The European Tour returns to The Belfry for the 2021 Betfred British Masters hosted by Danny Willett. Here are your five things to know…
Willett hosts the Betfred British Masters
This week’s Betfred British Masters hosted by Danny Willett, now in its 43rd edition, marks the first of nine events set to be held in the United Kingdom on the 2021 Race to Dubai.
Since its return to the European Tour schedule in 2015, the tournament has been hosted by some of British golf’s most recognisable names. Willett now joins that impressive roster, which also includes Ian Poulter at Woburn (2015), Luke Donald at The Grove (2016), Lee Westwood at Close House (2017 and 2020), Justin Rose at Walton Heath (2018) and Tommy Fleetwood at Hillside (2019).
“I’m very excited to be hosting the Betfred British Masters at a very iconic European venue in The Belfry. It’ll be a real honour.” said Willett. “We’ve had some great hosts and some great golf courses, it’s nice to see some of the best courses in Britain that people may not have had the chance to play on.
“I’ve wanted to do it ever since the first one in 2015. I thought the guys hosting it and having their say on a few things was a great idea. I am probably one of the ‘older’ players on Tour having been here for 11 years, so it’s a real honour to be able to host an event.”
A return to The Belfry
The Betfred British Masters hosted by Danny Willett is making its return to The Belfry for the first time since Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño’s play-off victory over Lee Westwood in 2008.
It was also be the 18th time the Belfry has staged a European Tour event, the most recent of which was the ISPS Handa UK Championship during the 2020 UK Swing, which was won by Denmark’s Rasmus Højgaard.
But it will be a slightly different test - the par 72 Brabazon Course has undergone a number of changes ahead of this week’s event.
“Ahead of the tournament, The Brabazon, which opened at The Belfry over 40 years ago has undergone a number of enhancements to bring it up to date with new technologies and to make it more challenging,” said Chris Eigelaar, Resort General Manager at The Belfry Hotel & Resort.
“The 160-acre course has been lengthened to 7,310 yards from 7,255 yards, and has received updates to the eight, tenth and 18th holes which bring the prominent hazards back into play. The update also introduces new additional fourth tees to greatly improve the golfing experience while remaining a par 72 course.”
U.S. Open Qualification
The top ten aggregate Race to Dubai points earners (not otherwise exempt) from the Betfred British Masters hosted by Danny Willett (May 12-15), Made in HimmerLand presented by FREJA (May 27-30) and the Porsche European Open (June 3-6) will earn a place at the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.
Traditional qualifying will again not take place this year due to the continued impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ryder Cup Qualification
The Betfred British Masters hosted by Danny Willett also marks the next stage in Ryder Cup qualification, in which all points earned on the European and World Points lists will be multiplied by two. The qualification period ends on Sunday September 12, the weekend of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
As it currently stands, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton and Rory McIlroy would qualify through the European Points List, while Viktor Hovland, Lee Westwood, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Victor Perez and Paul Casey would qualify through the World Points List.
PROSTATE CANCER UK selected as official charity
Tournament host Danny Willett has selected Prostate Cancer UK as the official charity of the 2021 Betfred British Masters.
Willett is a long-term supporter of Prostate Cancer UK and chose the United Kingdom-based charity after hearing of the inspiring work of fellow Yorkshireman John Brownless, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2004. Brownless has raised more than £50,000 for the charity over the last seven years by organising golf days in England and Spain.
Willett now proudly sports the ‘Man of Men’ badge on his golf bag as he shows his support to Brownless and the 400,000 men affected by prostate cancer in the United Kingdom – raising awareness of the disease across the globe.
Tournament title sponsor Betfred has pledged to donate £1,000 for every birdie and £2,000 to Prostate Cancer UK for every eagle Danny Willett makes during this year’s tournament.
Betfred will also donate £50,000 to Prostate Cancer UK for the first hole-in-one by a professional on the 14th hole – the same hole that Sir Nick Faldo famously made an ace at The 1993 Ryder Cup.
In addition, range balls used this week will be donated to the PGA Golf Academy at The Belfry.
Visit prostatecanceruk.org to find out more
@ProstateUK #MenWeAreWithYou
