English Open

Last updated

Cazoo Classic
Cazoo Classic.png
Tournament information
Location Southport, Merseyside, England
Established1988
Course(s) Hillside Golf Club
Par72
Length7,109 yards (6,500 m)
Tour(s) European Tour
Format Stroke play
Prize fund €1,750,000
Month playedJuly
Final year2022
Tournament record score
Aggregate268 Darren Clarke (1999)
To par−20 as above
Final champion
Flag of Scotland.svg Richie Ramsay
Location map
England relief location map.jpg
Icona golf.svg
Hillside GC
Location in England
Merseyside UK relief location map.jpg
Icona golf.svg
Hillside GC
Location in Merseyside

The English Open was a professional golf tournament held in England. First played in 1988, it was an annual event on the European Tour until 2002. After several aborted attempts at reviving the tournament, it returned to the tour schedule in 2021, when it was titled as the Cazoo Classic.

Contents

Winners of the tournament include some of the most successful players in European Tour history including Mark James, Ian Woosnam, Colin Montgomerie, Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke. James and Clarke are the only two players to have won the title more than once.

History

The English Open was founded in 1988, replacing the Lawrence Batley International on the tour schedule, [1] and despite initial sponsorship issues, there were hopes that the new English Open would develop into another major national open on the circuit. [2]

After the first event, which was held at Royal Birkdale, the Brabazon course at The Belfry was home to the tournament until 1993, when it moved to the Forest of Arden. It was then played at Hanbury Manor between 1997 and 1999, before returning to the Forest of Arden [3] until the tournament was cancelled following the 2002 season as part of long-term plans for the European Tour to expand globally, by reducing the number of tournaments held in Europe, especially the United Kingdom. In the tour's first official season in 1972 12 out of 20 events were staged in the UK; by 1988 the ratio was 11 to 15, [4] but by 2005 this was down to 8 out of 47.

After a six-year hiatus the English Open was due to return to the European Tour schedule in 2009. A five-year deal with the tour had been agreed, with the tournament being played over the Jack Nicklaus designed Signature Course at the St. Mellion International Resort in Cornwall, initially an alternate event to the PGA Championship, one of professional golf's majors. [5] However early in 2009, due to the impact of the Great Recession, the revival was postponed until 2011 at the earliest. [6] In March 2011 it was announced that the event had been cancelled due to insufficient sponsorship revenue having been raised by the organisers. [7]

The tournament was due to return in 2020 as part of a revamp of the European Tour's schedule in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was played at Forest of Arden Hotel and Country Club as part of a 6-week "UK Swing". [8] When Hero MotoCorp agreed to sponsor of the scheduled event in July 2020, it was renamed as the Hero Open, and later separated historically from the English Open. [9]

The English Open did return in 2021, however a sponsorship agreement with Cazoo saw the tournament renamed as the Cazoo Classic. [10] Cazoo's multi-year partnership with the tour also included title sponsorship of the Wales Open. [11]

Winners

YearWinnerScoreTo parMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-upVenue
Cazoo Classic
2022 Flag of Scotland.svg Richie Ramsay 274−141 stroke Flag of England.svg Paul Waring Hillside
2021 Flag of Scotland.svg Calum Hill 272−161 stroke Flag of France.svg Alexander Lévy London
English Open
2010–2020: No tournament
2009 Cancelled due to lack of funding
2003–2008: No tournament
Compass Group English Open
2002 Ulster Banner.svg Darren Clarke (3)271−173 strokes Flag of Denmark.svg Søren Hansen Forest of Arden
2001 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Peter O'Malley 275−131 stroke Flag of France.svg Raphaël Jacquelin Forest of Arden
2000 Ulster Banner.svg Darren Clarke (2)275−131 stroke Flag of New Zealand.svg Michael Campbell
Flag of England.svg Mark James 		Forest of Arden
1999 Ulster Banner.svg Darren Clarke 268−202 strokes Flag of England.svg John Bickerton Hanbury Manor
National Car Rental English Open
1998 Flag of England.svg Lee Westwood 271−172 strokes Flag of Australia (converted).svg Greg Chalmers
Flag of Sweden.svg Olle Karlsson 		Hanbury Manor
Alamo English Open
1997 Flag of Sweden.svg Per-Ulrik Johansson 269−192 strokes Flag of Sweden.svg Dennis Edlund Hanbury Manor
1996 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Robert Allenby 278−101 stroke Flag of England.svg Ross McFarlane
Flag of Scotland.svg Colin Montgomerie 		Forest of Arden
Murphy's English Open
1995 Flag of Ireland.svg Philip Walton 274−14Playoff Flag of Scotland.svg Colin Montgomerie Forest of Arden
1994 Flag of Scotland.svg Colin Montgomerie 274−141 stroke Flag of England.svg Barry Lane Forest of Arden
1993 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Ian Woosnam 269−192 strokes Flag of Italy.svg Costantino Rocca The Belfry
1992 Flag of Argentina.svg Vicente Fernández 283−51 stroke Flag of Sweden.svg Per-Ulrik Johansson
Flag of Sweden.svg Fredrik Lindgren 		The Belfry
NM English Open
1991 Flag of England.svg David Gilford 278−102 strokes Flag of England.svg Roger Chapman The Belfry
1990 Flag of England.svg Mark James (2)284−4Playoff Flag of Scotland.svg Sam Torrance The Belfry
1989 Flag of England.svg Mark James 279−91 stroke Flag of Ireland.svg Eamonn Darcy
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Craig Parry
Flag of Scotland.svg Sam Torrance 		The Belfry
English Open
1988 Flag of England.svg Howard Clark 279−93 strokes Flag of England.svg Peter Baker Royal Birkdale

See also

Related Research Articles

The European Tour, currently titled as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons, and legally the PGA European Tour or the European Tour Group, is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European Senior Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour; the second tier of men's professional golf in Europe. The tour's headquarters are at the Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England. The European Tour was established by the British-based Professional Golfers' Association through the 1970s, and responsibility was transferred to an independent PGA European Tour organisation in 1984.

PGA Tour Canada, commonly referred to as the Canadian Tour, was a men's professional golf tour headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. The United States based PGA Tour took over operation of the tour on November 1, 2012, at which time it was renamed PGA Tour Canada. In 2015, Mackenzie Investments became the umbrella sponsor of the tour, branding it as the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada.

The PGA Tour of Australasia, currently titled as the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia for sponsorship reasons, is a professional golf tour for men, owned and operated by the PGA of Australia. Official events on the tour count for World Golf Ranking points. The tour is recognised as being founded in 1973 when the PGA of Australia instituted an Order of Merit. Despite always including at least one tournament in New Zealand, the tour was known as the PGA Tour of Australia until it adopted its current name in 1991 following the inclusion of three events in Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish Open (golf)</span> Golf tournament

The Genesis Scottish Open is a professional golf tournament in Scotland, and is one of five tournaments that are part of the Rolex Series, which identifies it as one of the European Tour's premier events. It has been played on various courses, but in recent years it has been played on a links course, appealing to players who wish to gain experience before The Open, which takes place in the following week.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hero World Challenge</span> Golf tournament

The Hero World Challenge is a golf tournament hosted by Tiger Woods, which takes place each December. It features a small number of top-ranked golf pros. The tournament is a benefit for the Tiger Woods Foundation. The event is part of the PGA Tour schedule, but does not offer FedEx Cup points or official money as it is an unofficial event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wales Open</span> Golf tournament

The Wales Open was a professional golf tournament on the European Tour played at the Celtic Manor Resort. It was played annually from 2000 to 2014, as part of a 15-year deal between the tour and the Celtic Manor Resort, that included staging the 2010 Ryder Cup. The event was not held from 2015 to 2019 but returned in 2020, following a revamp of the European Tour because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Buick Open was a PGA Tour golf tournament from 1958 to 2009. In 2007, the tournament was held at the end of June, a change from its traditional spot between The Open Championship and the PGA Championship. Regardless, many prominent players used it as a "tune-up" for the subsequent major.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valspar Championship</span> Golf tournament in Palm Harbor, Florida, US

The Valspar Championship is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, played annually on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, north of St. Petersburg, Florida.

The Cannes Open was a men's professional golf tournament that was played annually from 1979 to 1998. From 1984 it was an event on the European Tour, and returned to the schedule as a one-off event in 2001 to replace the Estoril Open, which was cancelled by organisers due to security concerns following the 9/11 attacks in the United States.

The National, originally titled for sponsorship reasons as the AT&T National and later as the Quicken Loans National, was a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour from 2007 to 2018. It was hosted by Tiger Woods and benefited the Tiger Woods Foundation. It was usually held either in late June or during the Fourth of July weekend in the Washington, D.C. area, except for 2010 and 2011 when it was held near Philadelphia.

The St Mellion Estate, formerly St Mellion International Resort, is a hotel with golf and other recreational facilities in the parish of St Mellion, near Saltash, in east Cornwall.

The 2009 European Tour was the 38th season of the European Tour, the main professional golf tour in Europe since its inaugural season in 1972.

The 1988 European Tour, titled as the 1988 Volvo Tour for sponsorship reasons, was the 17th season of the European Tour, the main professional golf tour in Europe since its inaugural season in 1972.

The 2015 European Tour was the 44th season of the European Tour, the main professional golf tour in Europe since its inaugural season in 1972.

The 2020 European Tour was the 49th season of the European Tour, the main professional golf tour in Europe since its inaugural season in 1972.

The 2020–21 PGA Tour of Australasia, titled as the 2020–21 ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia for sponsorship reasons, was the 47th season on the PGA Tour of Australasia, the main professional golf tour in Australia and New Zealand since it was formed in 1973.

The 2020–21 PGA Tour Champions season was the 41st season of PGA Tour Champions, the main professional golf tour in the United States for men aged 50 and over.

The Hero Open was a professional golf tournament played on the European Tour. The event was created as part of the tour's overhaul in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. It was originally planned as a revival of the English Open, but after Hero MotoCorp agreed sponsorship of the event in July 2020, the event was effectively separated.

The 2022 European Tour, titled as the 2022 DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons, was the 51st season of the European Tour, the main professional golf tour in Europe since its inaugural season in 1972.

The 2023 European Tour, titled as the 2023 DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons, was the 52nd season of the European Tour, the main professional golf tour in Europe since its inaugural season in 1972.

References

  1. ↑ "At last! English get their own Open" . Irish Independent. 26 January 1988. p. 15. Retrieved 25 May 2020– via British Newspaper Archive.
  2. ↑ "Promoters to the rescue of English Open" . The Times. 28 July 1988. p. 41. Retrieved 25 May 2020– via The Times Digital Archive.
  3. ↑ "English Open History". PGA European Tour. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  4. ↑ Platts, Mitchell (29 September 1988). "English Open gets under way without Europe's leading six" . The Times. p. 42. Retrieved 25 May 2020– via The Times Digital Archive.
  5. ↑ "The English Open to be Played at St Mellion from 2009". PGA European Tour. 19 March 2008. Retrieved 6 November 2008.
  6. ↑ "Crunch delays golf championships". BBC News. 21 January 2009. Retrieved 14 February 2009.
  7. ↑ "English Open at St Mellion cancelled over lack of funds". BBC Sport. 24 March 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
  8. ↑ "European Tour announces resumption of 2020 season". PGA European Tour. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  9. ↑ "Hero MotoCorp announced as the Title Partner of Hero Open". PGA European Tour. 14 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  10. ↑ Plummer, Barry (9 August 2021). "NCG form expert Barry Plummer picks out three players to challenge for the Cazoo Classic..." National Club Golfer. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  11. ↑ Jackson, Keith (8 June 2021). "European Tour announces multi-year sponsorship deal with Cazoo". Sky Sports. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.