The English Open is 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.
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, and despite initial sponsorship issues, there were hopes that the new English Open would develop into another major national open on the circuit.
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 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, 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. However early in 2009, due to the impact of the Great Recession, the revival was postponed until 2011 at the earliest. In March 2011 it was announced that the event had been cancelled due to insufficient sponsorship revenue having been raised by the organisers.
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". 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.
The English Open did return in 2021, however a sponsorship agreement with Cazoo saw the tournament renamed as the Cazoo Classic. Cazoo's multi-year partnership with the tour also included title sponsorship of the Wales Open.
In May 2026, it was announced by the Challenge Tour that the English Open would be resurrected as part of the 2026 Challenge Tour schedule. This announcement saw the tournament confirmed for 2026 and 2027, as well as being scheduled to be included on the European Tour in 2028.
Winners YearTourWinnerScoreTo parMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-upVenueEnglish Open 2026 CHA John Catlin 270 −18 Playoff Kristian Krogh Johannessen The Vale2023–2025: No tournamentCazoo Classic 2022 EUR Richie Ramsay 274 −14 1 stroke Paul Waring Hillside 2021 EUR Calum Hill 272 −16 1 stroke Alexander Lévy LondonEnglish Open2010–2020: No tournament 2009 EUR Cancelled due to lack of funding2003–2008: No tournamentCompass Group English Open 2002 EUR Darren Clarke (3) 271 −17 3 strokes Søren Hansen Forest of Arden 2001 EUR Peter O'Malley 275 −13 1 stroke Raphaël Jacquelin Forest of Arden 2000 EUR Darren Clarke (2) 275 −13 1 stroke Michael Campbell Mark James Forest of Arden 1999 EUR Darren Clarke 268 −20 2 strokes John Bickerton Hanbury ManorNational Car Rental English Open 1998 EUR Lee Westwood 271 −17 2 strokes Greg Chalmers Olle Karlsson Hanbury ManorAlamo English Open 1997 EUR Per-Ulrik Johansson 269 −19 2 strokes Dennis Edlund Hanbury Manor 1996 EUR Robert Allenby 278 −10 1 stroke Ross McFarlane Colin Montgomerie Forest of ArdenMurphy's English Open 1995 EUR Philip Walton 274 −14 Playoff Colin Montgomerie Forest of Arden 1994 EUR Colin Montgomerie 274 −14 1 stroke Barry Lane Forest of Arden 1993 EUR Ian Woosnam 269 −19 2 strokes Costantino Rocca The Belfry 1992 EUR Vicente Fernández 283 −5 1 stroke Per-Ulrik Johansson Fredrik Lindgren The BelfryNM English Open 1991 EUR David Gilford 278 −10 2 strokes Roger Chapman The Belfry 1990 EUR Mark James (2) 284 −4 Playoff Sam Torrance The Belfry 1989 EUR Mark James 279 −9 1 stroke Eamonn Darcy Craig Parry Sam Torrance The Belfry English Open 1988 EUR Howard Clark 279 −9 3 strokes Peter Baker Royal Birkdale
See also Open golf tournament English Classic Hero Open
Notes
References
External links Coverage on the European Tour's official site