The European Swing continues this week as the DP World Tour heads to a new venue for the Austrian Alpine Open presented by Kitzbühel Tirol. Here are your five things to know.
Von Dellingshausen defends
Nicolai von Dellingshausen secured his maiden DP World Tour title 12 months ago after a putting masterclass on Sunday propelled him to a two-stroke victory. The German went into the final round one shot off the lead but found himself two clear at the top of the leaderboard after making back-to-back birdies at the third and fourth. A bogey at the sixth dropped him into a share of the lead but Von Dellingshausen bounced back by picking up four shots in three holes from the eighth to reach 19 under par and give himself breathing space and a score nobody else would match. "I can't describe it, honestly. I'm a little bit lost for words right now," said the man who had recently returned from the HotelPlanner Tour. "I'm trying really hard not to cry. It's been such a tough journey the last two-and-a-half years with losing the card. It's all got me to this stage right here and now I'm here!"
Straka headlines on home soil
Ryder Cup hero Sepp Straka will tee it up on home soil for the first time since 2018, leading a host of Austrian stars looking to delight the home fans. Since that appearance at the Shot Clock Masters, Straka has gone on to become the first Austrian to win on the PGA TOUR, taking his tally of wins on that circuit to four and twice win the Ryder Cup but he is searching for a maiden DP World Tour title. “I’m very excited to return to Austria to play in my national open again,” said Straka. “It has been a number of years since I last had the chance to play in front of home crowds, and a lot has happened in that time. It’ll be a great opportunity to celebrate that success in front of family, friends and fans, and I’m really looking forward to it.” Straka was the second Austrian to play in the Ryder Cup after Bernd Wiesberger and the 40-year-old is also in the field after claiming his ninth DP World Tour win last month. They will be joined by rising star Maximilian Steinlechner and other home favourites including Matthias Schwab and Lukas Nemecz.
Popert takes place in strong field
G4D superstar Kipp Popert will tee it up this week as he looks to bring some of his success from disability golf to the DP World Tour. Popert, who has celebral palsy, is number one in the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability and in recent years has often posted scores to rival those playing in DP World Tour events on the same courses - now he will look to do it in the same field. That is a field which, alongside our earlier mentioned home heroes, contains six other 2026 DP World Tour winners including the twice victorious Casey Jarvis, who is currently fourth on the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World.
A new venue
This week we head to a third first-time host in five events as Golfclub Kitzbühel-Schwarzsee-Reith becomes the 465th venue to stage a DP World Tour event. The mountain layout - one of four golf courses in Kitzbühel - spends much of the year covered in snow but is picture perfect in the spring and will provide a unique test this week. Viktoria Veider-Walser, Managing Director of Kitzbühel Tourism, said: "With no less than four golf courses on site, Kitzbühel is one of the leading golf regions in the Alpine region. Golf is a strategic strength of our summer positioning, and we have launched a clear quality offensive with targeted investments – for example in the golf and bike sectors. We also see this as a strong solidarity between Salzburg and Tyrol."
Race for Swing glory
This week is the third event of the European Swing and at the top of the Rankings everyone is chasing down a trio of South African stars. Winner in Spain Yurav Premlall leads the way after also securing a top 30 in Belgium, while Soudal Open winner Richard Sterne comes next. Shaun Norris - who was solo second in Catalunya - is then next followed by Jorge Campillo and Marcus Kinhult. The winner of the Swing will gain entry into every event of Phase Two of the season - the Back 9 - and a US$200,000 bonus. The highest-ranked player on the Swing not already exempt will also win a place in the field at the Genesis Scottish Open, the second Rolex Series event of the season.
