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.
Quick Facts Duration, Number of official events ...
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The following table lists official events during the 1979 season.[1]
More information Date, Tournament ...
| Date |
Tournament |
Location |
Purse
(US$) |
Winner(s)[a] |
Notes |
|---|
| Jan 14 | Bob Hope Desert Classic | California | 300,000 |  John Mahaffey (4) | Pro-Am |
| Jan 22 | Phoenix Open | Arizona | 250,000 | Ben Crenshaw (6) | |
| Jan 28 | Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational | California | 250,000 | Fuzzy Zoeller (1) | |
| Feb 4 | Bing Crosby National Pro-Am | California | 300,000 | Lon Hinkle (2) | Pro-Am |
| Feb 11 | Hawaiian Open | Hawaii | 300,000 | Hubert Green (15) | |
| Feb 18 | Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open | Arizona | 250,000 | Bruce Lietzke (4) | |
| Feb 25 | Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open | California | 250,000 | Lanny Wadkins (6) | |
| Mar 4 | Bay Hill Citrus Classic | Florida | 250,000 | Bob Byman (1) | |
| Mar 11 | Jackie Gleason-Inverrary Classic | Florida | 300,000 | Larry Nelson (1) | |
| Mar 18 | Doral-Eastern Open | Florida | 250,000 | Mark McCumber (1) | |
| Mar 25 | Tournament Players Championship | Florida | 440,000 | Lanny Wadkins (7) | Special event |
| Apr 1 | Sea Pines Heritage Classic | South Carolina | 300,000 | Tom Watson (14) | Invitational |
| Apr 8 | Greater Greensboro Open | North Carolina | 250,000 | Raymond Floyd (11) | |
| Apr 15 | Masters Tournament | Georgia | 299,625 | Fuzzy Zoeller (2) | Major championship |
| Apr 15 | Magnolia Classic | Mississippi | 50,000 | Bobby Walzel (n/a) | Second Tour[b] |
| Apr 22 | MONY Tournament of Champions | California | 300,000 | Tom Watson (15) | Winners-only event |
| Apr 22 | Tallahassee Open | Florida | 100,000 | Chi-Chi Rodríguez (8) | Alternate event |
| Apr 29 | First NBC New Orleans Open | Louisiana | 250,000 | Hubert Green (16) | |
| May 6 | Houston Open | Texas | 300,000 | Wayne Levi (2) | |
| May 13 | Byron Nelson Golf Classic | Texas | 300,000 | Tom Watson (16) | |
| May 20 | Colonial National Invitation | Texas | 300,000 | Al Geiberger (11) | Invitational |
| May 27 | Memorial Tournament | Ohio | 300,000 | Tom Watson (17) | Invitational |
| Jun 3 | Kemper Open | North Carolina | 350,000 | Jerry McGee (3) | |
| Jun 10 | Atlanta Classic | Georgia | 300,000 | Andy Bean (5) | |
| Jun 17 | U.S. Open | Ohio | 325,000 | Hale Irwin (11) | Major championship |
| Jun 24 | Canadian Open | Canada | 350,000 | Lee Trevino (24) | |
| Jul 1 | Danny Thomas Memphis Classic | Tennessee | 300,000 | Gil Morgan (4) | |
| Jul 8 | Western Open | Illinois | 300,000 | Larry Nelson (2) | |
| Jul 15 | Greater Milwaukee Open | Wisconsin | 200,000 | Calvin Peete (1) | |
| Jul 21 | The Open Championship | England | £155,000 |  Seve Ballesteros (2) | Major championship[c] |
| Jul 22 | Ed McMahon-Jaycees Quad Cities Open | Illinois | 200,000 | D. A. Weibring (1) | Alternate event |
| Jul 29 | IVB-Philadelphia Golf Classic | Pennsylvania | 250,000 | Lou Graham (4) | |
| Aug 5 | PGA Championship | Michigan | 350,000 |  David Graham (4) | Major championship |
| Aug 12 | Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open | Connecticut | 300,000 | Jerry McGee (4) | |
| Aug 19 | Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic | New York | 400,000 | Jack Renner (1) | |
| Aug 26 | Colgate Hall of Fame Classic | North Carolina | 250,000 | Tom Watson (18) | |
| Sep 2 | B.C. Open | New York | 275,000 | Howard Twitty (1) | |
| Sep 9 | American Optical Classic | Massachusetts | 250,000 | Lou Graham (5) | |
| Sep 16 | Buick-Goodwrench Open | Michigan | 150,000 | John Fought (1) | |
| Sep 23 | Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic | California | 300,000 | John Fought (2) | |
| Sep 30 | World Series of Golf | Ohio | 400,000 | Lon Hinkle (3) | Limited-field event |
| Oct 7 | San Antonio Texas Open | Texas | 250,000 | Lou Graham (6) | |
| Oct 14 | Southern Open | Georgia | 200,000 | Ed Fiori (1) | |
| Oct 21 | Pensacola Open | Florida | 200,000 | Curtis Strange (1) | |
| Oct 28 | Walt Disney World National Team Championship | Florida | 250,000 | George Burns (1) and
Ben Crenshaw (7) | Team event |
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Unofficial events
The following events were sanctioned by the PGA Tour, but did not carry official money, nor were wins official.
More information Date, Tournament ...
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The money list was based on prize money won during the season, calculated in U.S. dollars.[2][3]
More information Position, Player ...
| 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 |
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More information Award, Winner ...
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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.
"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. "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.
Tom Watson (5)
