The DP World Tour and England Golf announced on Tuesday the return of the historic English Open, one of the most emblematic national tournaments of European golf, with an ambitious plan that foresees its definitive return to the circuit’s main calendar in 2028.
The tournament will be revived this season under the name of English Open supported by HotelPlannerand will form part of the calendar of the HotelPlanner Tour both in 2026 and 2027. Both organisations intend for the championship to step up to the DP World Tour calendar within two years, in 2028.
The first edition of this new stage will be played from 18 to 21 June at The Vale Golf Club, replacing the former England Golf Challenge and with a prize fund increased to £300,000.
Guy Kinnings, chief executive of the DP World Tour, described the announcement as “a significant moment” for the European circuit. “We are delighted to return one of the most prestigious titles in golf to the international scene. National Opens have been for more than 50 years a cornerstone of our international calendar and the return of the English Open reflects that whole heritage”, he explained.
From England Golf, their chief executive Jeremy Tomlinson emphasised the tournament’s importance for the development of future generations of English golfers. “Many of our young players will have the opportunity not only to experience professional golf but also to begin to acclimatise to life on the tour” he said. Additionally, he made clear the shared ambition to recover the tournament for the highest level of European golf: “We want to return the English Open to the main calendar”.
The announcement comes just days after the historic victory of Aaron Rai in the PGA Championship, becoming the first Englishman to win that major in 107 years, a success that has served as a symbolic boost to recover one of the most traditional championships of English golf.
It also carries an obvious nod to Spanish golf. Coinciding with the recent tribute on the 15th anniversary of the death of Seve Ballesteros, the tour recalled that the legendary player from Cantabria was precisely the first champion of the English Open in 1979, when the tournament was part of the then European Tour.
That debut was held at The Belfry, host of nine of the first ten editions of the tournament, before later moving to the Forest of Arden, venue of the last ten editions between 1993 and 2002.
The roll of honour of the English Open also brings together several historic figures of the European Ryder Cup such as Mark James, Ian Woosnam, Colin Montgomerie and Darren Clarke, confirming the historical weight of a tournament that now seeks to reclaim its place in the elite of continental golf.
