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.

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
Denmark Niklas Nørgaard
Location map
The Belfry is located in England
The Belfry
The Belfry
Location in England
The Belfry is located in Warwickshire
The Belfry
The Belfry
Location in Warwickshire

History

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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

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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

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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

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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

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References

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