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Tournament preview
Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald will tee it up at The Belfry Hotel & Resort this week as the qualification process for the 2027 European Ryder Cup team gets under way at the Husqvarna British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo.
Donald will attempt to become the first captain in Ryder Cup history to win three consecutive matches at Adare Manor in 2027, following his triumphs in Rome in 2023, and New York last year.
The former World Number One is playing in just his third DP World Tour event of 2026, and while looking forward to the Ryder Cup process starting again this week, he’s equally as eager to be getting his clubs out and playing in front of a home crowd.
Eight-time DP World Tour winner Tyrrell Hatton was part of both winning teams under Donald, and he will be looking to make a strong start on the Ryder Cup points list ahead of his sixth British Masters appearance.
The World Number 23 has five Rolex Series titles to his name, including the 2020 BMW PGA Championship, as he looks to add a second victory on home soil this week.
Marco Penge is relishing the prospect of teeing it up in front of his home fans in Sutton Coldfield. The Englishman picked up the Seve Ballesteros Award after a brilliant 2025 campaign that saw him win three DP World Tour titles and finish second to Rory McIlroy on the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World to secure dual membership on the PGA TOUR.
The Husqvarna British Masters marks the start of the Back 9 phase of the 2026 Race to Dubai, as the end of the season comes into focus and it’s All to Play For. This is the third of five regular DP World Tour events to be held in the United Kingdom in 2026 after the Genesis Scottish Open and Nexo Championship, while the BMW PGA Championship and Alfred Dunhill Links Championship will follow later in the Back 9.
Guide Dogs has been named as the Official Charity Partner of the Husqvarna British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo for the third consecutive year. Tournament Title Partner Husqvarna has pledged to support the fundraising efforts and will donate £50,000 for the first hole-in-one made by a professional on the iconic par three 14th hole, the same hole that tournament host Sir Nick Faldo recorded an ace during the 1993 Ryder Cup.
Quotes
Luke Donald: I think obviously it’s the kick-off again for another qualification for the Ryder Cup at Adare next year, and I’m looking forward to playing myself again.
I haven’t played much this year but looking forward to dusting off the clubs and seeing how I do. But obviously being back here and seeing the qualification kick off is fun. It kind of makes everything feel like we’re getting closer again to Adare next year.
I think we always enjoyed, growing up on these shores, coming back home and playing in front of great crowds. Obviously, The Belfry has some iconic, memorable stories for me as a kid, watching Ryder Cups, obviously, and quite relevant to how I find my position as captain now.
I think whenever qualification period kicks in, especially as I remember as a player, you know, it’s sort of like almost like a reset. You’ve a different focus, different goals. You suddenly have something else to play for week-in, week-out, not just the event. I know the guys will be looking forward to getting started, earning points and trying to make that team.
Marco Penge: It’s one of the tournaments that when you start the season, you’re looking forward to the most. Great to be back playing in front of a home crowd and on home turf. Yeah, it’s good.
After I had a break, my body has been pretty good. Physically I’m kind of still fighting stuff which is a bit annoying but just kind of part of the process of trying to get over that, and it’s kind of a matter of time. I think by the end of this year, I’ll be feeling myself again. I’m just having to do a lot of management, not playing too much, even though I’d like to play every week, but yeah, it’s not possible at the moment.
The Ryder Cup is the pinnacle of golf, and especially European golf. It would be great to be a part of that team, especially after kind of just missing out in the last one.
I’d like to have played all of the back nine events over here instead of playing over in the fall in America but unfortunately, I haven’t earned the rights to be missing events on the PGA TOUR to come back and play. I will have a little bit of a delayed start in terms of trying to get points, but you know, good golf does the talking, and we still have quite a long time before the qualification finishes.
Tyrrell Hatton: It’s a big week with the Ryder Cup points starting again. I played here two years ago, and I was happy to be able to be here and get some points on the board early.
When I played here two years ago, it was the first time I had played it. So I wouldn’t say I was overly familiar with it. A few of the holes are iconic, certainly, from the Ryder Cup. It’s a tricky golf course. You certainly have to drive the ball really well around here. It’s sneaky difficult off the tee. Hopefully keep ball in play this week.
I mean, I’ve generally started to play some decent golf around this time of year. There’s a lot of exciting events coming up, and I hope that he can play well at the back end of this year. I’ve still got six events till my season finishes. Hopefully I can finish strong.
Sir Nick Faldo: I’m very excited and the event continues to get bigger and better. We have a new title sponsor, Husqvarna. As you can see, it’s all looking very cool out there. Obviously the fairways are cut beautifully with the automated robots. Very clever stuff, isn’t it.
And we have a few bigger and better players in the field. Obviously delighted that we are book-ending Ryder Cup points. That’s absolutely fantastic for the event.
I was here when they first opened The Belfry way back when the trees were that not very high and that thin. So that’s the big difference. But of course the Ryder Cups: ’85 was huge for that win and obviously the tie. I was here for the tie in ’89. It’s a great venue for the Ryder Cup. Great atmosphere. You know, everything is so contained, so when you have just four matches moving around the golf course, you can feel the vibes from the other matches. That’s all part of the Ryder Cup, isn’t it.
It’s great to have Guide Dogs on board again as the Official Charity. It was Lindsay, my wife’s idea. She does a lot of work in America for helping animals and what have you, and obviously we have five dogs at home, and she introduced me to a lot of dogs. Then we heard about the Guide Dogs and how important they are, and the training is a lot more expensive than people realise. It’s like £40,000 to train up a dog.
We thought, well, let’s try and make an effort to make a few more. It’s a much-needed thing. They are so important, because the dogs are so clever, helping somebody else’s life. They are their eyes, and in a way, more than that, emotion, as well, I should imagine.
Venue: The Belfry Hotel & Resort, Sutton Coldfield, England
2025 Champion: Alex Noren (SWE)
Prize Fund: $3,500,000
Race to Dubai: Tournament 32 of 42
Back 9: Tournament 1 of 9
Race to Dubai Points: 5,000
Ryder Cup Points: 1,500