Europe’s entire Ryder Cup team of 1999 has been re-united for the first time since Brookline last September with the gathering of a field of the highest quality at Gut Kaden, Hamburg, for the Deutsche Bank – SAP Open TPC of Europe.
The dozen players who came so close to retaining the Ryder Cup are joined at Gut Kaden by defending champion, Tiger Woods and three-time major champion Nick Price from Zimbabwe.
In total, seven of the top 15 players on the Official World Golf Ranking are playing in the €2,700,000 tournament, which has returned to the popular Hamburg venue after one season in Heidelberg at St.Leon Rot. To underline the quality of the field, 15 tournament winners on the European Tour’s International Schedule in the 2000 season will be playing.
Woods, the Number One in the world and winner of $3,591,731 this season already, twelve months ago shot rounds of 69, 68, 68, 68 for a winning total of 273, 15 under par last year to capture his first title on European soil. Retief Goosen of South Africa finished second with Price closing with a pair of 65s to collect third.
Woods, who won by three strokes from South African Retief Goosen on his first visit to Germany, said: “Playing in the Deutsche Bank – SAP Open TPC of Europe is a special pleasure for me. It’s a top event which gives me an opportunity to play with the best players in the world”.
Woods had promised to return to defend when he accepted the trophy at St.Leon Rot and he has kept that promise to play in what is another top class event. Attempting to wrest the title from him are Colin Montgomerie, the European No.1 for the past seven seasons, and Lee Westwood, the last winner at Gut Kaden in 1998 when he held off the challenge of Darren Clarke and Mark O’Meara.
Sergio Garcia, who was invited to play last year, went on to land the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award. Now, as a two-time winner on the European Tour, the 20 year old Spaniard is back in Germany by rights.
He said: “After drawing a wild card in 1999 this year I am especially pleased to be able to measure my skills against Tiger for the first time this year in Europe. The Deutsche Bank – SAP Open TPC of Europe is one of the highlights of my tournament calendar.”
The tournament purse is the biggest on the European Tour outside the majors and the World Golf Championships. The winner will receive €450,000 and a five year exemption on the European Tour.
Gut Kaden hosted the €2,700,000 tournament for four consecutive years before moving to St.Leon Rot while the Hamburg venue underwent considerable improvements.
At the first hole the tee box has been moved further to the right and further back. Through an elevation change also done to the first tee box, the hole has been made longer and the view of the entire hole has been improved. The possibility of hitting the ball behind the left fairway bunker has also been decreased.
Changes done to the third hole include the relocation of the original tee box to the old tee box of the ninth hole. Some of the trees that blocked the view from the old ninth tee to the third tee box have been removed to provide a clear view of the third fairway. Through the change the third hole will play longer and through the elevation change from the old tee box to the new location the overall view of the hole has been improved.
Other changes includes the relocation of the ninth tee box. The new location can be found further back and to the right of the old location. An elevation change of the tee has also enhanced the difficulty of the hole. Through the new location of the tee box the player is forced to either hit an accurate drive into the driving zone at approximately 269 meters.
To do this the player must play over a new set of elevations which have been build in for a better spectator view. The player also runs into danger of driving the ball into a tree line located on the right hand side of the fairway. The other possibility is to draw the ball into the driving zone and to play the hole as a slight dogleg to the right.
At the tenth hole an additional sand trap has been added to the previous sand traps on the left side of the fairway. Through the addition of the trap the player is forced to either hit a longer shot off the tee to be able to clear the three traps or to accurately place the drive on the fairway between the sand traps.
Changes done to the 11th hole include the change from the old tee box to the new tee box, which is further to the right and slightly set back. The tee box is the one from the ninth tee of the A course which will not be played during the tournament. Other changes include the relocation of the water trap on the right side of the green that can now be found closer to the green then before.
Other changes to the course are at the 16th hole. At this hole the tee box and the green were redone. The tee box of the 16th hole has been elevated and is now higher then the green which enables the player to overlook the entire green.
Meanwhile, on May 18, Hamburg will be hosting a world premiere. After the first round of the tournament the stars of the Deutsche Bank – SAP Open will be taking part in “Hole-in-One” competition over the rooftops of Hamburg.
Tiger Woods, Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Sergio Garcia and other stars from the Deutsche Bank - SAP Open TPC of Europe will be "teeing off" after the first round from the rooftop arena of Karstadt-Sporthaus in Mönckebergstraße with aim of hitting a hole-in-one onto the building opposite.
