Wales Open

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Cazoo Open
Wales Open photo 1.png
Tournament information
LocationNewport, Wales, U.K.
Established2000
Course(s)Celtic Manor Resort
Twenty-Ten Course
Par71
Length7,315 yards (6,689 m)
Tour(s)European Tour
FormatStroke play
Prize fund€1,250,000
Month playedJuly
Tournament record score
Aggregate260 Robert Karlsson (2006)
To par−22 Scott Strange (2008)
Current champion
Spain Nacho Elvira
Location Map
Celtic Manor Resort is located in Wales
Celtic Manor Resort
Celtic Manor Resort
Location in Wales

The Wales Open is a professional golf tournament on the European Tour played at the Celtic Manor Resort. It was played annually from 2000 to 2014, as part of a 15-year deal between the tour and the Celtic Manor Resort, that included staging the 2010 Ryder Cup. The event was not held from 2015 to 2019 but returned in 2020, following a revamp of the European Tour because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

History[]

The 2001 event was reduced to 36 holes because of heavy rain. The third round was cancelled but organisers had hoped to play a third round on the Sunday. However, that was not possible and the result was decided over the first two rounds. Paul McGinley, Paul Lawrie and Daren Lee were tied at 6-under-par and a playoff was arranged on 12th hole, a par 3, which would be played repeatedly until a winner emerged. Lawrie dropped out of the playoff when he bogeyed the hole at the second attempt, McGinley eventually winning when Lee bogeyed the hole at the fifth try.[1]

There was another playoff in 2004 when Paul Casey and Simon Khan tied on 267, 21-under-par. Casey had a bogey six at the second playoff hole after which Khan holed a 3-foot putt for birdie.[2]

In 2006, Robert Karlsson broke the European Tour's 36-hole and 54-hole scoring records by scoring 124 for the first two rounds and 189 for the first three. However, as the Roman Road course was a par-69, rare at the professional level, his scores relative to par were a slightly less remarkable 14-under after two rounds and 18-under after three. Karlsson shot two-over-par for the final round, but still won. In the same year, Phillip Archer scored 60 in the first round, missing a birdie putt on the 18th green.

Sponsorship[]

The event started in 2000 as part of a 15-year deal between the European Tour and the Celtic Manor Resort, that included staging the 2010 Ryder Cup. It was originally known as the Celtic Manor Resort Wales Open, becoming the Celtic Manor Wales Open in 2004.

The 2011 event was called the Saab Wales Open under a one-year deal with Saab.[3] From 2012 to 2014, the event became the ISPS Handa Wales Open, with ISPS Handa as the title sponsor, and an initial prize fund in 2012 of £1.8 million.[4] The event was dropped after 2014.[5]

The tournament returned in 2020 as part of a revamp of the European Tour's schedule in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The event the fourth event of a 6-week "UK Swing", and was again hosted at Celtic Manor and sponsored by ISPS Handa, although with reduced prize money of €1,000,000.[6][7]

The 2021 event was sponsored by Cazoo as part of a multi-year sponsorship deal which also included the English Open.[8] The event was also backed by international footballer Gareth Bale and called the Cazoo Open supported by Gareth Bale.[9]

Course[]

The event has always been played at Celtic Manor in Newport, Wales. From 2000 to 2004 it was played on the Wentwood Hills course. While that course was being redeveloped for the 2010 Ryder Cup, the Wales Open was played from 2005 to 2007 on the par-69 Roman Road course. From 2008, the event has been played on the Ryder Cup Twenty-Ten course.

The 2021 course layout, at the Twenty-Ten Course[10]

Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 In Total
Yards 465 610 189 462 433 452 213 439 580 3,843 210 562 458 189 413 377 477 211 575 3,472 7,315
Metres 425 558 173 422 396 413 195 401 530 3,513 192 514 419 173 378 345 436 193 526 3,176 6,689
Par 4 5 3 4 4 4 3 4 5 36 3 5 4 3 4 4 4 3 5 35 71

Winners[]

Year Winner Score To par Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up Purse (€) Winner's
share (€)
Cazoo Open supported by Gareth Bale
2021 Spain Nacho Elvira 268 −16 Playoff South Africa Justin Harding 1,250,000 191,570
ISPS Handa Wales Open
2020 France Romain Langasque 276 −8 2 strokes Finland Sami Välimäki 1,000,000 156,825
2015−2019: No tournament
2014 Netherlands Joost Luiten 270 −14 1 stroke England Tommy Fleetwood
Republic of Ireland Shane Lowry		 2,254,680 375,780
2013 France Grégory Bourdy 276 −8 2 strokes United States Peter Uihlein 2,101,373 348,660
2012 Thailand Thongchai Jaidee 278 −6 1 stroke Denmark Thomas Bjørn
Spain Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño
Netherlands Joost Luiten
South Africa Richard Sterne		 2,229,228 372,720
Saab Wales Open
2011 Sweden Alex Norén 275 −9 2 strokes France Grégory Bourdy
Denmark Anders Hansen		 2,040,689 344,358
Celtic Manor Wales Open
2010 Northern Ireland Graeme McDowell 269 −15 3 strokes Wales Rhys Davies 2,118,254 350,940
2009 Denmark Jeppe Huldahl 275 −9 1 stroke Sweden Niclas Fasth 2,073,926 343,086
2008 Australia Scott Strange 262 −22 4 strokes Sweden Robert Karlsson 2,270,187 376,671
2007 South Africa Richard Sterne 263 −13 1 stroke Wales Bradley Dredge
Denmark Søren Kjeldsen
Singapore Mardan Mamat
Denmark Mads Vibe-Hastrup		 2,216,194 368,812
2006 Sweden Robert Karlsson 260 −16 3 strokes England Paul Broadhurst 2,177,968 364,352
2005 Spain Miguel Ángel Jiménez 262 −14 4 strokes Sweden Martin Erlandsson
Spain José Manuel Lara		 2,207,900 362,568
2004 England Simon Khan 267 −21 Playoff England Paul Casey 2,274,124 375,092
Celtic Manor Resort Wales Open
2003 England Ian Poulter 270 −18 3 strokes South Africa Darren Fichardt
England Jonathan Lomas
Australia Jarrod Moseley		 2,112,186 347,360
2002 Scotland Paul Lawrie 272 −16 5 strokes England John Bickerton 1,753,869 291,432
2001 Republic of Ireland Paul McGinley 138[a] −6 Playoff Scotland Paul Lawrie
England Daren Lee		 1,228,125 201,685
2000 Denmark Steen Tinning 273 −15 1 stroke England David Howell 1,213,353 199,839
  1. ^ Shortened to 36 holes due to rain.

Source:[11]

References[]

  1. ^ "McGinley wins wet Welsh shoot-out". BBC Sport. 12 August 2001. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  2. ^ Smyth, Helen (7 Jun 2004). "Khan drives Casey to capitulation". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  3. ^ "Saab to sponsor Wales Open golf tournament". WalesOnline. 14 April 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  4. ^ "ISPS Handa to sponsor Wales Open". Today's Golfer. 28 November 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  5. ^ Corrigan, James (19 September 2014). "Wales Open becomes latest professional tournament to bite the dust after being handed last rites by Celtic Manor". The Telegraph. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  6. ^ "European Tour: Six-week 'UK Swing' will start season resumption". BBC Sport. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  7. ^ "ISPS Handa on board to support UK's return to golf as title sponsor of Wales Open and UK Championship". European Tour. 22 July 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  8. ^ "Cazoo partners with European Tour as title sponsor of two UK Swing Tournaments". European Tour. 8 June 2021.
  9. ^ "Football superstar Gareth Bale lends support to 2021 Cazoo Open". European Tour. 2 July 2021.
  10. ^ "Cazoo Open: Course". European Tour. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  11. ^ "History – Cazoo Open supported by Gareth Bale". PGA European Tour. Retrieved 20 July 2021.

External links[]

Coordinates: 51°36′11″N 2°55′59″W / 51.603°N 2.933°W / 51.603; -2.933

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