Sir Nick Faldo this week resumes hosting duties at the Betfred British Masters at The Belfry where both he and former tournament host Luke Donald will have a keen eye on the start of the qualification campaign for the 2025 European Ryder Cup Team.
Faldo returns to the tournament hosting role for the second consecutive year as the DP World Tour’s 2024 season enters its ‘Back 9’ at the renowned venue where Faldo made three of his 11 appearances for Europe in the biennial contest, in 1985, 1989 and 1993.
The six-time Major Champion is keen to see some of the European players get off to a good start as the campaign to make Captain Donald’s 12-man European Team for Bethpage Black next September begins in earnest.
Among those hoping to do that will be Englishman Harry Hall, who is teeing it up on home soil for the first time as a professional after winning the ISCO Championship in July which counts on both the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup and the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai.
“We have a very good field this week," Faldo said. "I’ve got 16 of my Faldo Series alumni as well, a couple of Englishmen, Harry Hall in America, I helped him a little bit last year in Montana. The course looks great. Looks like it had a nice drop of rain -- I thought it might be burnt in August after a baking summer, but we didn't have that. I think we'll have good excitement with the fans and should be a fun week.
“It's week one of Ryder Cup points, and I know with me, I would have been out there. It’s a great chance for somebody. I hope a European guy wins this week, and he's like, good start. Get in there early. Get your points. I'm sure this is a goal, especially after Rome, a big goal of all the players that want to make the next team.”
Donald will have a first-hand vantage point of all of the hopefuls as he returns to the Betfred British Masters for the first time in six years, having previously hosted the tournament at The Grove in 2016.
He is joined in the field by Tyrrell Hatton, one of his team members in Rome in 2023, who is targeting a fourth consecutive Ryder Cup appearance.
The defending champion is New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier who overturned a three shot deficit to win his maiden DP World Tour title 12 months ago.
Meanwhile, Faldo helped to launch this year’s tournament by walking into his host’s press conference with a labrador puppy in training to help raise awareness of Guide Dogs, the Official Charity Partner of the Betfred British Masters. The puppy has been named ‘Faldo’ in honour of the most successful British golfer to have played on the DP World Tour.
"He's called Faldo," Sir Nick Faldo said. "This was actually Lindsay's idea. She's been part of the Humane Society in America for 15 years, and said, "Can we do something?"
"We have five of them back in Montana. I've been a president of the Blind Golfers Society for moons, as I call it. That's our charity this week.
"So this young puppy is only 14 weeks, and he's called Faldo. So he's off to training, takes a couple years, and by the time he's two; and I'm quite shocked so see there's two million blind, people who struggle. So these puppies are an enormous help to them.
"Lindsay is right now with the wives and girlfriends. They have gone to the training centre to see the puppies and lunch. That's our charity this year."
