The Wales Open was a professional
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...
tournament on the
European Tour
The European Tour (currently known as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons), legally the PGA European Tour is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European Senior Tour (for players aged fift ...
played at the
Celtic Manor Resort
Celtic Manor Resort is a golf, spa and leisure hotel and resort in the city of Newport, Wales, Newport, South East Wales. Owned by Terry Matthews, Sir Terry Matthews, the resort is located on the south-facing side of Christchurch, Newport, Christ ...
. It was played annually from 2000 to 2014, as part of a 15-year deal between the tour and the
Celtic Manor Resort
Celtic Manor Resort is a golf, spa and leisure hotel and resort in the city of Newport, Wales, Newport, South East Wales. Owned by Terry Matthews, Sir Terry Matthews, the resort is located on the south-facing side of Christchurch, Newport, Christ ...
, that included staging the
2010 Ryder Cup. The event was not held from 2015 to 2019 but returned in
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
, following a revamp of the European Tour because of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
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 Noel McGinley (born 16 December 1966) is an Irish professional golfer who has won four events on the European Tour. At the 2002 Ryder Cup, he famously holed a ten-foot putt on the 18th hole in his match against Jim Furyk at The Belfry whic ...
,
Paul Lawrie
Paul Stewart Lawrie (born 1 January 1969) is a Scottish professional golfer who is best known for winning The Open Championship in 1999. He was a vice-captain for the European Ryder Cup team in 2016.
Early career
Lawrie was born in Aberdee ...
and
Daren Lee
Daren Lee (born 10 January 1965) is an England, English professional golfer.
Lee was born in London. He won the silver medal as the leading amateur in The Open Championship at Muirfield in 1992 Open Championship, 1992. He turned professional lat ...
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.
There was another playoff in 2004 when
Paul Casey
Paul Alexander Casey (born 21 July 1977) is an English golfer who is a member of LIV Golf. He has also played on the US-based PGA Tour and the European Tour. In 2009, he achieved his highest position, third, in the Official World Golf Ranking.
...
and
Simon Khan
Simon Khan (born 16 June 1972) is an English professional golfer who plays on the European Tour.
Khan turned professional in 1991 but spent many years struggling to establish his tournament career. His first full season on the European Tour was ...
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.
In 2006,
Robert Karlsson
Robert Karlsson (born 3 September 1969) is a Swedish professional golfer who has played on the European Tour and the PGA Tour, and now plays on the PGA Tour Champions.
Early life
Karlsson was born in Katrineholm, Sweden where his father Björn ...
broke the
European Tour
The European Tour (currently known as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons), legally the PGA European Tour is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European Senior Tour (for players aged fift ...
'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
Phillip Neil Archer (born 17 March 1972) is an English professional golfer.
Career
Archer was born in Warrington. He is best known for shooting a score of 60 in the first round at the Celtic Manor Wales Open in 2006. He had a chance of being the ...
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
Celtic Manor Resort is a golf, spa and leisure hotel and resort in the city of Newport, Wales, Newport, South East Wales. Owned by Terry Matthews, Sir Terry Matthews, the resort is located on the south-facing side of Christchurch, Newport, Christ ...
, 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
Saab or SAAB may refer to:
Brands and enterprises
* Saab Group, a Swedish aerospace and defence company, formerly known as SAAB, and later as Saab AB
** Datasaab, a former computer company, started as spin off from Saab AB
* Saab Automobile, a fo ...
. From 2012 to 2014, the event became the ISPS Handa Wales Open, with
ISPS Handa
(ISPS, also known as ISPS Handa) is a Japanese non-profit organization known for its sponsorship of golf tournaments worldwide, including the PGA Seniors Championship and LPGA Women's Australian Open. ISPS Handa is a member of the Tokyo Sports ...
as the title sponsor, and an initial prize fund in 2012 of
£1.8 million. The event was dropped after 2014.
The tournament returned in
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
as part of a revamp of the European Tour's schedule in response to the impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. The event was 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.
The 2021 event was sponsored by
Cazoo
Cazoo is a British online car retailer based in London, England which was founded in 2018 by Alex Chesterman.
History
Cazoo was founded in 2018 by British internet entrepreneur Alex Chesterman. It launched an online marketplace for used cars in ...
as part of a multi-year sponsorship deal which also included the
English Open
The English Open was a professional golf tournament held in England. First played in 1988, it was an annual event on the European Tour until 2002. After several aborted attempts at reviving the tournament, it returned to the tour schedule in 20 ...
. The event was also backed by international footballer
Gareth Bale
Gareth Frank Bale (born 16 July 1989) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC and the Wales national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wingers of his generation ...
and called the Cazoo Open supported by Gareth Bale.
Course
The event has always been played at
Celtic Manor
Celtic Manor Resort is a golf, spa and leisure hotel and resort in the city of Newport, South East Wales. Owned by Sir Terry Matthews, the resort is located on the south-facing side of Christchurch Hill in eastern Newport, near Junction 24 ...
in
Newport, Wales
Newport ( cy, Casnewydd; ) is a city and Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county borough in Wales, situated on the River Usk close to its confluence with the Severn Estuary, northeast of Cardiff. With a population of 145,700 at the 2 ...
. 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
Winners
Source:
Notes
References
External links
Coverage on the European Tour's official site
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Former European Tour events
Golf tournaments in Wales
Sport in Newport, Wales
Events in Newport, Wales
Recurring sporting events established in 2000
2000 establishments in Wales