| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | England |
| Established | 1979 |
| Course(s) | St. Mellion |
| Tour(s) | European Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | € 1,000,000 |
| Month played | August |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 268 Darren Clarke (1999) |
| To par | -20 (as above) |
| Current champion | |
| Darren Clarke (Tournament not held since 2002) |
|
The English Open was a professional golf tournament on the European Tour. In 2009, it was due to be played over the Jack Nicklaus designed Signature Course at the St. Mellion International Resort in Cornwall, after a six year hiatus, but its return to the schedule had to be postponed for at least two years after developers ran into financial difficulties.[1]
In most countries where golf is played there is a national open, but in England this role was effectively filled by The Open Championship, sometimes referred to as the "British Open". The English Open was founded in 1979 as the Lada English Golf Classic, and was held until 1983 at The Belfry. After a five year absence, the tournament returned in 1988 as the English Open. The first event was held at Royal Birkdale, before moving back to The Belfry until 1993 when it moved to the Forest of Arden.
Aside from three years at Hanbury Manor, the English Open remained at the Forest of Arden 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, but by 2005 this was down to 8 out of 47.
The English Open was due to return to the European Tour schedule in 2009, under a five year deal, initially as an alternate event to the PGA Championship, one of professional golf's majors.[2] However early in 2009, the revival was postponed until 2011 at the earliest, after developers ran into financial problems, reportedly as a result of the ongoing recession.[1] In March 2011 it was announced that the event had been cancelled due to insufficient sponsorship revenue having been raised by the organisers.[3]
Only two players have won the tournament more than once; Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland with three victories, and England's Mark James with two.
| Year | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|
| English Open | ||
| 2009–10 | Tournament cancelled[1] | |
| 2003–08 | No tournament | |
| Compass Group English Open | ||
| 2002 | Darren Clarke | 271 (-17) |
| 2001 | Peter O'Malley | 275 (-13) |
| 2000 | Darren Clarke | 275 (-13) |
| 1999 | Darren Clarke | 268 (-20) |
| National Car Rental English Open | ||
| 1998 | Lee Westwood | 271 (-17) |
| Alamo English Open | ||
| 1997 | Per-Ulrik Johansson | 269 (-19) |
| 1996 | Robert Allenby | 278 (-10) |
| Murphy's English Open | ||
| 1995 | Philip Walton | 274 (-14)PO |
| 1994 | Colin Montgomerie | 274 (-14) |
| 1993 | Ian Woosnam | 269 (-19) |
| 1992 | Vicente Fernandez | 283 (-5) |
| NM English Open | ||
| 1991 | David Gilford | 278 (-10) |
| 1990 | Mark James | 284 (-4)PO |
| 1989 | Mark James | 279 (-9) |
| English Open | ||
| 1988 | Howard Clark | 279 (-9) |
| 1984–87 | No tournament | |
| State Express English Classic | ||
| 1983 | Hugh Baiocchi | 279 (-9)PO |
| 1982 | Greg Norman | 279 (-13) |
| 1981 | Rodger Davis | 283 (-5) |
| Mazda Cars English Classic | ||
| 1980 | Manuel Piñero | 286 (-2) |
| Lada English Golf Classic | ||
| 1979 | Seve Ballesteros | 286 (-2) |