippe Toussaint (1)
21 AugDouble Diamond StrokeplayScotland10,000Maurice Bembridge (3)New tournament
31 AugViyella PGA ChampionshipEngland25,000Maurice Bembridge (4)
15 SepBenson & Hedges Match Play ChampionshipScotland20,000Jack Newton (3)
21 SepW.D. & H.O. Wills TournamentEngland25,000Neil Coles (4)
28 SepJohn Player ClassicEngland–Cancelled
5 OctDunlop MastersWales20,000Bernard Gallacher (2)
20 OctItalian OpenItaly24,000Peter Oosterhuis (6)
26 OctEl Paraiso OpenSpain20,000Peter Oosterhuis (7)

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)Notes
18 MaySumrie-Bournemouth Better-BallEngland12,000Clive Clark and
Peter Butler		Team event
15 JunCoca-Cola Young Professionals' ChampionshipEngland10,000Dale Hayes
8 AugLord Derby's Young Professionals' TournamentEngland5,000Richard Jewell
24 AugDouble Diamond InternationalScotlandn/aTeam EnglandTeam event
12 OctPiccadilly World Match Play ChampionshipEngland30,000Hale IrwinLimited-field event
3 NovSotogrande MatchSpain16,000Team GB&INew team event
10 NovEuropean Ibergolf TrophySpain13,620Gary PlayerNew tournament
24 NovWorld CupVenezuelaUS$2,000Bobby Cole and
Dale Hayes		Team event
World Cup Individual TrophyUS$1,000Bobby Cole

Order of Merit

The Order of Merit was based on tournament results during the season, calculated using a points-based system.[6][7][8]

PositionPlayerPointsPrize money (£)
1Peter Oosterhuis2,96532,127
2Dale Hayes2,37918,396
3Bernard Gallacher2,14818,515
4Brian Barnes2,11114,380
5Neil Coles2,08013,961
6Vicente Fernández2,0617,819
7Tony Jacklin2,03319,547
8Brian Huggett2,03212,373
9Peter Townsend1,98015,828
10Tommy Horton1,90211,343

Awards

AwardWinnerRef.
Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the YearCarl Mason[9]

Notes

  1. ^ One further tournament was scheduled but was cancelled.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Unofficial money event at the time, but retrospectively counted as an official win.

References

  1. ^ "Tour History". European Tour. Archived 4 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  2. ^ Jacobs, Raymond (21 December 1973). "Prize money next year will reach record £660,000". Glasgow Herald. p. 4. Retrieved 15 June 2020. – via Google News Archive.
  3. ^ "No TV—No Scots' open". Glasgow Herald. 23 November 1973. p. 4. Retrieved 15 June 2020. – via Google News Archive.
  4. ^ Jacobs, Raymond (6 March 1974). "Player Classic is dropped". Glasgow Herald. p. 4. Retrieved 15 June 2020. – via Google News Archive.
  5. ^ "1974 Tournament schedule". European Tour. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  6. ^ Simms, George (1975). John Player Golf Yearbook 1975. Queen Anne Press. pp. 76–124. ISBN 0362002134.
  7. ^ "Runaway win for Peter Oosterhuis". Aberdeen Press and Journal. 5 November 1974. p. 20. Retrieved 15 June 2020. – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ^ "Europa-facit 1974" [European results 1974] (in Swedish). Svensk Golf. No. 1. January 1975. p. 44. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  9. ^ "Mason 'Rookie of the Year'". Evening Chronicle. 5 October 1974. p. 18. Retrieved 21 October 2023. – via Newspapers.com.