British Masters

Betfred British Masters
Tournament information
LocationWishaw, Warwickshire, England
Established1946
Course(s)The Belfry
(Brabazon Course)
Par72
Length7,336 yards (6,708 m)
Tour(s)European Tour
FormatStroke play
Prize fundUS$3,500,000
Month playedAugust/September
Tournament record score
Aggregate260 Paul Dunne (2017)
To par−22 Peter Baker (1993)
Current champion
Niklas Nørgaard
Location map
The Belfry
Location in England
The Belfry
Location in Warwickshire

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.

History

The 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

The 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:

Notable events

The 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

Year Winner Score To par Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up Venue Ref.
Betfred British Masters
2024 Niklas Nørgaard 272 −16 2 strokes Thriston Lawrence The Belfry
2023 Daniel Hillier 278 −10 2 strokes Gunner Wiebe
Oliver Wilson
The Belfry
2022 Thorbjørn Olesen 278 −10 1 stroke Sebastian Söderberg The Belfry
2021 Richard Bland 275 −13 Playoff Guido Migliozzi The Belfry
2020 Renato Paratore 266 −18 3 strokes Rasmus Højgaard Close House
2019 Marcus Kinhult 272 −16 1 stroke Robert MacIntyre
Eddie Pepperell
Matt Wallace
Hillside
Sky Sports British Masters
2018 Eddie Pepperell 279 −9 2 strokes Alexander Björk Walton Heath
British Masters
2017 Paul Dunne 260 −20 3 strokes Rory McIlroy Close House
2016 Alex Norén 266 −18 2 strokes Bernd Wiesberger The Grove
2015 Matt Fitzpatrick 269 −15 2 strokes Søren Kjeldsen
Shane Lowry
Fabrizio Zanotti
Woburn
2010–2014: No tournament
2009 Cancelled due to lack of sponsorship
Quinn Insurance British Masters
2008 Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño 276 −12 Playoff Lee Westwood The Belfry [11]
Quinn Direct British Masters
2007 Lee Westwood 273 −15 5 strokes Ian Poulter The Belfry [12]
2006 Johan Edfors 277 −11 1 stroke Gary Emerson
Stephen Gallacher
Jarmo Sandelin
The Belfry [13]
Daily Telegraph Dunlop Masters
2005 Thomas Bjørn 282 −6 Playoff Brian Davis
David Howell
Forest of Arden [14]
Daily Telegraph Damovo British Masters
2004 Barry Lane 272 −16 3 strokes Ángel Cabrera
Eduardo Romero
Forest of Arden [15]
2003 Greg Owen 274 −14 3 strokes Christian Cévaër
Ian Poulter
Forest of Arden [16]
Victor Chandler British Masters
2002 Justin Rose 269 −19 1 stroke Ian Poulter Woburn [17]
2001 Thomas Levet 274 −14 Playoff Mathias Grönberg
David Howell
Robert Karlsson
Woburn [18]
2000 Gary Orr 267 −21 2 strokes Per-Ulrik Johansson Woburn [19]
1999 Bob May 269 −19 1 stroke Colin Montgomerie Woburn [20]
One 2 One British Masters
1998 Colin Montgomerie 281 −7 1 stroke Pierre Fulke
Eduardo Romero
Forest of Arden [21]
1997 Greg Turner 275 −13 1 stroke Colin Montgomerie Forest of Arden [22]
1996 Robert Allenby 284 −4 Playoff Miguel Ángel Martín Collingtree Park [23]
Collingtree British Masters
1995 Sam Torrance 270 −18 1 stroke Michael Campbell Collingtree Park
Dunhill British Masters
1994 Ian Woosnam (2) 271 −17 4 strokes Seve Ballesteros Woburn
1993 Peter Baker 266 −22 7 strokes Carl Mason Woburn [24]
1992 Christy O'Connor Jnr 270 −18 Playoff Tony Johnstone Woburn [25]
1991 Seve Ballesteros (2) 275 −13 3 strokes Eamonn Darcy
David Gilford
Tony Johnstone
Sam Torrance
Keith Waters
Woburn
1990 Mark James 270 −18 2 strokes David Feherty Woburn
1989 Nick Faldo 267 −21 4 strokes Ronan Rafferty Woburn
1988 Sandy Lyle 273 −15 2 strokes Nick Faldo
Mark McNulty
Woburn
1987 Mark McNulty 274 −14 1 stroke Ian Woosnam Woburn [26]
1986 Seve Ballesteros 275 −13 2 strokes Gordon Brand Jnr Woburn [27]
1985 Lee Trevino 278 −10 3 strokes Rodger Davis Woburn
Silk Cut Masters
1984: No tournament
1983 Ian Woosnam 269 −15 3 strokes Bernard Gallacher St. Pierre
Dunlop Masters
1982 Greg Norman (2) 267 −17 8 strokes Bernhard Langer St. Pierre
1981 Greg Norman 273 −15 4 strokes Graham Marsh Woburn
1980 Bernhard Langer 270 −14 5 strokes Brian Barnes St. Pierre
1979 Graham Marsh 283 −5 1 stroke Isao Aoki
Neil Coles
Woburn
1978 Tommy Horton 279 −5 1 stroke Dale Hayes
Graham Marsh
Brian Waites
St. Pierre
1977 Guy Hunt 291 +7 Playoff Brian Barnes Lindrick [28]
1976 Baldovino Dassù 271 −13 1 stroke Hubert Green St. Pierre
1975 Bernard Gallacher (2) 289 +5 2 strokes Dale Hayes Ganton
1974 Bernard Gallacher 282 −2 Playoff Gary Player St. Pierre [29]
1973 Tony Jacklin (2) 272 −12 7 strokes Bob Charles St. Pierre [30]
1972 Bob Charles 277 −11 2 strokes Tony Jacklin Northumberland
1971 Maurice Bembridge 273 −11 2 strokes Peter Oosterhuis St. Pierre [31]
1970 Brian Huggett 293 +9 5 strokes David Graham Royal Lytham & St Annes [32]
1969 Cobie Legrange (2) 281 3 strokes Peter Butler Little Aston [33]
1968 Peter Thomson (2) 274 5 strokes Dave Thomas Sunningdale [34]
1967 Tony Jacklin 274 3 strokes Neil Coles Royal St George's [35][36]
1966 Neil Coles 278 1 stroke Christy O'Connor Snr
Peter Thomson
Lindrick [37]
1965 Bernard Hunt (2) 283 1 stroke Peter Thomson Portmarnock [38]
1964 Cobie Legrange 288 1 stroke Max Faulkner
Ralph Moffitt
Royal Birkdale [39][40]
1963 Bernard Hunt 282 Playoff Ralph Moffitt Little Aston [41]
1962 Dai Rees 278 2 strokes Ralph Moffitt
Peter Thomson
Wentworth [42]
1961 Peter Thomson 284 8 strokes Christy O'Connor Snr Royal Porthcawl [43]
1960 Jimmy Hitchcock 275 2 strokes Max Faulkner
John Jacobs
Bobby Locke
Sunningdale [44]
1959 Christy O'Connor Snr (2) 276 4 strokes Joe Carr (a)
Norman Drew
Portmarnock [45]
1958 Harry Weetman (2) 276 4 strokes Bobby Locke Little Aston [46]
1957 Eric Brown 275 3 strokes Peter Alliss Notts [47]
1956 Christy O'Connor Snr 277 1 stroke Eric Brown Prestwick [48]
1955 Harry Bradshaw (2) 277 4 strokes Henry Cotton Little Aston [49]
1954 Bobby Locke (2) 291 3 strokes Harry Bradshaw Prince's [50]
1953 Harry Bradshaw 272 3 strokes Max Faulkner Sunningdale [51]
1952 Harry Weetman 281 4 strokes Arthur Lees Mere [52]
1951 Max Faulkner 281 4 strokes Reg Horne Wentworth [53]
1950 Dai Rees 281 4 strokes Charlie Ward Royal Liverpool [54]
1949 Charlie Ward 290 Playoff John Burton St Andrews [55][56]
1948 Norman Von Nida 272 2 strokes Fred Daly Sunningdale [57]
1947 Arthur Lees 283 Playoff Norman Von Nida Little Aston [58][59]
1946 Jimmy Adams
Bobby Locke
286 Title shared Stoneham [9][60]

Multiple winners

References

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54°59′10″N 1°48′14″W / 54.986°N 1.804°W / 54.986; -1.804