The Betfred British Masters is a professional golf tournament. It was founded in 1946 as the Dunlop Masters and was held every year up to 2008, except for 1984. Dunlop's sponsorship ended in 1982, and the name sponsor changed frequently thereafter, with the words "British Masters" usually also in the tournament's official name. The tournament was not held from 2009 to 2014 but returned to the schedule in 2015.
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Tournament information | |
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Location | Wishaw, Warwickshire, England |
Established | 1946 |
Course(s) | The Belfry (Brabazon Course) |
Par | 72 |
Length | 7,336 yards (6,708 m) |
Tour(s) | European Tour |
Format | Stroke play |
Prize fund | US$3,500,000 |
Month played | August/September |
Tournament record score | |
Aggregate | 260 Paul Dunne (2017) |
To par | −22 Peter Baker (1993) |
Current champion | |
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Location map | |
Location in England Location in Warwickshire |
History
editThe Dunlop Masters was first held in 1946 at Stoneham Golf Club in Southampton, and was a continuation of the Dunlop-Metropolitan Tournament which had been held before World War II. Like the Dunlop-Metropolitan, the Dunlop Masters was a 72-hole end-of-season event with a restricted field. The Dunlop-Metropolitan had been first played in 1934, the same year as The Masters. The event was sponsored by Dunlop from 1946 to 1982, during which time it continued to have a small field with no 36-hole cut. There were 50 competitors in the final Dunlop-sponsored event in 1982.[1]
During the 1980s the British Masters was one of the most lucrative events on the European Tour with a prize fund that was as high as third among the tournaments on the schedule, but its status, or at least its relative level of prize money, has declined considerably in recent years.
The tournament has been played at many different venues; twice in the "Dunlop Masters" era it was held in the Republic of Ireland. When the Quinn Group took over as sponsors in 2006, the event was moved again, this time to the Group owned Belfry.
The deal with the Quinn Group ended in 2008, and when attempts to find another sponsor were unsuccessful, the British Masters was removed from the European Tour schedule for 2009.[2]
Tournament hosts
editThe event returned in 2015 with a leading British golfer choosing the golf course and hosting the event. Since then the editions have been hosted by:
- 2015: Ian Poulter at Woburn Golf Club[3]
- 2016: Luke Donald at The Grove[4]
- 2017: Lee Westwood at Close House Golf Club[3]
- 2018: Justin Rose at Walton Heath Golf Club[5]
- 2019: Tommy Fleetwood at Hillside Golf Club[3]
- 2020: Lee Westwood at Close House Golf Club[3]
- 2021–2022: Danny Willett at The Belfry[6][7]
- 2023–2026: Nick Faldo at The Belfry[8]
Notable events
editThe 1967 event provided British television with its first live hole in one, as Tony Jacklin aced the 16th hole at Royal St George's.[9]
In the 2021 event, Richard Bland, at age 48, claimed his first European Tour victory in his 478th start on the tour.[10]
Winners
editMultiple winners
editReferences
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- ^ "British Masters dropped from Tour". BBC Sport. 13 May 2009. Archived from the original on 16 May 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2009.
- ^ a b c d "Betfred British Masters to return to Close House in 2020". PGA European Tour. 12 May 2019. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
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- ^ "European Tour: Tournament schedule for 2021". Sky Sports. 15 December 2020. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
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- ^ a b Callander, Colin; Plumridge, Chris (31 May 2003). "Tales from the Masters". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 29 February 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
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- ^ Jacobs, Raymond (4 October 1971). "Bembridge outlasts Peter Oosterhuis with birdie finish". Glasgow Herald. Archived from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
- ^ Jacobs, Raymond (14 September 1970). "Huggett "scrambles" to record 65 and Masters title". Glasgow Herald. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
- ^ Jacobs, Raymond (15 September 1969). "Legrange wins from the front". Glasgow Herald. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
- ^ Jacobs, Raymond (16 September 1968). "Thompson Master golfer for a second time". Glasgow Herald. Archived from the original on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
- ^ Jacobs, Raymond (18 September 1967). "Jacklin arrives at milestone in burgeoning career". Glasgow Herald. Archived from the original on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
- ^ "Top field for women's golf". Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995). 18 September 1967. p. 14. Archived from the original on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
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- ^ Jacobs, Raymond (20 September 1965). "Masters title for B. J. Hunt". Glasgow Herald. p. 12. Archived from the original on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
- ^ "Legrange cops British Masters". Reading Eagle. 28 June 1964. p. 48. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
- ^ Jacobs, Raymond (29 June 1964). "Masters title for Le Grange". Glasgow Herald. p. 9. Archived from the original on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
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- ^ "Hitchcock's victory in Masters". Glasgow Herald. 19 September 1960. p. 9. Archived from the original on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
- ^ Horne, Cyril (19 September 1960). "Second Masters' title for O'Connor". Glasgow Herald. p. 9. Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
- ^ Horne, Cyril (22 September 1958). "Masters golfer's visit to Scotland". Glasgow Herald. p. 3. Archived from the original on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
- ^ "E. C. Brown's success in Masters tournament". Glasgow Herald. 23 September 1957. p. 11. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
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- ^ "Lees and Von Nida tie for "Masters" title". Glasgow Herald. 10 October 1947. p. 2. Archived from the original on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
- ^ "Von Nida meets his Master". Glasgow Herald. 11 October 1947. p. 2. Archived from the original on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
- ^ "Adams ties with Locke". Glasgow Herald. 11 October 1946. p. 2. Archived from the original on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2011.