The English Open returns at The Vale Golf Club, Worcestershire, June 18–21 2026, with a £300,000 prize fund on the HotelPlanner Tour. The tournament targets the DP World Tour schedule in 2028. The revival follows Aaron Rai becoming the first English winner of the US PGA Championship in 107 years.
The DP World Tour and England Golf have announced plans to revive the English Open, one of the sport’s most storied titles. The organizations plan to bring the tournament back on the HotelPlanner Tour in 2026 and 2027, with the stated ambition of returning it to the DP World Tour schedule in 2028.
The “English Open supported by HotelPlanner” will replace the England Golf Challenge and is scheduled for June 18–21 at The Vale Golf Club in Worcestershire. The event will offer a £300,000 prize fund (€347,170). Additional details for 2027 and 2028 are expected later.
The announcement comes shortly after Aaron Rai won the US PGA Championship on May 17, 2026. Rai’s victory – the first by an English golfer at the event since Ted Ray in 1920 – has helped renew attention on English golf among both fans and commercial partners.
The English Open debuted on the then European Tour in 1979, with Seve Ballesteros (1957–2011) as its first winner. Past champions also include several European Ryder Cup captains: Mark James (1989 and 1990), Ian Woosnam (1993), Colin Montgomerie (1994), and Darren Clarke (1999, 2000, and 2002). That history strengthens the commercial and cultural case for a return to the professional calendar.
The revival also aligns with broader investment in golf’s grassroots ecosystem across Europe. The sport’s fan base has expanded since the post-pandemic participation boom and the rise of entertainment-led formats such as TGL.
