1981 Open Championship
The 1981 Open Championship was a men's major golf championship and the 110th Open Championship, held from 16–19 July at Royal St George's Golf Club in Sandwich, England. Bill Rogers won his only major championship, four strokes ahead of runner-up Bernhard Langer.[2] The Open returned to Royal St. George's for the first time since 1949, making it a new venue for all; no former champions finished in the top ten.[3]
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 16–19 July 1981 |
| Location | Sandwich, England |
| Course(s) | Royal St George's Golf Club |
| Tour(s) | European Tour PGA Tour |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 70[1] |
| Length | 6,827 yards (6,243 m)[1] |
| Field | 153 players 81 after 1st cut 61 after 2nd cut[1] |
| Cut | 150 (+10) (1st cut) 222 (+12) (2nd cut)[1] |
| Prize fund | £200,000 $400,000 |
| Winner's share | £25,000 $50,000 |
| Champion | |
 Bill Rogers | |
| 276 (–4) | |
Past champions in the field
Made both cuts
| Player | Country | Year(s) won | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | To par | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lee Trevino | United States | 1971, 1972 | 77 | 67 | 70 | 73 | 287 | +7 | T11 |
| Jack Nicklaus | United States | 1966, 1970, 1978 | 83 | 66 | 71 | 70 | 290 | +10 | T23 |
| Arnold Palmer | United States | 1961, 1962 | 72 | 74 | 73 | 71 | 290 | +10 | T23 |
| Tom Watson | United States | 1975, 1977, 1980 | 73 | 69 | 75 | 73 | 290 | +10 | T23 |
| Tony Jacklin |  England | 1969 | 71 | 71 | 73 | 75 | 290 | +10 | T23 |
| Bob Charles |  New Zealand | 1963 | 77 | 71 | 71 | 73 | 292 | +12 | T35 |
| Seve Ballesteros | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Spain | 1979 | 75 | 72 | 74 | 72 | 293 | +13 | T39 |
| Johnny Miller | United States | 1976 | 71 | 73 | 73 | 76 | 293 | +13 | T39 |
Missed the second cut
| Player | Country | Year(s) won | R1 | R2 | R3 | Total | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gary Player | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} South Africa | 1959, 1968, 1974 | 81 | 68 | 75 | 224 | +14 |
Round summaries
First round
Thursday, 16 July 1981
Second round
Friday, 17 July 1981
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bill Rogers | United States | 72-66=138 | –2 |
| T2 | Ben Crenshaw | United States | 72-67=139 | –1 |
| Nick Job | England | 70-69=139 | ||
| 4 | Bernhard Langer |  West Germany | 73-67=140 | E |
| 5 | Sam Torrance |  Scotland | 72-69=141 | +1 |
| T6 | David Graham | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Australia | 71-71=142 | +2 |
| Tony Jacklin | England | 71-71=142 | ||
| Mark James | England | 72-70=142 | ||
| Tom Watson | United States | 73-69=142 | ||
| T10 | Gordon J. Brand | England | 78-65=143 | +3 |
| Bill Dunk | Australia | 76-67=143 | ||
| Trevor Powell | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Wales | 75-68=143 | ||
| Peter Townsend | England | 73-70=143 |
Amateurs: Godwin (+6), Evans (+8), Sutton (+8), Chapman (+10), Keppler (+10), Walton (+10), Young (+10), Brand (+12), R. Mitchell (+12), Sherborne (+12), Ploujoux (+14), Thomas (+14), Blakeman (+15), Planchin (+15), Seamer (+15), Ling (+17), C. Mitchell (+18), Pook (+19), Ambridge (+20), Heib (+22), Lawrence (+23), Hall (+24), Sviland (+24).
Third round
Saturday, 18 July 1981
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bill Rogers | United States | 72-66-67=205 | –5 |
| T2 | Mark James | England | 72-70-68=210 | E |
| Bernhard Langer | West Germany | 73-67-70=210 | ||
| T4 | Isao Aoki | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Japan | 71-73-69=213 | +3 |
| Raymond Floyd | United States | 74-70-69=213 | ||
| T6 | Nick Faldo | England | 77-68-69=214 | +4 |
| Nick Job | England | 70-69-75=214 | ||
| Sam Torrance | Scotland | 72-69-73=214 | ||
| Lee Trevino | United States | 77-67-70=214 | ||
| T10 | Ben Crenshaw | United States | 72-67-76=215 | +5 |
| Tony Jacklin | England | 71-71-73=215 | ||
| Brian Jones | Australia | 73-76-66=215 | ||
| Simon Owen | New Zealand | 71-74-70=215 | ||
| Jerry Pate | United States | 73-73-69=215 | ||
| Manuel Piñero | Spain | 73-74-68=215 |
Amateurs: Godwin (+8), Sutton (+11), Keppler (+13), Evans (+15), Young (+15), Chapman (+16), Walton (+16).
Final round
Sunday, 19 July 1981
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par | Money (£) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bill Rogers | United States | 72-66-67-71=276 | –4 | 25,000 |
| 2 | Bernhard Langer | West Germany | 73-67-70-70=280 | E | 17,500 |
| T3 | Raymond Floyd | United States | 74-70-69-70=283 | +3 | 11,750 |
| Mark James | England | 72-70-68-73=283 | |||
| 5 | Sam Torrance | Scotland | 72-69-73-70=284 | +4 | 8,500 |
| T6 | Bruce Lietzke | United States | 76-69-71-69=285 | +5 | 7,750 |
| Manuel Piñero | Spain | 73-74-68-70=285 | |||
| T8 | Howard Clark | England | 72-76-70-68=286 | +6 | 6,500 |
| Ben Crenshaw | United States | 72-67-76-71=286 | |||
| Brian Jones | Australia | 73-76-66-71=286 |
References
- "Media guide". The Open Championship. 2011. pp. 55, 203. Archived from the original on 18 April 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
- "Rogers wins British Open by four shots". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. 20 July 1981. p. 11.
- Jenkins, Dan (27 July 1981). "Nine centuries later, Bill the Conqueror". Sports Illustrated. p. 22.
- "1981 Open Championship results". databasegolf.com. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
External links
- 110th Open - Royal St George's 1981 (Official site)
- 110th Open Championship - Royal St George's (European Tour)
- 1981 Open Championship (about.sports)
| Preceded by 1981 U.S. Open |
Major Championships | Succeeded by 1981 PGA Championship |