Bernd Wiesberger Q&A: Why national opens matter and overcoming weight of expectation

Bernd Wiesberger has won nine DP World Tour titles and represented Europe at the Ryder Cup but victory at his national open in Austria will forever be a career highlight.

In Kitzbühel this week, the 40-year-old will make his 366th start on the DP World Tour and 15th appearance in his home open, one of 16 on the DP World Tour this season.

It was in 2002, as a 17-year-old amateur, that Wiesberger made his debut at Austria's national open when it was formerly held on the HotelPlanner Tour.

A decade later, he won his second DP World Tour title on home soil at Diamond Country Club, near Vienna, in a breakthrough 2012 campaign that also saw him claim the title at the Ballantine's Championship in South Korea.

With his victory on home soil, Wiesberger became the second Austrian winner after record three-time champion Markus Brier, champion in 2002, 2004 and 2006.

Further DP World Tour triumphs have followed in France, China and Denmark twice each, Scotland and Italy - both coming on the Rolex Series - across an 11-year span.

Wiesberger's tournament wins

Last month, Wiesberger, who made history as the first Austrian to reperesent Europe at a Ryder Cup in 2021, returned to the DP World Tour winner's circle after a near five-year absence with victory at the Volvo China Open.

The performance during the Asian Swing helped him earn a spot at the recent US PGA Championship - his first start at a Major Championship since 2022.

First played in 1990, when Bernhard Langer became the inaugural winner after a play-off with American Lanny Wadkins, Austria's national open was held every year through to 2021 with the exception of 2000 and 2019.

After a three-year hiatus, the tournament returned in 2025 as the Austrian Alpine Open presented by Kitzbühel Tirol, and this week marks its 32nd edition.

Here, Wiesberger talks about why national opens matter so much, memories of his triumph on home soil, dealing with both internal and external pressure and his excitement to compete at a new venue this year.

Why do national opens mean so much, especially for home players?

Well, we've got a lot of cultures, a lot of countries in Europe and most of them have their own home opens. So, there is a lot of pride within the players to play and compete in their home opens. For me, I've played a lot of Austrian Opens myself. It's a very, very special week. Everybody tries to show off their country a little bit and show off their golf courses and their players. It's nice to come out on Tour and play so many, national opens and with a lot of history, most of them have been around for many, many years. It's nice. I'm very proud to have ticked off a few of those over the last couple of years.

As a player from a country that hosts a national open, how does it feel and how does it differ from other DP World Tour events?

I suppose for everybody who's in a situation to be able to compete in a home open, they would say it's their fifth Major, and certainly it is for me as well. Obviously, a lot of people want something from you when you play your home open and it gets quite busy. I've gotten a little bit better in pacing myself during that week, but it certainly has a special flair. We travel the whole world, so it's nice to play in front of home crowds, you get a little bit more support. It does come with a little bit more pressure, obviously, because you do want to perform well for them, and for yourself. But all in all, it's a great week and we are very lucky to have so many national opens out here.

What are your earliest memories from the event growing up?

We [Austria as a country] had quite a long drought when I kind of grew up and then they brought it back on the Challenge Tour and Markus Brier won it. Obviously, he was on the main tour when he won on Challenge Tour, but obviously he had an eight-shot win at Fontana one year. Obviously, that was amazing for Austrian golf and for players that were aspiring to get to that level. He showed us what was possible. I've had a couple of good goes at it. Obviously, probably my first real great week was when I was still an amateur, I finished fourth on the Challenge Tour, I remember. And then, I mean, there's not much that can beat winning your home open, which I did in 2012.

You've spoken about Brier - what impact do you think his wins had for golf in Austria?

For me personally, it's always important to have a role model from your home [country]. It doesn't need to be the world number one, but at least someone to show a path and show that it's possible from similar circumstances that I grew up with. We have maybe a shorter season than the guys in Spain for example. We've got a winter season and the golf season's a bit shorter. So, people always say we're maybe not at an advantage to not be able to play and practise all year round. But it's possible to make sacrifices and make adjustments. As I said, it doesn't matter which sport it is, it is important to have local role models and people that show the way and be successful in whatever they do.

At the time, you described your win on home soil in 2012 as the best day of your life. What are the first memories that come to mind?

Wow, it was an unbelievable week. I remember I was, I think, five shots back going into the ninth hole, which is a par three [at the Diamond Course]. Since then, at the course we used to play they’ve switched the nines. But I made a birdie there, and then I had an amazing back nine, and I think I shot six or seven under that day, and then also holed a long putt on the last, so it was kind of a supernova of stuff that came together in that week. It was a great experience to win in front of home fans and do well there, with family and friends watching. That makes it special.

How does winning your national open compare to your other achievements?

It's got to be right up there. I probably have won a couple of events that are bigger, more prestigious, the Rolex Series events. From a career ambition, I don't think anything will ever beat qualifying for the Ryder Cup. But from an emotional perspective and how special it is, as I said, home opens are right up there. I was very lucky to tick that off very early in my DP World Tour career.

How much are you looking forward to this year?

My schedule leading up to it changed slightly [by qualifying for the US PGA Championship]. So, I've had a full week off the week before, been able to practise a little bit and head to Kitzbühel a little bit earlier. I don't know the golf course, but it's a world-famous ski town and they're great at organising sports events. They've got a lot of experience doing that. So, I'm sure all the players will find it an amazing week. I'm sure all the staff are doing what they can to present a great golf course and therefore I'm excited to see Golfclub Kitzbühel-Schwarzsee-Reith, a new venue on the DP World Tour and for our national open.