-
61,000 thrilled visitors follow the 31st BMW International
Open in Munich. 16,500 spectators flock to GC München Eichenried
on Sunday. - Gaganjeet Bhullar wins the BMW M8 Hole-in-One Award.
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Glitzy opening with World Cup winners Thomas Müller and
Philipp Lahm. -
Star line-up in the Pro-Am, including Niklas Süle, Jan Josef
Liefers, Uwe Gensheimer, Christian Ehrhoff and Felix Loch. -
Lena Gercke joins golfers Matt Wallace, Martin Kaymer
Co. for a cycle tour of the English Garden. - “Bavarian Day” sets new crowd record (15,500 spectators) on Thursday.
- Pros full of praise for new greens.
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Kaymer shines and thrills German golf fans on the opening
two days. -
Tournament President Sebastian Mackensen: “It has been a
fantastic tournament week. The formula of BMW and world-class golf
is just as successful now as it was when the tournament was first held.”
Munich. The winner of the 2019 BMW International Open will not
be known until early evening, but one thing is already certain: The
31stedition of the iconic German tournament has once
again been a huge success.
“It has been a fantastic tournament week: From the
Tee-Off Night at the Seehaus, the Pro-Am with its host of sports stars
and celebrities, and the Bavarian flair, to the exciting tournament
and magnificent finish,” said Sebastian Mackensen. “The formula of BMW
and world-class golf is just as successful now as it was when the BMW
International Open was first held 1989.”
The first round
of the week belonged to three world champions. Footballers Philipp
Lahm, Thomas Müller (both World Cup winners in 2014) and Marcel Siem
(Golf World Cup winner in 2006) played the perfectly prepared
Championship Course at Eichenried on the Monday, in aid of the charity
“Nicolaidis YoungWings Stiftung”. They raved about the perfect new
greens, which also received great praise from all the pros over the
course of the tournament.
The tournament week opened in
entertaining fashion with a cycle tour through the English Garden.
Golf stars Martin Kaymer, Sergio García, Matt Wallace and Thorbjørn
Olesen were joined by BMW M Brand Ambassador Lena Gercke, actor Jan
Josef Liefers, Olympic luge champion Felix Loch, bobsleigh world
champion Johannes Lochner and BMW works driver Bruno Spengler on a
pleasant ride to the Tee-Off Night at the Seehaus.
A host
of celebrities took up their golf clubs for the Pro-Am on Wednesday.
Like the pros, they were in high spirits and had plenty of time for
the spectators. Among those in action were FC Bayern Munich star
Niklas Süle, Olympic ice hockey hero Christian Ehrhoff, German
handball captain Uwe Gensheimer, and Liefers and
Loch.
Anyone who turned up in a traditional Dirndl or
Lederhosen on Thursday was given free admission, and the off-course
programme was also dominated by the Bavarian zest for life. 15,500
spectators – the highest attendance ever on a Thursday – turned up to
enjoy “Bavarian Day”. They also had cause to celebrate on the greens
and fairways, as Germany’s top golfer Martin Kaymer made an excellent
start to the tournament. The two-time major winner moved to the top of
the leaderboard on Friday, before Lady Luck deserted him on the greens
on the weekend. In total, 61,000 spectators visited the BMW
International Open.
The week’s first winner emerged as
early as Friday: India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar hit a hole-in-one on the
17th(par 3, 179 metres) to win the BMW M8 Competition Coupé
(combined fuel consumption: 10.7 – 10.8 l/100 km; combined CO2
emissions: 243 – 246 g/km), worth 193,880 Euro, which celebrates its
world premiere in BMW Welt next week.
With 75 cars at its
disposal, the BMW Courtesy Car Service ensured that golfers and guests
were transported on time and in comfort to their destination. In
total, the drivers and staff drove about 130,000 kilometres and racked
up roughly 4,500 hours of work.