Open champion Paul Lawrie and six-time Volvo Order of Merit winner Colin Montgomerie head a strong cast in the Victor Chandler British Masters at Woburn this week.
The two Ryder Cup players are joined by fellow Boston-bound team members Lee Westwood, Darren Clarke, Jarmo Sandelin and captain Mark James as the European Tour returns to the popular Duke’s Course for the first time since 1994.
Woburn was the home of the British Masters, now sponsored by bookmaker Victor Chandler, between 1985 and 1994, when the roll of honour included Lee Trevino, Sandy Lyle and Nick Faldo.
Five previous Woburn champions, Seve Ballesteros, Ian Woosnam, Mark McNulty, Peter Baker and James, will all be re-acquainting themselves with the superb Buckinghamshire venue which staged some stirring contests in the past.
Lawrie returns to the fray refreshed from a week off after performing with distinction in the World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational in Akron, where he shared the halfway lead with Paraguay’s Carlos Franco, despite having flown straight into Ohio from the BMW International Open in Munich.
Montgomerie defends the title he won at the Marriott Forest of Arden last year, when he edged out Pierre Fulke and Eduardo Romero by one shot with a seven under par total of 281.
For Westwood and Clarke, the Victor Chandler British Masters represents their final appearance on the European Tour before setting off for the Ryder Cup match at The Country Club at Brookline.
Westwood goes into the tournament in fine fettle after his superb victory after an epic struggle with Thomas Bjorn in the Canon European Masters in Crans-sur-Sierre last Sunday.
Westwood claimed his third successive victory on the European Tour to emulate the feats of Nick Faldo (three times) and Seve Ballesteros.
Another victory at Woburn would see Westwood join those superstars in the history books by winning four in a row. Ballesteros achieved the feat twice, in 1981-82 and 1986 while Faldo's quartet came at the end of the 1988 season and the first two events of 1989.
As Westwood pointed out: "It would be nice to follow Nick and Seve into the history books."
Baker, who played against the Americans in 1993, holds the course record of 63, nine under par, established that same year when he went on to win the British Masters.
Victor Chandler On Course is the United Kingdom’s leading independent bookmaker, and the company has agreed a five year contract with a further five year option to title sponsor the British Masters on the European Tour.
Victor Chandler, the grandson of the company’s founder, said: “This long-term arrangement with the European Tour meets with our strategy to increase awareness of the company’s all-sports betting services. We have followed with interest the globalisation of golf, coupled with the increase in sports betting, and consider the European Tour to be at the forefront of the sport’s expansion programme.
“We were delighted to be offered the opportunity to put the Victor Chandler name to such a prestigious title as the British Masters, and we have entered into a partnership which we intend to further develop well into the new millennium.
“There has been a dramatic increase in sports betting in recent years, and The Victor Chandler British Masters will provide us with the scope to expand our business in this arena and, specifically, to progress our association with golf.”
Prize money for the 1999 Victor Chandler British Masters, co-promoted by the European Tour and IMG (UK) Ltd, will be 1,000,000 euro (£714,286) with a first prize of 166,660 euro (£119,047).
Woburn Golf and Country Club has hosted twelve of the 52 editions of the British Masters and with the opening of The Marquess course in June, 2000, the club will become one of the few 54-hole venues in the United Kingdom.
