The Debrief: Betfred British Masters hosted by Lee Westwood

Everything you need to know from this week's event in Newcastle hosted by Lee Westwood, where Renato Paratore claimed his second European Tour title.

Renato reigns supreme

The four month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic was Paratore's gain as the Italian cruised to his second European Tour victory at Close House Golf Club as he edged out Dane Rasmus Højgaard by three strokes.

The 23-year-old dropped only two shots, which came in tricky conditions during the final round, in the north east of England as his consistency proved dividends to add to his Nordea Masters crown in 2017.

"I'm just really, really happy," Paratore said. "I played really solid. I didn't expect to come back and win my second one after lockdown but I worked really hard the last year."

There may not have been any fans to see the triumph but Paratore was greeted by a videocall from his mother and was also given a guard of honour from his fellow European Tour players as he walked off the 18th green.

"It was really amazing," he said. "I didn't expect that from my friends here on Tour and it was a really good sensation and these are the moments I love.

"To see my mama was a big surprise and I was really, really happy."

Højgaard goes close again

The 19-year-old already has one European Tour title to his name and he was Paratore's closest challenger to continue his impressive start to his career.

The Dane's second placed finish in Newcastle added to his impressive sixth at the Oman Open earlier this season and tasted success when he defeated Paratore in a play-off victory to secure the AFRASIA BANK Mauritius Open last December.

As a result of his efforts, Højgaard climbed up to eighth in the 2020 Race to Dubai Rankings Presented by Rolex.

“It was a lot tougher," he said. "The wind really picked up and it was hard to control the flight sometimes, but I put in a good fight out there and happy to get around in one under.

“The first three rounds, I would not say it was easy but it was much easier to control and get yourself in a good position. You had short irons for a lot of the holes and it was just tough this round. I struggled a bit at the start, couldn’t really get anything going."

#GolfforGood was the real winner

Jack Senior claimed the first hole-in-one of his European Tour career to secure a £50,000 donation from Betfred to the tournament’s Official Charity, the Sir Graham Wylie Foundation.

Senior holed his tee shot from 176 yards with a seven iron at the par three 14th hole on Friday to earn the charity donation from the title sponsor, who are supporting the European Tour’s #GolfForGood initiative.

The money will be used to fund projects helping people impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. “It ended up just being a really good number,” said Senior.

“My caddie and I talked about the wind, it came up a bit and that made it a comfortable seven iron for me. It pitched about six inches short, one bounce past and it just swung back in there. I was fortunate that it ended up in the cup and it was a great shot. Obviously there was no crowd there to cheer it but I celebrated with my playing partner Guido Migliozzi and there were a few people down the green there who told me it went in, so it was a great feeling. It’s also fantastic to be able to give £50,000 to charity for one golf shot. It’s incredible really.”

The #GolfforGood initiative raised over £100,000 in total for the event's Official Charity.

On top of the title sponsor's donation, Betfred also added £16,000 for tournament host Lee Westwood's 16 birdies over the week while the European Tour donated £50,000.

Coronavirus combated effectively

The European Tour returned fully in Newcastle and the efforts from Close House Golf Club and event organisers were widely appreciated to ensure everyone's safety in the north east.

No stone has been left unturned by the European Tour in an effort to prevent the spread of the disease, with a Health Strategy developed by European Tour Chief Medical Officer Dr. Andrew Murray and various advisers from across the spectrum of countries in which the Tour plays.

The Strategy includes a programme of symptom checking, testing, social distancing and enhanced hygiene directives, all within a "Tournament Bubble".

Players are also required to travel, work, relax and dine with one other person only, and stay within designated hotels during the six events that make up the UK Swing.

Former World Number One Lee Westwood was amongst those to hail the efforts of everyone involved.

“The Tour and Close House have done an amazing job,” he said. “When we turned up on Monday I was surprised how thorough everything was.

“I knew we were going to be on lockdown but the testing protocol we have all been through has been a success. I don’t think anybody has tested positive so hopefully they will carry on next week."

Jiménez almost caps European Tour record in style

Miguel Ángel Jiménez is no stranger to making European Tour history and the veteran Spaniard was at it again this week, equalling a long-standing record by joining Sam Torrance on 706 appearances.

The 56-year-old enjoyed a solid week at Close House, producing two rounds of 68 to finish on three under par.

He very nearly added another hole-in-one to his impressive collection on Thursday with this fine tee-shot...