| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Kent, England |
| Established | 1978 |
| Tour(s) | European Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | £2,400,000 |
| Final year | 2009 |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 260 Ian Woosnam (1988) |
| To par | -21 Per-Ulrik Johansson (1997) |
| Final champion | |
| Christian Cévaër | |
The European Open was a European Tour golf tournament. Founded in 1978, up to 1994 it was played at various courses in England, including Sunningdale and Walton Heath, except for the 1979 event, which was held at Turnberry in Scotland. Between 1995 and 2007 the tournament was held at the K Club in Straffan, Ireland, before moving again in 2008, this time to the Jack Nicklaus-designed Heritage course at the London Golf Club near Sevenoaks, Kent, England.
It was an important tournament on the Tour, and in 2008 the total prize money was £2.4 million, putting it in the leading group of European Tour events outside of the major championships and the three individual World Golf Championships events.
| Year | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|
| European Open | ||
| 2009 | Christian Cévaër | 281 (-7) |
| 2008 | Ross Fisher | 268 (-20) |
| Smurfit Kappa European Open | ||
| 2007 | Colin Montgomerie | 269 (-11) |
| 2006 | Stephen Dodd | 279 (-9) |
| Smurfit European Open | ||
| 2005 | Kenneth Ferrie | 285 (-3) |
| 2004 | Retief Goosen | 275 (-13) |
| 2003 | Phillip Price | 272 (-16) |
| 2002 | Michael Campbell | 282 (-6) |
| 2001 | Darren Clarke | 273 (-15) |
| 2000 | Lee Westwood | 276 (-12) |
| 1999 | Lee Westwood | 271 (-17) |
| 1998 | Mathias Grönberg | 275 (-13) |
| 1997 | Per-Ulrik Johansson | 267 (-21) |
| 1996 | Per-Ulrik Johansson | 277 (-11) |
| 1995 | Bernhard Langer | 280 (-8)PO |
| European Open | ||
| 1994 | David Gilford | 275 (-13) |
| GA European Open | ||
| 1993 | Gordon Brand, Jnr | 275 (-13) |
| 1992 | Nick Faldo | 262 (-18) |
| 1991 | Mike Harwood | 277 (-11) |
| Panasonic European Open | ||
| 1990 | Peter Senior | 267 (-13) |
| 1989 | Andrew Murray | 277 (-11) |
| 1988 | Ian Woosnam | 260 (-20) |
| 1987 | Paul Way | 279 (-9) |
| 1986 | Greg Norman | 269 (-11)PO |
| 1985 | Bernhard Langer | 269 (-11) |
| 1984 | Gordon Brand, Jnr. | 270 (-10) |
| 1983 | Isao Aoki | 274 (-6) |
| European Open Championship | ||
| 1982 | Manuel Piñero | 266 (-14) |
| Dixcel Tissues European Open | ||
| 1981 | Graham Marsh | 275 (-13) |
| European Open Championship | ||
| 1980 | Tom Kite | 284 (-8) |
| 1979 | Sandy Lyle | 275 (-9) |
| 1978 | Bobby Wadkins | 283 (-5)PO |