1979 PGA Tour
| Duration | January 11, 1979 – October 28, 1979 |
|---|---|
| Number of official events | 44 |
| Most wins |  Tom Watson (5) |
| Money list | Tom Watson |
| PGA Player of the Year | Tom Watson |
| Rookie of the Year | John Fought |
← 1978 1980 → | |
The 1979 PGA Tour was the 64th season of the PGA Tour, the main professional golf tour in the United States. It was also the 11th season since separating from the PGA of America.
Schedule
[edit]The following table lists official events during the 1979 season.[1]
Unofficial events
[edit]The following events were sanctioned by the PGA Tour, but did not carry official money, nor were wins official.
| Date | Tournament | Location | Purse ($) |
Winner(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 16 | Ryder Cup | West Virginia | n/a | Team USA
|
Team event |
| Nov 11 | World Cup | Greece | n/a | Hale Irwin and John Mahaffey
|
Team event |
| World Cup Individual Trophy | Hale Irwin
|
Money list
[edit]The money list was based on prize money won during the season, calculated in U.S. dollars.[2][3]
| Position | Player | Prize money ($) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Watson |
462,636 |
| 2 | Larry Nelson |
281,022 |
| 3 | Lon Hinkle |
247,693 |
| 4 | Lee Trevino |
238,732 |
| 5 | Ben Crenshaw |
236,770 |
| 6 | Bill Rogers |
230,500 |
| 7 | Andy Bean |
208,253 |
| 8 | Bruce Lietzke |
198,439 |
| 9 | Fuzzy Zoeller |
196,951 |
| 10 | Lanny Wadkins |
195,710 |
Awards
[edit]| Award | Winner | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| PGA Player of the Year | Tom Watson |
[4] |
| Rookie of the Year | John Fought |
[5] |
| Scoring leader (Vardon Trophy) | Tom Watson |
[6] |
Notes
[edit]- ^ The number in parentheses after each winner's name is the number of PGA Tour events they had won up to and including that tournament. This information is only shown for PGA Tour members.
- ^ Official money; unofficial win.
- ^ Unofficial money event at the time, but retrospectively counted as an official win.
References
[edit]- ^ "1980 PGA Tour Media Guide" (PDF). PGA Tour. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
- ^ "Money leaders". Daily News. New York, New York. November 25, 1979. p. 484. Retrieved November 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Shriver, Jerry (October 14, 1979). "Watson Holds Off The Young Lions". Pensacola News Journal. Pensacola, Florida. p. 173. Retrieved November 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tom Watson named PGA player of year". Detroit Free Press. Detroit, Michigan. November 8, 1979. p. 75. Retrieved November 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "John Fought". Portland Interscholastic League Hall of Fame. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
Then Fought not only made it to the PGA Tour, but he also was the 1979 Rookie of the Year, winning back-to-back events.
- ^ Greenberg, Don (November 1, 1979). "Watson Likes to Keep Things Elementary". The Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. p. 71. Retrieved November 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.