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British Masters prize
fund increased to £800,000
The 2000 British Masters
at Woburn will have an increased prize pot of £800,000 (1,296,000 euros),
up £100,000, with the winner scooping nearly £133,300, after a cash
injection from the tournament sponsor Victor Chandler.
The UK bookmaker
Victor Chandler On Course provided the backing for the event for the first time
last year, won by American Bob Tway, and they have also agreed to be official
European Tour bookies for the next five years.
"The first
Victor Chandler British Masters demonstrated our desire to further progress this
prestigious tournament, " said Victor Chandler, grandson of the company's founder.
The total
prize fund puts the British Masters in line with tournaments such as the English
Open, and the French Open, but it still lags behind events such as the Benson
and Hedges International Open, and the Deutsche Bank-SAP Open in Germany, which
offers a purse of 2,700,000 euros.
The European
Tour's most lucrative tournament so far this season has been the WGC-Andersen
Consulting Matchplay championship, won by Darren Clarke who pocketed over £600,000
(over 5million euros).
Ken Schofield,
executive director of the European Tour, however, said they were delighted with
the deal struck.
"The British
Masters has a superb history, stretching back to 1946, and we look forward to
the 54th edition at Woburn Golf and Country Club," he said.
The British
Masters has a prestigious list of past winners including seve Ballesteros, Bob
Charles, Nick Faldo, Tony Jacklin, Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle, Greg Norman,
Lee Trevino, Peter Thompson and Colin Montgomerie.
The tournament
is scheduled for August 10-13 at Woburn, Milton Keynes.
