The Compass Group English Open returns to the Marriott Forest of Arden Hotel this week with European Tour Number One Darren Clarke defending the title.
Twelve months ago the Ulsterman shot a closing round of 68 to claim the title with a 20-under-par 268 at Marriott Hanbury Manor, two ahead of England's John Bickerton. Clarke had opened up a five-shot lead with a magnificent third round of 65 but had to call on all his experience to hold off Bickerton's challenge. Clarke's lead was reduced to one until birdies at the 12th and 15th sealed his fifth European Tour title.
Earlier this season Clarke added the WGC - Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship to his list of titles when he defeated World No.1 Tiger Woods in the final. Following his joint second place finish in the Volvo PGA Championship, Clarke is again firing on all cylinders but faces a strong challenge from Europe's finest players.
Volvo PGA Champion Colin Montgomerie won the English Open over the Arden Course in 1994 and also claimed the British Masters title there in 1998, the last time the Marriott Forest of Arden Hotel hosted a European Tour event.
Also in the field is Lee Westwood, the 1998 champion who is in fine form following his victory in the Deutsche Bank - SAP Open TPC of Europe and joint second at Wentworth Club, Michael Campbell and seven other champions from the 2000 season.
Among the invitees this week is Simon Dyson, winner of two events in the past three weeks on the Davidoff Tour in Asia, making his first European Tour appearance in England. The 22-year-old Yorkshireman, a member of the victorious Great Britian and Ireland Walker Cup side last September and runner-up in last year’s English Amateur Championship, became only the third player in Davidoff Tour history to win back-to-back titles when he won both the Macau Open and the Volvo China Open.
The inaugural English Open was won by Seve Ballesteros and during a four-year stay from 1993 at Marriott Forest of Arden Hotel, the title was captured by Ian Woosnam, Montgomerie, Philip Walton and Robert Allenby. The Marriott Forest of Arden Hotel, situated in Meriden, Warwickshire also hosted the British Masters in 1997 and 1998 when the winners were Greg Turner and Montgomerie.
Since then Marriott have invested £750,000 in remodelling the Arden Course over the past 18 months with the first, fourth and 14th greens having been re-built to increase the size and introduce more intricate contouring.
