Belgian Open Winners; Belgian Knockout Winners and History

Belgian Open Winners; Belgian Knockout Winners and History

Originally known as the Belgian Open, the Belgian Knockout has been re-imagined for 2018 as a combination stroke play/match play competition. Players will compete in 36 holes of stroke play, with the top 64 vying for the title in a series of 9-hole matches. Thomas Pieters will serve as host.

The Belgian Knockout format:

The first two days of the tournament are traditional stroke play rounds. The top 64 players advance to the Saturday knockout rounds. Ties for 64th are broken with a sudden-death playoff Friday evening. Weekend matches are nine holes and single elimination. The first three rounds are on Saturday, with eight players moving on to Sunday.

The Belgian Knockout’s inaugural year comes after a 17 year hiatus for the Belgian Open (2001 – 2017). The first Belgian Open was held in 1910. For obvious reasons, the tournament was sidelined during both World Wars (1915 – 1919; 1940 – 1945). The tournament was also cancelled from 1980 – 1986 and 1995 – 1997

The inaugural Belgian Open was won by Arnaud Massy, France’s only Major winner (1907 Open Championship). Other notable winners include Walter Hagen, Roberto De Vienzo, Nick Faldo and Lee Westwood.

The Belgian Open became an official European Tour event in 1978

A list of Belgian Open and Belgian Knockout Winners Follows

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