Ian Poulter headlines British Masters

Ian Poulter will hope familiarity is key as he attempts to find the "killer instinct" to end a near three-year trophy drought at the British Masters this weekend.

Englishman Poulter has not won on any tour since lifting the WGC-HSBC Champions title in November 2012.

However, the British Masters - returning to the European Tour calendar for the first time since 2008 - is being held at his home course of Woburn Golf Club, where he has been a member for the last 12 years.

And Poulter, runner-up to Justin Rose when the course last hosted the event in 2002, is confident that he can return to winning ways.

"It's [not winning] hurt a lot," Poulter said. "I'm not getting any younger and the guys are getting younger and better.

"It's been difficult and that's hard to take as someone that has pride in himself, in winning a lot of consecutive years in a row.

"But the only way of dealing with that properly is going out there and win. I need to do that. I expect myself to do that and I would expect myself to do that pretty soon."

Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Ernie Els, Colin Montgomerie and Lee Westwood are among the previous winners of the tournament.

And Englishman Danny Willett, who turned professional in 2008, is delighted that an event with so much history is back on the Tour.

"There's a lot of things that you remember. You remember seeing Monty, Seve and Ernie and everyone playing and competing and Westy obviously," he told the European Tour's official website.

"I just think it's fantastic it's back on the schedule. To be a young British lad obviously trying to break through properly, you need more events like this."

Plenty of star names will join Poulter and Willett in teeing off, including Westwood and fellow Englishman Luke Donald.

Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell is also in action, as is Thorbjorn Olesen - who will take confidence from his victory at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship last weekend.