Bruce Lietzke finished +1 and took 18% of the purse. That $54,000 is worth about $197,318 in 2026 dollars.
How the 1981 Byron Nelson Golf Classic purse was split
Every paid player in finishing order. The top 10 took 60% of the money, and the dashed line marks the smallest check.
1981 Byron Nelson Golf Classic prize money for every player
Final positions and prize money, with what the same untied position paid the year before.
| Pos | Player | To par | Last year | Prize money |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bruce Lietzke | +1 | $54,000 | $54,000 |
| 2 | Tom Watson | +1 | $32,400 | $32,400 |
| T3 | Tom Purtzer | +3 | $20,400 | $17,400 |
| T3 | Bobby Clampett | +3 | $20,400 | $17,400 |
| 5 | Ben Crenshaw | +4 | $12,000 | $12,000 |
| T6 | Ray Floyd | +5 | $10,050 | $10,050 |
| T6 | Cesar Sanudo | +5 | $10,050 | $10,050 |
| T6 | Curtis Strange | +5 | $10,050 | $10,050 |
| T9 | Fred Couples | +6 | $8,100 | $8,400 |
| T9 | Bruce Devlin | +6 | $8,100 | $8,400 |
| T11 | Tom Jenkins | +7 | $6,360 | |
| T11 | Lon Hinkle | +7 | $6,360 | |
| T11 | Joe Inman | +7 | $6,360 | |
| T11 | Larry Nelson | +7 | $6,360 | |
| T11 | Chi-Chi Rodríguez | +7 | $6,360 | |
| T16 | Jerry Pate | +8 | $4,650 | |
| T16 | Dan Pohl | +8 | $4,650 | |
| T16 | Lee Trevino | +8 | $4,650 | |
| T16 | Brad Bryant | +8 | $4,650 | |
| T20 | Bob Gilder | +9 | $3,495 | |
| T20 | Mark Hayes | +9 | $3,495 | |
| T20 | Tim Norris | +9 | $3,495 | |
| T20 | Peter Oosterhuis | +9 | $3,495 | |
| T24 | Gibby Gilbert | +10 | $2,558 | |
| T24 | Gene Littler | +10 | $2,558 | |
| T24 | Mark McCumber | +10 | $2,558 | |
| T24 | Frank Conner | +10 | $2,558 | |
| T28 | Lennie Clements | +11 | $1,830 | |
| T28 | Beau Baugh | +11 | $1,830 | |
| T28 | Wally Armstrong | +11 | $1,830 | |
| T28 | Rives McBee | +11 | $1,830 | |
| T28 | Jay Haas | +11 | $1,830 | |
| T28 | Morris Hatalsky | +11 | $1,830 | |
| T28 | Mike Sullivan | +11 | $1,830 | |
| T28 | Tom Weiskopf | +11 | $1,830 | |
| T28 | Allan Strange | +11 | $1,830 | |
| T28 | Scott Simpson | +11 | $1,830 | |
| T38 | Ron Streck | +12 | $1,260 | |
| T38 | Mike Morley | +12 | $1,260 | |
| T38 | Steve Melnyk | +12 | $1,260 | |
| T38 | Bud Allin | +12 | $1,260 | |
| T38 | Bill Britton | +12 | $1,260 | |
| T38 | Forrest Fezler | +12 | $1,260 | |
| T44 | Rex Caldwell | +13 | $990 | |
| T44 | Pat Lindsey | +13 | $990 | |
| T44 | Bill Rogers | +13 | $990 | |
| T47 | Ed Sneed | +14 | $761 | |
| T47 | Tim Simpson | +14 | $761 | |
| T47 | Craig Stadler | +14 | $761 | |
| T47 | Bobby Wadkins | +14 | $761 | |
| T47 | Terry Mauney | +14 | $761 | |
| T47 | Charles Coody | +14 | $761 | |
| T47 | Dave Eichelberger | +14 | $761 | |
| T47 | Jack Ferenz | +14 | $761 | |
| T55 | Buddy Gardner | +15 | $687 | $681 |
| T55 | Gary Koch | +15 | $687 | $681 |
| T55 | John Schroeder | +15 | $687 | $681 |
| T55 | Rod Nuckolls | +15 | $687 | $681 |
| 59 | Dan Halldorson | +16 | $666 | $666 |
| T60 | Orville Moody | +17 | $654 | |
| T60 | Ted Goin | +17 | $654 | |
| T60 | Bobby Pancratz | +17 | $654 | |
| T63 | Calvin Peete | +18 | $645 | $639 |
| T63 | Artie McNickle | +18 | $645 | $639 |
| T65 | Vance Heafner | +19 | $636 | $621 |
| T65 | Gary Hallberg | +19 | $636 | $621 |
| T65 | Rod Curl | +19 | $636 | $621 |
| T65 | Michael Brannan | +19 | $636 | $621 |
| T69 | Bob Byman | +21 | $594 | |
| T69 | Mike Holland | +21 | $594 | |
| T69 | Mike McCullough | +21 | $594 | |
| T69 | Pat McGowan | +21 | $594 | |
| T69 | Skip Dunaway | +21 | $594 | |
| 74 | Thomas Gray | +22 | $576 | |
| MC | Joe Hager | +16 | $0 | |
| MC | Jerry Heard | +8 | $0 | |
| MC | David Graham | +7 | $0 | |
| MC | Barry Harwell | +7 | $0 | |
| MC | Don January | +7 | $0 | |
| MC | Doug Johnson | +11 | $0 | |
| MC | Tom Jones | +8 | $0 | |
| MC | Don Levin | +16 | $0 | |
| MC | Mark Lye | +7 | $0 | |
| MC | Keith Lyford | +14 | $0 | |
| MC | Craig Metz | +12 | $0 | |
| MC | Allen Miller | +8 | $0 | |
| MC | Bill Murchison III | +7 | $0 | |
| MC | Dwight Nevil | +14 | $0 | |
| MC | Jack Newton | +7 | $0 | |
| MC | Bobby Nichols | +12 | $0 | |
| MC | Mike Nicolette | +7 | $0 | |
| MC | Lonnie Nielsen | +7 | $0 | |
| MC | George Cadle | +8 | $0 | |
| MC | Bill Calfee | +10 | $0 | |
| MC | Pete Brown | +10 | $0 | |
| MC | George Burns | +7 | $0 | |
| MC | Bobby Cole | +8 | $0 | |
| MC | Chip Beck | +8 | $0 | |
| MC | Woody Blackburn | +17 | $0 | |
| MC | Jim Booros | +9 | $0 | |
| MC | John Adams | +11 | $0 | |
| MC | Richie Adham | +7 | $0 | |
| MC | Butch Baird | +10 | $0 | |
| MC | Jim Barber | +11 | $0 | |
| MC | Miller Barber | +13 | $0 | |
| MC | Dave Barr | +11 | $0 | |
| MC | Jim Dent | +8 | $0 | |
| MC | George Archer | +10 | $0 | |
| MC | Terry Diehl | +9 | $0 | |
| MC | Ed Dougherty | +12 | $0 | |
| MC | Dale Douglass | +7 | $0 | |
| MC | Jim Chancey | +13 | $0 | |
| MC | David Edwards | +7 | $0 | |
| MC | David Eger | +12 | $0 | |
| MC | Al Geiberger | +12 | $0 | |
| MC | Charlie Gibson | +8 | $0 | |
| MC | Keith Fergus | +9 | $0 | |
| MC | Lee Elder | +7 | $0 | |
| MC | Felipe Renteria | +14 | $0 | |
| MC | D.A. Weibring | +8 | $0 | |
| MC | Tommy Valentine | +9 | $0 | |
| MC | Larry Ziegler | +11 | $0 | |
| MC | Mark Pfeil | +11 | $0 | |
| MC | Mike Peck | +10 | $0 | |
| MC | Tom Shaw | +7 | $0 | |
| MC | Bob Shearer | +11 | $0 | |
| MC | Curtis Sifford | +11 | $0 | |
| MC | R. H. Sikes | +16 | $0 | |
| MC | Jim Simons | +7 | $0 | |
| MC | Dana Quigley | +11 | $0 | |
| MC | Victor Regalado | +10 | $0 | |
| MC | Loren Roberts | +12 | $0 | |
| MC | Lanny Wadkins | +12 | $0 | |
| MC | Bobby Walzel | +14 | $0 | |
| MC | Scott Watkins | +7 | $0 | |
| MC | Gary Wintz | +10 | $0 | |
| MC | Kermit Zarley | +8 | $0 | |
| MC | Leonard Thompson | +13 | $0 | |
| MC | David Thore | +8 | $0 | |
| MC | John Traub | +25 | $0 | |
| MC | Greg Powers | +8 | $0 | |
| MC | Scott Stegner | +18 | $0 | |
| MC | Dave Stockton | +10 | $0 | |
| MC | Mike Smith | +8 | $0 | |
| DQ | Jack Spradlin | Not known | ||
| DQ | Dennis Trixler | Not known | ||
| DQ | Eddie Pearce | Not known | ||
| DQ | R.W. Eaks | Not known | ||
| DQ | John Mazza | Not known | ||
| — | Bill Loeffler | Not known | ||
| — | Lyn Lott | Not known | ||
| — | David Lundstrom | Not known | ||
| — | Brent Murray | Not known | ||
| — | Jim Nelford | Not known | ||
| — | Lindy Miller | Not known | ||
| — | Bobby Mitchell | Not known | ||
| — | Darrell Kestner | Not known | ||
| — | Mike Klein | Not known | ||
| — | John Lister | Not known | ||
| — | Gary Hardin | Not known | ||
| — | Mike Harmon | Not known | ||
| — | Bunky Henry | Not known | ||
| — | Jeff Hewes | Not known | ||
| — | Mike Hill | Not known | ||
| — | Tommy Aaron | Not known | ||
| — | Clint Doyle | Not known | ||
| — | Antonio Cerdá | Not known | ||
| — | Jon Chaffee | Not known | ||
| — | Dan Frickey | Not known | ||
| — | Jaime Gonzalez | Not known | ||
| — | Mike Gove | Not known | ||
| — | Stanton Altgelt | Not known | ||
| — | Perry Arthur | Not known | ||
| — | Pat Fitzsimons | Not known | ||
| — | Bob Payne | Not known | ||
| — | Jimmy Powell | Not known | ||
| — | Sale Omohundro | Not known | ||
| — | Mark Rohde | Not known | ||
| — | Robert Seligman | Not known | ||
| — | Mike Preston | Not known | ||
| — | Gary Trivisonno | Not known | ||
| — | Skip Tredway | Not known | ||
| — | Alan Tapie | Not known | ||
| — | Lance Ten Broeck | Not known | ||
| — | Bob Zender | Not known | ||
| — | Mick Soli | Not known | ||
| — | Ralph Terry | Not known | ||
| — | Art, Jr Silvestrone | Not known | ||
| — | Bill Lytle | Not known | ||
| — | Curtis Worley | Not known | ||
| — | Dave Fowler | Not known | ||
| WD | Roger Calvin | +4 | Not known | |
| WD | Ed Fiori | +5 | Not known | |
| WD | Jeff Hawkes | +14 | Not known | |
| WD | Gary McCord | +6 | Not known |
AT&T Byron Nelson winner's share over time
This year is labeled. Full tournament history →
1981 Byron Nelson Golf Classic payout FAQ
How much did the winner of the 1981 Byron Nelson Golf Classic get?
Bruce Lietzke won $54,000 from a $300,000 purse.
What was the 1981 Byron Nelson Golf Classic purse?
$300,000.
How much did last place get at the 1981 Byron Nelson Golf Classic?
The smallest check was $576, to Thomas Gray (74).
How many players made the cut at the 1981 Byron Nelson Golf Classic?
74 players made the cut and finished, and 70 players missed it.