There were several changes from the previous season, with the Dunhill Links Championship replacing the Dunhill Cup,[2] the Open de Madrid replacing the Turespaña Masters, the Standard Life Loch Lomond being rebranded as the revived Scottish Open,[3] the addition the Caltex Singapore Masters, the Argentine Open[4] and the São Paulo Brazil Open; the return of the Estoril Open; and the loss of the Brazil Rio de Janeiro 500 Years Open and the Belgian Open.

The terrorist attacks in the United States on 11 September led to changes on the tour schedule with the WGC-American Express Championship being cancelled[5] and the Ryder Cup matches at The Belfry being postponed until 2002.

The Estoril Open was also cancelled in the wake of the attacks and was replaced on the schedule with a revival of the Cannes Open.

[6] The following table lists official events during the 2001 season.

The Order of Merit was titled as the Volvo Order of Merit and was based on prize money won during the season, calculated in Euros.