1981 PGA Championship: Home-Field Advantage
The 1981 PGA Championship was the 63rd time the tournament was played. It was a home-field victory for the champ.
Winner: Larry Nelson, 273
Where it was played: Atlanta Athletic Club (Highlands Course) in Duluth, Georgia
Tournament dates: August 6-9, 1981
Leader after first round: Bob Murphy, 66
Leader after second round: Bob Murphy, 135
Leader after third round: Larry Nelson, 202
Notable Notes: Larry Nelson, who lived near the course, trailed the 36-hole leader by one stroke, but outplayed everyone on the weekend. Nelson seized the tournament with a 66 in the third round, then followed with a solid 71 to close. His margin of victory was four strokes. It was the first of Nelson's three career wins in majors.
Final Scores
| Larry Nelson | 70-66-66-71—273 |
| Fuzzy Zoeller | 70-68-68-71—277 |
| Dan Pohl | 69-67-73-69—278 |
| Bruce Lietzke | 70-70-71-68—279 |
| Jack Nicklaus | 71-68-71-69—279 |
| Keith Fergus | 71-71-69-68—279 |
| Tom Kite | 71-67-69-72—279 |
| Greg Norman | 73-67-68-71—279 |
| Bob Gilder | 74-69-70-66—279 |
| Isao Aoki | 75-68-66-70—279 |
| Jerry Pate | 71-68-70-71—280 |
| Vance Heafner | 68-70-70-72—280 |
| Andy North | 68-69-70-73—280 |
| Tommy Valentine | 73-70-71-66—280 |
| J.C. Snead | 70-71-70-70—281 |
| David Edwards | 71-69-70-72—282 |
| Hale Irwin | 71-74-68-69—282 |
| Bob Murphy | 66-69-73-75—283 |
| Don January | 70-72-70-72—284 |
| Raymond Floyd | 71-70-71-72—284 |
| Tom Purtzer | 70-70-73-71—284 |
| John Cook | 72-69-70-73—284 |
| Joe Inman | 73-71-67-73—284 |
| Gil Morgan | 70-69-74-71—284 |
| Jay Haas | 73-68-74-69—284 |
| Don Pooley | 74-70-69-71—284 |
| Tom Weiskopf | 71-72-72-70—285 |
| Hubert Green | 71-74-71-69—285 |
| Curtis Strange | 73-72-74-66—285 |
| Peter Jacobsen | 74-71-71-69—285 |
| Bill Rogers | 72-75-66-72—285 |
| Bobby Clampett | 75-71-70-69—285 |
| Seve Ballesteros | 71-73-72-70—286 |
| Ed Fiori | 73-73-67-73—286 |
| Mark Hayes | 70-74-68-74—286 |
| Greg Powers | 70-70-74-72—286 |
| Lanny Wadkins | 70-71-74-71—286 |
| Bob Eastwood | 67-69-72-78—286 |
| Jim Thorpe | 71-72-72-72—287 |
| D.A. Weibring | 71-74-74-68—287 |
| Terry Diehl | 72-74-71-70—287 |
| Lon Hinkle | 69-76-69-73—287 |
| Calvin Peete | 74-71-74-69—288 |
| Howard Twitty | 74-71-74-69—288 |
| Dave Stockton | 70-75-70-73—288 |
| Bruce Fleisher | 73-72-68-75—288 |
| Rod Curl | 75-72-69-72—288 |
| David Graham | 75-69-74-70—288 |
| Jack Renner | 74-70-73-72—289 |
| Wayne Levi | 70-71-73-75—289 |
| Gary Player | 75-72-71-71—289 |
| Lee Elder | 75-71-74-69—289 |
| Ron Streck | 69-77-75-68—289 |
| Rex Caldwell | 68-72-71-78—289 |
| Doug Tewell | 71-73-76-70—290 |
| Tom Jenkins | 73-73-73-72—291 |
| Mark McCumber | 70-74-73-74—291 |
| Mike Sullivan | 70-72-74-75—291 |
| Jim Colbert | 72-75-71-73—291 |
| Mark Lye | 67-76-74-74—291 |
| Don Padgett | 74-71-73-74—292 |
| Leonard Thompson | 75-72-71-74—292 |
| Roger Maltbie | 69-78-76-69—292 |
| Mike Morley | 72-71-71-78—292 |
| Danny Edwards | 73-71-70-78—292 |
| John Fought | 74-71-78-69—292 |
| Bobby Wadkins | 73-74-72-74—293 |
| Al Geiberger | 73-74-77-69—293 |
| Barry Jaeckel | 72-74-69-78—293 |
| George Burns | 74-71-74-75—294 |
| Ed Sneed | 71-75-72-76—294 |
| Mark O'Meara | 72-71-74-77—294 |
| George Cadle | 74-72-74-75—295 |
| Charles Coody | 69-74-78-75—296 |
| John Jackson | 75-70-76-76—297 |
| Arnold Palmer | 74-73-74-77—298 |
| Bruce Summerhays | 73-74-75-80—302 |
| David Glenz | 72-73-77-84—306 |
