This week, the European Tour touches down in Germany for the 35th edition of the Porsche European Open, as Green Eagle Golf Courses in Hamburg hosts the event for the first time.
Rewind
In 2016, France’s Alexander Levy edged out 2008 champion Ross Fisher of England in the second hole of a tense play-off to secure the title at Golf Resort Bad Griesbach in Germany.
Levy led the field by four strokes heading into the third and final round, after thick morning fog on each of the first three days in Bavaria had forced the tournament to be cut to 54 holes.
Fisher closed the gap after Levy stuttered on the front nine, but four birdies in six holes from the tenth put the American-born Frenchman back in front. Two bogeys in Levy’s final three holes, however, opened the door for his playing partner, who made an electrifying charge, carding seven birdies in a blemish-free round to finish tied with Levy at 19 under par.
The first return trip down the 18th saw both players make par before Levy clinched victory with a 30-foot putt at the second time of asking to end a weather-affected week in dramatic fashion. The win was a historic one, as he became the youngest ever player from France to claim three European Tour titles.
Bite-sized history
In 2015, the historic tournament returned to the European Tour International Schedule after a six-year break, as Bad Griesbach hosted the first edition to be played on Continental Europe. Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee won his seventh European Tour title with a flawless final round, and in the process the former paratrooper became the oldest winner of the Porsche European Open, aged 45 years and 323 days.
This year is the 35th edition of a tournament that was first played at Walton Heath’s Old Course in 1978, when American Bobby Wadkins claimed the title.
Since Wadkins’ win, some of the game’s greatest players have lifted the trophy, including Major Champions Darren Clarke, Sir Nick Faldo (twice), Retief Goosen, Tom Kite, Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle, Greg Norman and Ian Woosnam.
Lee Westwood was the last player to successfully defend the title, winning in 1999 and 2000 at The K Club in Ireland.
The field
World Number 26 Patrick Reed will play in Germany for the first time in his career as the American joins a field including Major Champions Jimmy Walker and Charl Schwartzel.
The two most recent winners, Levy and Jaidee, will also be joined by America’s Pat Perez, Matteo Manassero of Italy, and the Danish duo of Thorbjørn Olesen and 15-time European Tour champion and 2018 Ryder Cup Captain, Thomas Bjørn.
Germany will be well represented with Marcel Siem, Florian Fritsch, Maximilian Kieffer, Bernd Ritthammer, Alexander Knappe and Sebastian Heisele set to tee off in front of a home crowd in Hamburg
The course
The 7,582-yard, par 72 North Course at Green Eagle Golf Courses in Hamburg hosts the tournament for the first time, as the Porsche European Open takes place in Germany for the third consecutive year. Green Eagle previously played host to the ECCO Tour Championship on the European Challenge Tour in 2010.
The North Course is one of three on the 186-hectare venue, which includes huge lakes, spectacular bunkers and impressive natural grandstands.
Did You Know?
• Defending champion Levy was the sixth wire-to-wire winner in the history of the Porsche European Open with his play-off victory over Fisher, and just the second Frenchman to win the title following Christian Cévaër in 2009. Levy was also the first 54-hole winner in the tournament’s history.
• Levy will look to become the third player to successfully defend his title following Westwood (1999, 2000) and Per-Ulrik Johansson (1996, 1997).
• Woosnam’s 260 total at Sunningdale’s Old Course in 1998 beat the previous lowest winning total of 269 by Langer at the same course in 1985.
• When Porsche first put its name to the European Open 24 months ago, the German company became the 19th different car company to be a title sponsor of a European Tour event.
• In 2015 the Porsche European Open was the sixth different European Tour event to be staged in Germany.
• In the 2012 event the par three 12th hole witnessed three hole-in-ones - by Sergio Garcia and José Manuel Lara (both round one) and Graeme McDowell (round four). This was only the third time in European Tour history that three or more holes-in-one were made on the same hole in the same tournament.
