1981 Tournament Players Championship
Tournament information
DatesMarch 19–23, 1981
LocationPonte Vedra Beach, Florida
30°11′20″N 81°22′12″W / 30.189°N 81.370°W / 30.189; -81.370
Course(s)Sawgrass Country Club,
East-West course
Tour(s)PGA Tour
Statistics
Par72
Length7,000 yards (6,400 m)[1]
Field143 players, 74 after cut
Cut151 (+7)
Prize fund$440,000
Winner's share$72,000
Champion
United States Raymond Floyd
285 (−3), playoff
Location Map
Sawgrass CC is located in the United States
Sawgrass CC
Sawgrass CC
Location in the United States
Sawgrass CC is located in Florida
Sawgrass CC
Sawgrass CC
Location in Florida

The 1981 Tournament Players Championship was a golf tournament in Florida on the PGA Tour, held March 19–23 at Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, southeast of Jacksonville. The eighth Tournament Players Championship, it was the fifth consecutive at Sawgrass and the champion was Raymond Floyd.

The final round on Sunday was washed-out by thunderstorms and played on Monday.[2] After 72 holes, three players were tied at 285 (−3): Floyd, Barry Jaeckel, and Curtis Strange. The playoff began at the par-3 15th hole, where Floyd made par and the other two had bogeys.[3][4]

In addition to the winner's share of $72,000, Floyd won a $250,000 bonus for consecutive victories during the tour's Florida swing; he won at Doral near Miami the previous week.[3][4]

Defending champion Lee Trevino finished four strokes back, in a tie for twelfth place.

Venue

This was the fifth and last Tournament Players Championship held at Sawgrass Country Club; it moved to the nearby TPC at Sawgrass Stadium Course in 1982. The new course was scheduled to make its debut in 1981,[5][6] but heavy rains during construction pushed it back a year.[7]

Eligibility requirements

1. All designated players

2. Winners of major PGA Tour co-sponsored or approved events beginning with the 1980 Tournament Players Championship and concluding with the tournament immediately preceding the 1981 TPC

Lee Trevino, Doug Tewell, Craig Stadler, Seve Ballesteros, Roger Maltbie, Tom Watson (3), Mark Pfeil, Curtis Strange, Bruce Lietzke, David Graham, John Mahaffey, Larry Nelson, Jack Nicklaus, Bob Gilder, Scott Simpson, Billy Kratzert, Scott Hoch, Howard Twitty, Peter Jacobsen, Don Pooley, Wayne Levi, Phil Hancock, Ben Crenshaw, Mike Sullivan, Dan Halldorson, Danny Edwards, David Edwards, Johnny Miller, John Cook, Hale Irwin, Andy Bean, Tom Kite, Raymond Floyd

3. The current British Open champion

4. Leaders in the PGA Tour Official Standings as necessary to complete the field, beginning with the 1980 TPC and concluding with the Jackie Gleason-Inverrary Classic, which concludes March 8, 1981

Source:[8]

Field

John Adams, Buddy Allin, Wally Armstrong, Butch Baird, Seve Ballesteros, Miller Barber, Andy Bean, Chip Beck, Mike Brannan, Brad Bryant, George Burns, George Cadle, Rex Caldwell, Bill Calfee, Roger Calvin, Antonio Cerda Jr., Jon Chaffee, Bobby Clampett, Jim Colbert, Bobby Cole, Frank Conner, Charles Coody, John Cook, Ben Crenshaw, Rod Curl, Jim Dent, Bruce Devlin, Terry Diehl, Mike Donald, Bruce Douglass, Skip Dunaway, Bob Eastwood, Danny Edwards, David Edwards, Dave Eichelberger, Lee Elder, Keith Fergus, Ed Fiori, Raymond Floyd, John Fought, Buddy Gardner, Gibby Gilbert, Bob Gilder, Jaime Gonzalez, Mike Gove, David Graham, Lou Graham, Hubert Green, Jay Haas, Joe Hager, Gary Hallberg, Dan Halldorson, Phil Hancock, Morris Hatalsky, Mark Hayes, Vance Heafner, Dave Hill, Lon Hinkle, Scott Hoch, Joe Inman, Hale Irwin, Peter Jacobsen, Barry Jaeckel, Tom Jenkins, Grier Jones, Gary Koch, Billy Kratzert, Wayne Levi, Bruce Lietzke, Gene Littler, Lyn Lott, Mark Lye, John Mahaffey, Roger Maltbie, Rik Massengale, Terry Mauney, Mike McCullough, Mark McCumber, Jerry McGee, Pat McGowan, Artie McNickle, Steve Melnyk, Johnny Miller, Jeff Mitchell, Gil Morgan, Mike Morley, Bob Murphy, Jim Nelford, Larry Nelson, Jack Newton, Bobby Nichols, Jack Nicklaus, Mike Nicolette, Lonnie Nielsen, Andy North, Mark O'Meara, Peter Oosterhuis, Arnold Palmer, Jerry Pate, Calvin Peete, Mark Pfeil, Gary Player, Dan Pohl, Don Pooley, Greg Powers, Tom Purtzer, Dana Quigley, Sammy Rachels, Victor Regalado, Mike Reid, Jack Renner, Chi-Chi Rodríguez, Bill Rogers, Mark Rohde, John Schroeder, Bob Shearer, Jim Simons, Scott Simpson, Tim Simpson, J. C. Snead, Ed Sneed, Mick Soli, Craig Stadler, Dave Stockton, Curtis Strange, Ron Streck, Mike Sullivan, Alan Tapie, Doug Tewell, Barney Thompson, Leonard Thompson, Jim Thorpe, Lee Trevino, Howard Twitty, Tommy Valentine, Bobby Wadkins, Lanny Wadkins, Bobby Walzel, Tom Watson, D. A. Weibring, Tom Weiskopf, Larry Ziegler, Fuzzy Zoeller

Round summaries

First round

Thursday, March 20, 1981

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
T1United States Dave Eichelberger68−4
United States Mike Morley
T3United States Jim Dent69−3
United States Barry Jaeckel
T5Canada Dan Halldorson70−2
United States Mike Sullivan
T7United States Gary Hallberg71−1
United States Roger Maltbie
United States Johnny Miller
United States Gil Morgan
United States Mark O'Meara
United States Tom Purtzer
United States Leonard Thompson

Source:[9]

Second round

Friday, March 20, 1981

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
1United States Barry Jaeckel69-70=139−5
T2United States Danny Edwards72-68=140−4
Canada Dan Halldorson70-70=140
4United States Jim Simons73-68=141−3
5United States Jim Dent69-73=142−2
T6United States John Mahaffey73-70=143−1
United States Jack Nicklaus75-68=143
T8United States Dave Eichelberger68-76=144E
United States Gary Hallberg71-73=144
United States Mark O'Meara71-73=144
United States Dan Pohl72-72=144
United States Tom Purtzer71-73=144
United States Curtis Strange72-72=144

Source:[10]

Third round

Saturday, March 21, 1981

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
1United States Barry Jaeckel69-70-72=211−5
T2Canada Dan Halldorson70-70-74=214−2
United States John Mahaffey73-70-71=214
United States Jim Simons73-68-73=214
5United States Curtis Strange72-72-71=215−1
T6United States Jim Colbert78-69-69=216E
United States Frank Conner74-72-70=216
United States Gary Hallberg71-73-72=216
United States Bruce Lietzke73-75-68=216
United States Mark O'Meara71-73-72=216
United States Lee Trevino73-73-70=216

Source:[11]

Final round

Monday, March 23, 1981

Champion
(c) = past champion
PlacePlayerScoreTo parMoney ($)
T1United States Raymond Floyd72-74-71-68=285−3Playoff
United States Barry Jaeckel69-70-72-74=285
United States Curtis Strange72-72-71-70=285
T4United States Miller Barber72-78-69-68=287−115,750
United States Jim Colbert78-69-69-71=287
United States Bruce Lietzke73-75-68-71=287
United States Jim Simons73-68-73-73=287
T8United States Frank Conner74-72-70-72=288E11,200
United States Gary Hallberg71-73-72-72=288
Canada Dan Halldorson70-70-74-74=288
United States Leonard Thompson71-76-72-69=288

Source:[12]

Playoff

The sudden-death playoff began and ended at the par-3 15th hole.

PlacePlayerScoreTo parMoney ($)
1United States Raymond Floyd3E72,000
T2United States Barry Jaeckel4+135,200
United States Curtis Strange4+1

References

  1. ↑ "TPC results". Tuscaloosa News. (Alabama). Associated Press. March 24, 1981. p. 10.
  2. ↑ "Thunderstorms postpone TPC". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (Florida). Associated Press. March 23, 1981. p. 3-D.
  3. 1 2 "Floyd wins playoff for record payoff - $322,000". Chicago Tribune. wire services. March 24, 1981. p. 3, sec. 6.
  4. 1 2 "Floyd recoups his losses, takes golf's biggest check". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. March 24, 1981. p. 4C.
  5. ↑ "Trevino says TPC no major, but he beat the best to win". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). UPI. March 24, 1980. p. 5C.
  6. ↑ Jenkins, Dan (March 31, 1980). "Seems like old times". Sports Illustrated. p. 18.
  7. ↑ McDermott, Barry (March 15, 1982). "Target golf is the aim". Sports Illustrated. p. 38.
  8. ↑ "1981 PGA Tour Media Guide" (PDF). PGA Tour. p. 223. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 24, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Eichelberger likes calm, but thrives in wind". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. March 20, 1981. p. 5B.
  10. ↑ "Even TPC leader miffed by winds". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. March 21, 1981. p. 2B.
  11. ↑ "Jaeckel anxious to take gut check". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. March 22, 1981. p. 9B.
  12. ↑ "Past Results 1974 – present". PGA Tour. Archived from the original on September 1, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
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