| 1981 PGA Championship | |
Raised in Georgia and residing less than an hour from Atlanta Athletic Club, Larry Nelson was a fan favorite at the 1981 PGA Championship. He didn't disappoint.
It was Nelson's first win in a major championship (he later added two more, including the 1987 PGA Championship), and the fifth of his 10 career PGA Tour victories.
A year after winning his fifth PGA title at the 1980 PGA Championship, Jack Nicklaus finished tied for fourth, but the Bear never seriously challenged Nelson.
1981 PGA Championship Scores
Results from the 1981 PGA Championship golf tournament played on the par-70 Highlands Course at Atlanta Athletic Club in Duluth, Georgia:
| Larry Nelson | 70-66-66-71--273 | $60,000 |
| Fuzzy Zoeller | 70-68-68-71--277 | $40,000 |
| Dan Pohl | 69-67-73-69--278 | $25,000 |
| Bruce Lietzke | 70-70-71-68--279 | $13,146 |
| Jack Nicklaus | 71-68-71-69--279 | $13,146 |
| Keith Fergus | 71-71-69-68--279 | $13,146 |
| Tom Kite | 71-67-69-72--279 | $13,146 |
| Greg Norman | 73-67-68-71--279 | $13,146 |
| Bob Gilder | 74-69-70-66--279 | $13,146 |
| Isao Aoki | 75-68-66-70--279 | $13,146 |
| Jerry Pate | 71-68-70-71--280 | $6,750 |
| Vance Heafner | 68-70-70-72--280 | $6,750 |
| Andy North | 68-69-70-73--280 | $6,750 |
| Tommy Valentine | 73-70-71-66--280 | $6,750 |
| J.C. Snead | 70-71-70-70--281 | $5,500 |
| David Edwards | 71-69-70-72--282 | $4,875 |
| Hale Irwin | 71-74-68-69--282 | $4,875 |
| Bob Murphy | 66-69-73-75--283 | $4,500 |
| Don January | 70-72-70-72--284 | $3,631 |
| Raymond Floyd | 71-70-71-72--284 | $3,631 |
| Tom Purtzer | 70-70-73-71--284 | $3,631 |
| John Cook | 72-69-70-73--284 | $3,631 |
| Joe Inman | 73-71-67-73--284 | $3,631 |
| Gil Morgan | 70-69-74-71--284 | $3,631 |
| Jay Haas | 73-68-74-69--284 | $3,631 |
| Don Pooley | 74-70-69-71--284 | $3,631 |
| Tom Weiskopf | 71-72-72-70--285 | $2,850 |
| Hubert Green | 71-74-71-69--285 | $2,850 |
| Curtis Strange | 73-72-74-66--285 | $2,850 |
| Peter Jacobsen | 74-71-71-69--285 | $2,850 |
| Bill Rogers | 72-75-66-72--285 | $2,850 |
| Bobby Clampett | 75-71-70-69--285 | $2,850 |
| Seve Ballesteros | 71-73-72-70--286 | $2,250 |
| Ed Fiori | 73-73-67-73--286 | $2,250 |
| Mark Hayes | 70-74-68-74--286 | $2,250 |
| Greg Powers | 70-70-74-72--286 | $2,250 |
| Lanny Wadkins | 70-71-74-71--286 | $2,250 |
| Bob Eastwood | 67-69-72-78--286 | $2,250 |
| Jim Thorpe | 71-72-72-72--287 | $1,750 |
| D.A. Weibring | 71-74-74-68--287 | $1,750 |
| Terry Diehl | 72-74-71-70--287 | $1,750 |
| Lon Hinkle | 69-76-69-73--287 | $1,750 |
| Calvin Peete | 74-71-74-69--288 | $1,250 |
| Howard Twitty | 74-71-74-69--288 | $1,250 |
| Dave Stockton | 70-75-70-73--288 | $1,250 |
| Bruce Fleisher | 73-72-68-75--288 | $1,250 |
| Rod Curl | 75-72-69-72--288 | $1,250 |
| David Graham | 75-69-74-70--288 | $1,250 |
| Jack Renner | 74-70-73-72--289 | $912 |
| Wayne Levi | 70-71-73-75--289 | $912 |
| Gary Player | 75-72-71-71--289 | $912 |
| Lee Elder | 75-71-74-69--289 | $912 |
| Ron Streck | 69-77-75-68--289 | $912 |
| Rex Caldwell | 68-72-71-78--289 | $912 |
| Doug Tewell | 71-73-76-70--290 | $825 |
| Tom Jenkins | 73-73-73-72--291 | $810 |
| Mark McCumber | 70-74-73-74--291 | $810 |
| Mike Sullivan | 70-72-74-75--291 | $810 |
| Jim Colbert | 72-75-71-73--291 | $810 |
| Mark Lye | 67-76-74-74--291 | $810 |
| Don Padgett | 74-71-73-74--292 | $782 |
| Leonard Thompson | 75-72-71-74--292 | $782 |
| Roger Maltbie | 69-78-76-69--292 | $782 |
| Mike Morley | 72-71-71-78--292 | $782 |
| Danny Edwards | 73-71-70-78--292 | $782 |
| John Fought | 74-71-78-69--292 | $782 |
| Bobby Wadkins | 73-74-72-74--293 | $760 |
| Al Geiberger | 73-74-77-69--293 | $760 |
| Barry Jaeckel | 72-74-69-78--293 | $760 |
| George Burns | 74-71-74-75--294 | $750 |
| Ed Sneed | 71-75-72-76--294 | $750 |
| Mark O'Meara | 72-71-74-77--294 | $750 |
| George Cadle | 74-72-74-75--295 | $750 |
| Charles Coody | 69-74-78-75--296 | $750 |
| John Jackson | 75-70-76-76--297 | $750 |
| Arnold Palmer | 74-73-74-77--298 | $750 |
| Bruce Summerhays | 73-74-75-80--302 | $750 |
| David Glenz | 72-73-77-84--306 | $750 |
1980 PGA Championship | 1982 PGA Championship
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