The British Masters is to be given a huge facelift and massive cash injection following an agreement reached between The European Tour and International Sports Management.
ISM, part of the rapidly expanding Sports Resource Group, is to promote the British Masters for the next three years and intends to turn it into one of the biggest, best and most eagerly anticipated events on The European Tour International Schedule.
“We are both proud and excited to be part of the British Masters and we will do everything we can to ensure it is one of the tournaments all the Tour’’s top players want to take part in,” said ISM chief Andrew ‘Chubby’’ Chandler.
“This move highlights ISM’’s commitment not only to The European Tour, but also to the game in general,” added Chandler.
The event which marked Justin Rose’’s first professional win in Britain in June, 2002, will have a new venue, date and increased prize money when The European Tour International Schedule is announced in the near future.
The Marriott Forest of Arden, Warwickshire, England, will host the British Masters on June 5-8, 2003, with a prize fund of £1.5 million (2,352,525 euro) and a first prize of £250,000 (392,000 euro).
“We are hoping that Justin will defend his title when we move from Woburn to the Marriott Forest of Arden,” said Chandler, who is expected to announce sponsorship agreements with one of Britain’’s top media concerns plus a global communications company in the near future.
Ken Schofield, Executive Director of The European Tour, said: “The British Masters, first played in 1946, has been a feature of the development of The European Tour and we congratulate Andrew Chandler and International Sports Management on their initiative to further enhance the event and increase the prize money. We are delighted that the British Masters will be returning to the Marriott Forest of Arden where Tour competition has been staged since 1993 and where, indeed, the British Masters was held in 1997 and 1998.”
The initiative has already received the support of European Ryder Cup star Darren Clarke, who has welcomed the switch to one of his favourite courses.
“It’’s good to see the British Masters elevated in such a way,” said Clarke. “I’’m already looking forward to taking part particularly since I always seem to play well at the Marriott Forest of Arden.”
