The BA-CA Golf Open presented by Telekom Austria will boast an increased prize fund of €1,300,000 thanks to an outstanding response from sponsors and partners to the first European Tour event to be held in Austria for a decade, where Denmark’s Thomas Björn and European Tour Order of Merit holder Colin Montgomerie of Scotland will headline a world class field.

Set to be played at the outstanding Fontana Golf Club on the outskirts of Vienna from June 8-11, the BA-CA Golf Open presented by Telekom Austria has attracted huge support from both Austrian companies and sponsors from neighbouring countries in the Danube region such as Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovenia.

This groundswell of support has allowed tournament promoters Emotion Management, owned by Edwin Weindorfer and Herwig Straka, to increase the tournament prize fund from €1,000,000 to €1,300,000.

The BA-CA Golf Open, presented by Telekom Austria had been part of the European Challenge Tour Schedule since 2003, and will feature on The European Tour for the next three seasons.

Ten years have passed since Irishman Paul McGinley last lifted the Austrian Open title in 1996 and Weindorfer is hoping that the new tournament, with Björn and Montgomerie already confirmed to play at Fontana Golf Club, will become one of the biggest sporting events in Austria, and indeed, central Europe.

“With world renowned stars like Thomas Björn and Colin Montgomerie coming to play at Fontana Golf Club, we are sure that the BA-CA Golf Open presented by Telekom Austria is going to be among the biggest and best sporting events in the Danube region. Colin’s participation in the tournament gives us particular pleasure as he has been promoting Austrian golf, and Fontana itself, for four years now and has been a wonderful ambassador.”

Keith Waters, Director of International Policy for The European Tour, said: “We congratulate Emotion Management in increasing the prize fund for the BA-CA Golf Open presented by Telekom Austria. To be able to do so highlights a tremendous level of support from tournament sponsors and partners and we are sure that everyone involved in the event will enjoy the stunning golf course and facilities at the Fontana Golf Club, which was a hugely popular venue on the European Challenge Tour for three seasons and will continue to be on The European Tour.”