English Open

The English Open was founded in 1988, replacing the Lawrence Batley International on the tour schedule,{{cite news |title=At last! English get their own Open |newspaper=Irish Independent |date=26 January 1988 |page=15 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001715/19880126/211/0015 |access-date=25 May 2020 |url-access=subscription}} and despite initial sponsorship issues, there were hopes that the new English Open would develop into another major national open on the circuit.{{cite news |title=Promoters to the rescue of English Open |newspaper=The Times |date=28 July 1988 |page=41 |via=The Times Digital Archive |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/IF0503197618/TTDA?u=bli_ttda&sid=TTDA&xid=b0d3263a |access-date=25 May 2020 |url-access=limited}}

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{{cite web |url=https://www.europeantour.com/european-tour/english-open-1988/history |title=English Open History |publisher=PGA European Tour |access-date=25 May 2020}} 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,{{cite news |title=English Open gets under way without Europe's leading six |first=Mitchell |last=Platts |newspaper=The Times |date=29 September 1988 |page=42 |via=The Times Digital Archive |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/IF0500534321/TTDA?u=bli_ttda&sid=TTDA&xid=e9d4fe03 |access-date=25 May 2020 |url-access=limited}} 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/news/newsid=101166.html |title=The English Open to be Played at St Mellion from 2009 |publisher=PGA European Tour |date=19 March 2008 |access-date=6 November 2008}} However early in 2009, due to the impact of the Great Recession, the revival was postponed until 2011 at the earliest.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/7842513.stm |title=Crunch delays golf championships |work=BBC News |date=21 January 2009 |access-date=14 February 2009}} In March 2011 it was announced that the event had been cancelled due to insufficient sponsorship revenue having been raised by the organisers.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/golf/9434091.stm |title=English Open at St Mellion cancelled over lack of funds |work=BBC Sport |date=24 March 2011 |access-date=26 March 2011}}

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".{{cite web |url=https://www.europeantour.com/european-tour/news/articles/detail/european-tour-announces-resumption-of-2020-season/ |title=European Tour announces resumption of 2020 season |publisher=PGA European Tour |date=28 May 2020 |access-date=28 May 2020}} 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.europeantour.com/european-tour/news/articles/detail/hero-motocorp-announced-as-the-title-partner-of-hero-open/ |title=Hero MotoCorp announced as the Title Partner of Hero Open |publisher=PGA European Tour |date=14 July 2020 |access-date=14 July 2020}}

The English Open did return in 2021, however a sponsorship agreement with Cazoo saw the tournament renamed as the Cazoo Classic.{{cite magazine |last=Plummer |first=Barry |title=NCG form expert Barry Plummer picks out three players to challenge for the Cazoo Classic... |url=https://www.nationalclubgolfer.com/news/cazoo-classic-preview-betting-tv-2021/ |magazine=National Club Golfer |access-date=10 August 2021 |date=9 August 2021}} Cazoo's multi-year partnership with the tour also included title sponsorship of the Wales Open.{{cite web |last=Jackson |first=Keith |title=European Tour announces multi-year sponsorship deal with Cazoo |url=https://www.skysports.com/golf/news/12176/12327841/european-tour-announces-multi-year-sponsorship-deal-with-cazoo |work=Sky Sports |access-date=4 August 2021 |date=8 June 2021}}

• Open golf tournament
• English Classic
• Hero Open

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/cazoo-classic-2022/ Coverage on the European Tour's official site]

{{Former European Tour Events}}

Category:Former European Tour events

Category:Golf tournaments in England

Category:1988 establishments in England

Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1988