Everything you need to know about the BMW International Open
It’s the DP World Tour’s first truly big event in mainland Europe – get the lowdown on the BMW International Open.
These days, the DP World Tour calendar gets off to a flying start in the Middle East, but then hits something of a lull until the summer starts heating up.
The good news is that from this week until the first week of October, the action hits top gear and it all kicks off with the BMW International Open at Golfclub Eichenried in Munich.
History, quality, a deep field, Ryder Cup chatter, youngsters, veterans and a cracking course – it’s one of the highlights of every DP World Tour season and here’s the lowdown on it.
History
The tournament was first played in 1989 and, as such, it was born during the revival of golf in Europe – the glory days of Seve Ballesteros (runner-up in 1994), Sandy Lyle (winner in 1991), Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam (runner-up in 1993) and local hero Bernhard Langer (who was a four-time runner-up).
Paul Azinger won two of the first four editions and Thomas Bjorn, Pablo Larrazabal and Henrik Stenson have joined him as double winners. The defending champion is Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson.
American visitors
Azinger is not the only winner from the USA. John Daly triumphed in 2001, and Fred Couples and Glen Day have both been runners-up. This year, Patrick Reed will be flying the stars and the stripes, as will the Bryan brothers, Wesley and George.
The course
Golfclub Eichenried has made itself very popular with fans because the back nine demands to be attacked and therefore always seems to produce drama.
The parkland layout ends with the 319-yard par-4 16th, the 205-yard par-3 17th and the 568-yard dogleg par-5 18th.
The potential for wild swings on the leaderboard through this stretch is significant and players can go very low.
The Argentines Rafa Echenique and Andres Romero proved it: Echenique played the back nine in 27 shots in 2009 to finish second and in 2017 Romero went 7-under through the last 11 holes to win.
Expect the unexpected.
The field
In addition to Reed, two-time runner-up Sergio Garcia is in town, as is his friend Luke Donald. The home challenge is deep too: PGA Tour regulars Stephan Jaeger and Matti Schmid will be teeing it up, as will the 2008 champion Martin Kaymer, and recent DP World Tour winners Marcel Siem and Nicolai Von Dellinghausen.
The importance of the week
In one sense it’s just a matter of looking at past winners. Who wouldn’t want to add their name to that of Azinger, Lyle, Bjorn, Stenson, Colin Montgomerie, Lee Westwood, Robert Karlsson, David Howell, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Ernie Els on the trophy?
But the tournament also marks the end of the European Swing and the start of mainland Europe’s stellar events. To come next is a fortnight on the links (Scottish Open, Open), the British and European Masters, the Irish Open, BMW PGA Championship and Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Oh yeah – and the small matter of the Ryder Cup. There are some in the field for whom an exceptional summer could still earn themselves a berth at Bethpage Black – of those the Dane Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen is perhaps the most likely.
His progress would need to be like a BMW on a German motorway – but it is possible.