Sports headlines for Sunday August 23, 1981:
- Angels Lose Tempers, Then Game Against Indians
- Rose Blames Owners For High Player Salaries
- Irwin Ends 4-Way Playoff With A Birdie
Final results of the 1981 Buick Open
Tournament held at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club (Grand Blanc, MI) from August 20, 1981 to August 23, 1981 (Par 72)
Hale Irwin defeated three other golfers on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff.
| Rank | Name | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | To Par | Total | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gil Morgan | 71 | 69 | 69 | 68 | -11 | 277 | $26,133 |
| 2 | Hubert Green | 70 | 70 | 70 | 68 | -10 | 278 | $12,775 |
| 3 | Don Pooley | 69 | 72 | 70 | 68 | -9 | 279 | $10,150 |
| 3 | Tom Kite | 73 | 68 | 70 | 68 | -9 | 279 | $10,150 |
| 5 | Ben Crenshaw | 72 | 72 | 74 | 68 | -2 | 286 | $1,157 |
| 6 | Peter Jacobsen | 68 | 69 | 71 | 69 | -11 | 277 | $26,133 |
| 7 | Dan Halldorson | 66 | 68 | 75 | 69 | -10 | 278 | $12,775 |
| 8 | Denis Watson | 71 | 71 | 71 | 69 | -6 | 282 | $4,428 |
| 8 | Tim Norris | 74 | 68 | 71 | 69 | -6 | 282 | $4,428 |
| 8 | Gibby Gilbert | 69 | 74 | 70 | 69 | -6 | 282 | $4,428 |
| 8 | Bill Kratzert | 68 | 70 | 75 | 69 | -6 | 282 | $4,428 |
| 12 | Bobby Cole | 72 | 71 | 72 | 69 | -4 | 284 | $2,026 |
| 12 | John Fought | 71 | 73 | 71 | 69 | -4 | 284 | $2,026 |
| 12 | David Graham | 70 | 72 | 73 | 69 | -4 | 284 | $2,026 |
| 15 | Jim Simons | 71 | 73 | 72 | 69 | -3 | 285 | $1,613 |
| 15 | Gary McCord | 74 | 70 | 72 | 69 | -3 | 285 | $1,613 |
| 17 | Bobby Clampett | 69 | 69 | 69 | 70 | -11 | 277 | $26,133 |
| 18 | Isao Aoki | 65 | 72 | 73 | 70 | -8 | 280 | $8,050 |
| 19 | Danny Edwards | 71 | 67 | 73 | 70 | -7 | 281 | $6,300 |
| 20 | Scott Simpson | 71 | 69 | 72 | 70 | -6 | 282 | $4,428 |
| 21 | Jerry Heard | 72 | 69 | 72 | 70 | -5 | 283 | $2,615 |
| 22 | Craig Stadler | 75 | 68 | 73 | 70 | -2 | 286 | $1,157 |
| 23 | Roger Maltbie | 68 | 68 | 71 | 71 | -10 | 278 | $12,775 |
| 24 | Lon Hinkle | 71 | 70 | 70 | 71 | -6 | 282 | $4,428 |
| 25 | Mark McCumber | 69 | 72 | 71 | 71 | -5 | 283 | $2,615 |
| 25 | Jeff Mitchell | 73 | 68 | 71 | 71 | -5 | 283 | $2,615 |
| 27 | Victor Regalado | 72 | 72 | 70 | 71 | -3 | 285 | $1,613 |
| 28 | John Mazza | 74 | 69 | 73 | 71 | -1 | 287 | $884 |
| 29 | Gary Hallberg | 71 | 72 | 78 | 71 | +4 | 292 | $735 |
| 30 | Hale Irwin | 65 | 73 | 67 | 72 | -11 | 277 | $63,000 |
| 31 | Steve Melnyk | 70 | 67 | 70 | 72 | -9 | 279 | $10,150 |
| 32 | Tom Jenkins | 69 | 69 | 71 | 72 | -7 | 281 | $6,300 |
| 33 | Peter Oosterhuis | 71 | 72 | 67 | 72 | -6 | 282 | $4,428 |
| 34 | Bobby Wadkins | 69 | 71 | 71 | 72 | -5 | 283 | $2,615 |
| 34 | Andy North | 70 | 70 | 71 | 72 | -5 | 283 | $2,615 |
| 36 | Ted Goin | 72 | 69 | 72 | 72 | -3 | 285 | $1,613 |
| 36 | Miller Barber | 73 | 69 | 71 | 72 | -3 | 285 | $1,613 |
| 36 | Dave Eichelberger | 72 | 71 | 70 | 72 | -3 | 285 | $1,613 |
| 39 | Tom Shaw | 69 | 70 | 75 | 72 | -2 | 286 | $1,157 |
| 40 | Al Geiberger | 69 | 74 | 72 | 72 | -1 | 287 | $884 |
| 41 | John N. Cook | 70 | 68 | 69 | 73 | -8 | 280 | $8,050 |
| 41 | Calvin Peete | 68 | 68 | 71 | 73 | -8 | 280 | $8,050 |
| 43 | Dave Hill | 67 | 72 | 70 | 73 | -6 | 282 | $4,428 |
| 44 | Mark Lye | 69 | 73 | 71 | 73 | -2 | 286 | $1,157 |
| 44 | D.A. Weibring | 71 | 70 | 72 | 73 | -2 | 286 | $1,157 |
| 44 | Scott Watkins | 72 | 72 | 69 | 73 | -2 | 286 | $1,157 |
| 47 | Phil Hancock | 74 | 69 | 72 | 73 | Even | 288 | $833 |
| 48 | Bill Britton | 72 | 70 | 74 | 73 | +1 | 289 | $802 |
| 48 | Fred Couples | 71 | 70 | 75 | 73 | +1 | 289 | $802 |
| 50 | Barry Jaeckel | 71 | 72 | 74 | 73 | +2 | 290 | $777 |
| 50 | Stanton Altgelt | 71 | 72 | 74 | 73 | +2 | 290 | $777 |
| 52 | Dan Pohl | 70 | 68 | 71 | 74 | -5 | 283 | $2,615 |
| 52 | Allen Miller | 72 | 66 | 71 | 74 | -5 | 283 | $2,615 |
| 54 | Chi Chi Rodriguez | 72 | 68 | 70 | 74 | -4 | 284 | $2,026 |
| 55 | Mike Sullivan | 70 | 71 | 71 | 74 | -2 | 286 | $1,157 |
| 56 | Jeff Sanders | 72 | 69 | 73 | 74 | Even | 288 | $833 |
| 57 | Vance Heafner | 74 | 68 | 73 | 74 | +1 | 289 | $802 |
| 58 | Ed Fiori | 71 | 70 | 75 | 74 | +2 | 290 | $777 |
| 59 | Bill Rogers | 70 | 70 | 66 | 75 | -7 | 281 | $6,300 |
| 60 | Howard Twitty | 69 | 73 | 70 | 75 | -1 | 287 | $884 |
| 61 | Tommy Aaron | 72 | 72 | 72 | 75 | +3 | 291 | $760 |
| 62 | George Burns | 73 | 68 | 78 | 75 | +6 | 294 | $690 |
| 63 | Tim Simpson | 74 | 69 | 79 | 75 | +9 | 297 | $665 |
| 64 | Chip Beck | 72 | 69 | 72 | 76 | +1 | 289 | $802 |
| 65 | Mark Hayes | 73 | 70 | 72 | 76 | +3 | 291 | $760 |
| 66 | Morris Hatalsky | 73 | 70 | 73 | 76 | +4 | 292 | $735 |
| 66 | Barney Thompson | 71 | 71 | 74 | 76 | +4 | 292 | $735 |
| 68 | Mike McCullough | 73 | 71 | 74 | 76 | +6 | 294 | $707 |
| 68 | Rex Caldwell | 71 | 71 | 76 | 76 | +6 | 294 | $690 |
| 70 | David Edwards | 73 | 70 | 72 | 77 | +4 | 292 | $735 |
| 70 | Buddy Gardner | 70 | 72 | 73 | 77 | +4 | 292 | $735 |
| 72 | Jim Colbert | 72 | 71 | 73 | 77 | +5 | 293 | $707 |
| 73 | Lindy Miller | 71 | 72 | 75 | 77 | +7 | 295 | $675 |
| 74 | Jim Nelford | 70 | 70 | 79 | 77 | +8 | 296 | $672 |
| 75 | Tommy Valentine | 71 | 70 | 73 | 79 | +5 | 293 | $707 |
Missed the cut or withdrew from the tournament:
| Rank | Name | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | To Par | Total | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Byman | 72 | 73 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 145 | $0 | |
| Bob Eastwood | 75 | 70 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 145 | $0 | |
| Bunky Henry | 73 | 72 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 145 | $0 | |
| Curtis Strange | 75 | 70 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 145 | $0 | |
| Don Levin | 73 | 72 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 145 | $0 | |
| Grier Jones | 74 | 71 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 145 | $0 | |
| Lonnie Nielsen | 74 | 71 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 145 | $0 | |
| Mike Nicolette | 72 | 73 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 145 | $0 | |
| Payne Stewart | 74 | 71 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 145 | $0 | |
| Rod Nuckolls | 75 | 70 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 145 | $0 | |
| Terry Diehl | 74 | 71 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 145 | $0 | |
| Tom Purtzer | 72 | 73 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 145 | $0 | |
| Bill Calfee | 75 | 71 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 146 | $0 | |
| Butch Baird | 72 | 74 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 146 | $0 | |
| Dan Frickey | 74 | 72 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 146 | $0 | |
| David Lundstrom | 72 | 74 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 146 | $0 | |
| Ed Dougherty | 71 | 75 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 146 | $0 | |
| George Archer | 71 | 75 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 146 | $0 | |
| J.C. Snead | 72 | 74 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 146 | $0 | |
| Jack Newton | 74 | 72 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 146 | $0 | |
| Jim Thorpe | 76 | 70 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 146 | $0 | |
| Joe Inman | 73 | 73 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 146 | $0 | |
| Lance Ten Broeck | 73 | 73 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 146 | $0 | |
| Mark Pfeil | 74 | 72 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 146 | $0 | |
| Roger Calvin | 74 | 72 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 146 | $0 | |
| Bob Shearer | 75 | 72 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 147 | $0 | |
| Bobby Nichols | 74 | 73 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 147 | $0 | |
| George Cadle | 72 | 75 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 147 | $0 | |
| Greg Powers | 73 | 74 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 147 | $0 | |
| John Schroeder | 72 | 75 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 147 | $0 | |
| Larry Rinker | 72 | 75 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 147 | $0 | |
| Mick Soli | 74 | 73 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 147 | $0 | |
| Barry Harwell | 72 | 76 | 0 | 0 | +4 | 148 | $0 | |
| David Thore | 74 | 74 | 0 | 0 | +4 | 148 | $0 | |
| Ed Sneed | 74 | 74 | 0 | 0 | +4 | 148 | $0 | |
| Jack Renner | 74 | 74 | 0 | 0 | +4 | 148 | $0 | |
| Jim Barber | 73 | 75 | 0 | 0 | +4 | 148 | $0 | |
| Keith Lyford | 75 | 73 | 0 | 0 | +4 | 148 | $0 | |
| Lyn Lott | 72 | 76 | 0 | 0 | +4 | 148 | $0 | |
| Lynn Janson | 71 | 77 | 0 | 0 | +4 | 148 | $0 | |
| Mike Peck | 74 | 74 | 0 | 0 | +4 | 148 | $0 | |
| Rik Massengale | 75 | 73 | 0 | 0 | +4 | 148 | $0 | |
| Bob Gilder | 76 | 73 | 0 | 0 | +5 | 149 | $0 | |
| Dana Quigley | 75 | 74 | 0 | 0 | +5 | 149 | $0 | |
| Kermit Zarley | 76 | 73 | 0 | 0 | +5 | 149 | $0 | |
| Mike Gove | 76 | 73 | 0 | 0 | +5 | 149 | $0 | |
| Mike Harmon | 76 | 73 | 0 | 0 | +5 | 149 | $0 | |
| Mike Hill | 72 | 77 | 0 | 0 | +5 | 149 | $0 | |
| Phil Rodgers | 72 | 77 | 0 | 0 | +5 | 149 | $0 | |
| Curtis Sifford | 75 | 75 | 0 | 0 | +6 | 150 | $0 | |
| Jaime Gonzalez | 75 | 75 | 0 | 0 | +6 | 150 | $0 | |
| Larry Nelson | 78 | 72 | 0 | 0 | +6 | 150 | $0 | |
| Ron Streck | 75 | 75 | 0 | 0 | +6 | 150 | $0 | |
| Skeeter Heath | 75 | 75 | 0 | 0 | +6 | 150 | $0 | |
| Tom Storey | 80 | 70 | 0 | 0 | +6 | 150 | $0 | |
| John Traub | 79 | 72 | 0 | 0 | +7 | 151 | $0 | |
| Rod Curl | 74 | 77 | 0 | 0 | +7 | 151 | $0 | |
| Woody Blackburn | 77 | 74 | 0 | 0 | +7 | 151 | $0 | |
| Arnold Palmer | 77 | 75 | 0 | 0 | +8 | 152 | $0 | |
| Billy Glisson | 75 | 77 | 0 | 0 | +8 | 152 | $0 | |
| Bob Mann | 76 | 76 | 0 | 0 | +8 | 152 | $0 | |
| Joe Hager | 79 | 73 | 0 | 0 | +8 | 152 | $0 | |
| Charlie Gibson | 77 | 76 | 0 | 0 | +9 | 153 | $0 | |
| Doug Johnson | 77 | 78 | 0 | 0 | +11 | 155 | $0 | |
| Frank Conner | 76 | 80 | 0 | 0 | +12 | 156 | $0 | |
| WD | Sam Snead | 77 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +5 | 77 | $0 |
| WD | Dave Barr | 80 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +8 | 80 | $0 |
| WD | Mark O'Meara | 82 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +10 | 82 | $0 |


