British Masters


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 word "British" usually also in the tournament's official name.
The tournament was not held from 2009 to 2014 but returned to the schedule in 2015. The 2015 event was held at Woburn and was won by Matthew Fitzpatrick. Alex Norén won in 2016 at The Grove while Paul Dunne won in 2017 at Close House Golf Club with a record score of 260.

History

The Dunlop Masters was first held in 1946 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 was first played in 1934, the same year as The Masters.
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.
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:
The 1967 event was notable for providing British television with its first live hole in one, as Tony Jacklin aced the 16th hole at Royal St George's.

Winners

;European Tour event
;Pre-European Tour
YearWinnerCountryVenueScoreMargin of
victory		Runner-upRef
1971Maurice BembridgeSt. Pierre G&CC273 2 strokes Peter Oosterhuis
1970Brian HuggettRoyal Lytham & St Annes GC293 5 strokes David Graham
1969Cobie LegrangeLittle Aston GC2813 strokes Peter Butler
1968Peter Thomson Sunningdale GC2745 strokes Dave Thomas
1967Tony JacklinRoyal St George's GC2743 strokes Neil Coles
1966Neil ColesLindrick GC2781 stroke Christy O'Connor Snr
Peter Thomson
1965Bernard Hunt Portmarnock GC2831 stroke Peter Thomson
1964Cobie LegrangeRoyal Birkdale GC2881 stroke Max Faulkner
Ralph Moffitt
1963Bernard HuntLittle Aston GC2824-hole playoff
 Ralph Moffitt
1962Dai ReesWentworth Club2782 strokes Ralph Moffitt
Peter Thomson
1961Peter ThomsonRoyal Porthcawl GC2848 strokes Christy O'Connor Snr
1960Jimmy HitchcockSunningdale GC2752 strokes Max Faulkner
John Jacobs
Bobby Locke
1959Christy O'Connor Snr Portmarnock GC2764 strokes Joe Carr
Norman Drew
1958Harry Weetman Little Aston GC2764 strokes Bobby Locke
1957Eric BrownNotts GC 2753 strokes Peter Alliss
1956Christy O'Connor SnrPrestwick GC2771 stroke Eric Brown
1955Harry Bradshaw Little Aston GC2774 strokes Henry Cotton
1954Bobby Locke Prince's GC2913 strokes Harry Bradshaw
1953Harry BradshawSunningdale GC2723 strokes Max Faulkner
1952Harry WeetmanMere GC2814 strokes Arthur Lees
1951Max FaulknerWentworth Club2814 strokes Reg Horne
1950Dai ReesHoylake2814 strokes Charlie Ward
1949Charlie WardSt Andrews29036-hole playoff
 John Burton
1948Norman Von NidaSunningdale GC2722 strokes Fred Daly
1947Arthur LeesLittle Aston GC28336-hole playoff
 Norman Von Nida
1946Jimmy AdamsStoneham GC286Tie
1946Bobby LockeStoneham GC286Tie

Multiple winners