European Tour 2017 Race to Dubai champion Tommy Fleetwood is the host next year’s British Masters at Hillside Golf Club in Lancashire.
Fleetwood, will be following in the footsteps of fellow countrymen Ian Poulter, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and most recently, Justin Rose, as the tournament host of the revived tournament, which was held at Walton Heath in Surrey last month.
Fleetwood will be very much the home town hero at Hillside, having grown up in Merseyside, and the current world No.10 is already excited at the prospect of playing the role of host when the British Masters moves to its new date in May.
“I can’t wait to host the British Masters in my home town,” said Fleetwood. “It will be such an honour and I’m so grateful to have been asked. I’m extremely proud to follow the great ambassadors of our game who have hosted this tournament. I am very confident that Southport will make everyone welcome and the north west of England, and its love of golf, will embrace this opportunity and show support to us all.”
The British Masters hosted by Tommy Fleetwood will mark the European Tour’s first visit to Hillside since 1982 when Tony Jacklin won the Sun Alliance PGA Championship – the precursor to the BMW PGA Championship – beating his fellow Ryder Cup Captain Bernhard Langer in a play-off. Hillside also played host to the European Tour in its inaugural season in 1972, when Tommy Horton won the Piccadilly Medal, and the following year when former Tour Chairman Neil Coles won the PGA Match Play title. It was also utilised by the R&A as a Final Qualifying venue for the Open Championship from 2014 to 2017.