Category: European Tour

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European Tour

European Tour unveils ‘every birdie counts’ campaign to support UNICEF

European Tour is delighted to announce a season-long campaign to support UNICEF (Picture: Getty)

The European Tour is delighted to announce a season-long campaign to support UNICEF’s target to  deliver two billion COVID-19 vaccine doses globally. Through the ‘Every Birdie Counts’ campaign, the Tour’s overarching ‘Golf for Good’ initiative will contribute to the child rights agency’s global role in delivering vaccines for the COVAX Facility.
 
COVID-19 is, without question, the biggest global emergency the world has faced since World War II. Vaccines – delivered through the COVAX Facility – are the key to finding a way out of the crisis.
 
UNICEF is the only global organisation equipped to deliver an operation of this size. Utilising an existing global infrastructure that has provided humanitarian aid and development programmes for children worldwide 75 years, UNICEF is currently leading the supply of two billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines and personal protective equipment (PPE), tests and treatments to frontline workers, teachers and those at highest risk of infection, many of them in the hardest to reach places on the planet.
 
This is the biggest health and logistics operation in history. UNICEF is working round the clock to make sure systems are ready and all the equipment is in place to distribute the vaccines. The plan is ambitious, the scale and speed unprecedented.
 
Now, the European Tour players have the opportunity to do their part on the golf course through the ‘Every Birdie Counts’ campaign, which is an integral part of the Tour’s overarching CSR Programme ‘Golf for Good’.
 
From now until the end of the season – and also counted retrospectively from January – every birdie made in tournaments on the European Tour will see the Tour contribute €1 to the campaign, every eagle seeing €10 donated and every albatross netting €1000.
 
Every birdie could provide four face masks to keep health workers safe as they vaccinate their communities, while every eagle will result in a donation to UNICEF which could cover the in-country delivery costs to fully vaccinate a frontline worker against Covid-19.
 
UNICEF will be the sole charitable beneficiary of the ‘Every Birdie Counts’ campaign across the entire European Tour season, outside of the four Rolex Series events, where charities nominated by tournament sponsors and partners of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, the BMW PGA Championship and the DP World Tour Championship will also benefit.
 
Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: “One of the key pillars of the Golf for Good initiative we launched last year is our support for worthy causes and communities around the world – I can’t think of a more appropriate, or indeed necessary cause to support under that banner right now than UNICEF and their key role as part of the COVAX Facility.
 
“The work UNICEF have done for the past 75 years and are currently doing in the battle against the pandemic is extraordinary and we are delighted to be able to offer our support, and the support of our players, in any way we can.
 
“Every birdie, eagle or albatross made by any of our players in a tournament is a special moment; this announcement today has just given a greater resonance and meaning to each and every one.”
 
Gordon Glick, Deputy Executive Director for Partnerships at the UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK), said: “The European Tour’s support of UNICEF’s COVAX appeal is helping ensure rapid and equitable access of COVID-19 vaccines – irrespective of a country’s wealth. By supporting UNICEF, the European Tour is helping the overall effort to procure and deliver two billion doses of life-saving vaccines for all 191 countries participating in the COVAX Facility, including those already facing humanitarian challenges. Together, we can deliver the world’s largest vaccination campaign, in record time, and build a brighter future for the world’s children.’
 
One European Tour member eager to pledge his support to the campaign is England’s Paul Casey, who as well as being a 15-time European Tour champion and four-time Ryder Cup player, is also a UNICEF Supporter.
 
Casey said: “UNICEF does amazing work that is not often seen and if I can do anything to help, it is to raise awareness of what the child rights agency do around the world which, in turn, will hopefully lead to funds being raised so the teams can carry on their efforts.
 
“What UNICEF are doing now on behalf of the COVAX Facility is crucial, delivering two billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines around the world, most notably in very hard-to-reach places. Those vaccines will be used for to health workers, social workers and teachers – the people in high-risk areas, as well as the most vulnerable.
 
“If they succeed, families will finally be able to regain vital access to health, nutrition and protection services that have been compromised during the pandemic. Vulnerable children will be able to return to their schools. The future of the next generation is at risk here and UNICEF can play a massive role in addressing that.”

(Text: European Tour)

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European Tour

Rahm and Thomas set to star in Scottish showpiece

Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas tee off at the Scottish Open. (Photo: Getty)
Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas tee off at the Scottish Open. (Photo: Getty)

Two of global golf’s biggest stars are set to light up the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open with Justin Thomas and Jon Rahm – the current World Number Two and Three – confirming their participation in the second Rolex Series event of the 2021 Race to Dubai.

The two former World Number One players bring further star power to an impressive field gathering at the Renaissance Club on July 8-11, 2021 and fans can book their places to take in the action now, with a strictly limited number of tickets currently on general sale at ET.GOLF/ASISO2021

Rahm was crowned European Number One in 2019 as the swashbuckling Spaniard continued to impress on the world stage, and the 26 year old will go in search of a fifth Rolex Series title when he makes his debut in Scotland’s national open this summer.

Major winner Thomas returns to the Renaissance Club after recording a top ten finish on his 2019 debut in the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open. The 28 year old former World Number One is returning to where it all began, after making his first start as a professional in Scotland, the Home of Golf at the 2013 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Rahm and Thomas join fellow World Top Ten stars Tyrrell Hatton, Collin Morikawa and Xander Schaufele in East Lothian as the tournament once again takes its place in the week before The Open at Royal St George’s.

Rahm will attempt to become the only the second Spaniard to win the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open title since the formation of the European Tour in 1972, after Rafa Cabrera Bello in 2017, while Thomas will look to follow in the footsteps of four fellow American winners – Michael Allen (1989), Tom Lehman (1997), Phil Mickelson (2013) and Rickie Fowler (2015).

European Ryder Cup star Rahm, whose six European Tour victories include four on the Rolex Series at the 2017 and 2019 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open and the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai in the same seasons, said:

“I’m looking forward to teeing it up at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open for the first time. I always enjoy playing in Rolex Series events, and I’ve had success in them in the past few years, so it will be pretty cool to try to add another title in Scotland this summer ahead of The Open.”

Thomas’s impressive CV includes the 2017 US PGA Championship and two World Golf Championship titles and, like Rahm, the American’s impressive form in recent years led to a Ryder Cup debut at Le Golf National in 2018.

He said: “I can’t wait to get back to Scotland and the Renaissance Club. I have a lot of good memories of playing in Scotland and it would be an awesome place to win a first Rolex Series title. I’ve said before it’s a goal of mine to win on different tours and in different countries, and I would love to be successful when I come back to the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open in July.”

A strictly limited number of tickets are currently available for each of the four Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open competition days at ET.GOLF/ASISO2021

Tickets are priced at £10 for juniors (14-18 years), £30 for concessions and £35 for adults, with under 13s going free. Tickets must be purchased in advance and will not be available on site during the tournament.

A percentage of the tickets available for the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open will be donated to key frontline workers in recognition of their dedicated work throughout the pandemic.

The only official sales channel to purchase tickets for the 2021 Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open is via the ticketing platform Eventbrite. The resale of tickets on unofficial platforms contravenes the European Tour’s ticket terms and conditions and such sales render the ticket void.

(Text: European Tour)

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European Tour

Global stars set for Scottish Open showdown at Renaissance Club

Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele and Tyrrell Hatton. (Foto: Getty)
Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele and Tyrrell Hatton. (Foto: Getty)

Press Release 

Three of the world’s highest ranked players have confirmed their participation in the 2021 Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, with American stars Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele set to tee it up alongside multiple Rolex Series winner Tyrrell Hatton at the Renaissance Club from July 8-11, 2021.

World Number Six Morikawa, who burst onto the world stage with a maiden Major Championship victory at the 2020 US PGA Championship, and World Number Four and four-time PGA Tour winner Schauffele, who finished third at The Masters last month, are set to make their debuts at Scotland’s National Open.

They will be joined by World Number Eight Hatton as the Englishman goes in search of a record fifth Rolex Series title and his second this season, following his success at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January.

Morikawa and Schauffele will bid to follow in the footsteps of compatriots Rickie Fowler and Phil Mickelson by finding success in Scotland, the Home of Golf, as the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open once again takes its place in the week before The Open at Royal St George’s.

“I’m excited to play in Scotland for the first time,” said Morikawa. “I’m looking forward to making my debut in the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open and playing in the Home of Golf. I’ve heard a lot about the tournament, and it will be a lot of fun to tee it up on the European Tour again.”

Schauffele will be making his first appearance in Scotland since The Open at Carnoustie in 2018, where he finished in a share of second place behind Italy’s Francesco Molinari.

“I have great memories of playing in Scotland a few years ago at Carnoustie, so I hope to rekindle some of that form and find myself in contention at the Renaissance Club,” said Schauffele. “It’s a tournament with a proud history and I’d love to add my name to the list of great champions as I prepare to tee it up at The Open again.”

First European Tour title in Scotland for Tyrrell Hatton

Hatton started the 2021 Race to Dubai with victory in Abu Dhabi, adding to the Rolex Series titles he won at the 2017 Italian Open, 2019 Turkish Airlines Open and the BMW PGA Championship last season.

The 29-year-old is no stranger to success in Scotland, recording his first European Tour win at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in 2016 and then successfully defending his title the following year. He also finished second behind Sweden’s Alex Noren at the 2016 Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open at Castle Stuart.

 “Winning my first European Tour title in Scotland was a huge milestone and something I will always remember. It would be special to add the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open title to my achievements in the Home of Golf.

“I’ve had chances at the Scottish Open before, so I’m looking forward to playing at the Renaissance Club again and hopefully I can find myself in position to win another title that week.”

The European Tour is cautiously optimistic that a certain level of spectator attendance will be permitted at the 2021 Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, with details to be confirmed in due course.

To be the first to hear ticket and event news, fans can register interest at ET.GOLF/ASISO2021

(Text: Press Release European Tour)

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European Tour

Rafa Cabrera Bello proud to return to Gran Canaria

Image: Getty

Rafa Cabrera Bello is full of pride at returning home to Gran Canaria to play in and host the Gran Canaria Lopesan Open at Meloneras Golf by Lopesan.

The Ryder Cup star and four-time European Tour winner was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and despite going on to ply his trade all over the world, he remains passionate about developing golf across the Canary Islands. 

After taking up the game at the age of six, the 36 year old went on to win the Spanish National Championship every year from under-7 to under-18 level. He then had a memorable European Tour debut as a 17 year old amateur, finishing tied fourth as his future Ryder Cup partner Sergio Garcia won the 2002 Canarias Open de España – the last time a European Tour event was staged in Gran Canaria. 

In 2019 the 36 year old established the Circuito Juvenil Rafa Cabrera Bello, an annual series of tournaments for children and young golfers around the idyllic Canary Islands. The circuit will celebrate its third test this Saturday in Gran Canaria, as its founder aims to seal a first European Tour victory on home soil. 

Meanwhile last week’s Austrian Golf Open winner John Catlin is aiming to draw on his experience of Spanish success in a bid to secure the Race to Dubai title. The American now has ten professional victories worldwide, including three on the European Tour, with the first of those coming after a battle with Major winner Martin Kaye just eight months ago at the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucia Masters.

Interview with Rafa Cabrera Bello

“It’s a really, really cool experience. As a kid you don’t really grow up dreaming about being a tournament host, but once you see the other guys who have had the opportunity and that huge honour, I thought it’d be cool to be host one day. We’ve come back to Gran Canaria, and I’m loving it this week. It’s a very nice feeling because you look back on your career and you think ‘maybe I’ve done one or two things right’. I have the opportunity and the honour to be host this week. It’s a huge pleasure.

“We have six Junior Circuit events throughout the year. We started three years ago, last year was a bit of a hiccup because it was a difficult year. Our goal is to become a nice junior ranking in all the Canary Islands. Golf has given me a lot, if I have a chance to give a little bit back to kids and try to get them to love the game as much as I do, and learn from the values of sports, in particularly the values that golf teaches all of us, that would be the only reward I need. It’s really cool when you see a smile on a kid, you don’t need anything else.

“Meloneras Golf is a beautiful course, the views you’ll see throughout the week are breath-taking. You can expect good scores – lots of birdies. The biggest trick about the course is if the wind does pick up. They can be very windy islands, and that’s the defence of the course. The back nine does have some daunting shots, both to the green and off the tee. You can also see one or two players get nervous and struggle a bit.”

Text: European Tour Communications

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European Tour Highlights Tours

BMW International Open: Major winners Kaymer, Harrington, García, Oosthuizen and rising star Hovland head strong field

This year’s BMW International Open will once again see a top-class field battle it out for the title at Germany’s most prestigious professional golf tournament. Making his first appearance will be Norway’s rising star Viktor Hovland, who will be taking on a selection of major winners, Ryder Cup stars, tournament legends and an impressive German quartet.

The decision whether to allow spectators and, if so, how many, will be taken over the coming weeks in close cooperation with authorities and the European Tour. Until then, tickets will not go on sale. Organiser BMW will offer all golf and sport fans an extensive and multimedia tournament experience.

“After the unavoidable cancellation of the tournament last year, we are delighted that Munich will host world-class golf again in June, and that we are able to continue the history of the BMW International Open, which stretches back as far as 1989,” says Christian Masanz, Head of Sports Marketing BMW Germany. “Recent months have shown that professional tournaments can be run safely with appropriate concepts in place. Health and safety takes top priority, even if this unfortunately means that we are unable to allow as many spectators, if any at all. We are working closely with the European Tour and authorities on various scenarios.”

The following players have already confirmed their participation in the 2021 BMW International Open:

Martin Kaymer: In 2008, the two-time major winner won the 20th BMW International Open at the age of 23 years and 177 days. This makes Kaymer the youngest winner in the history of the tournament, and the only German to lift the coveted trophy.

Viktor Hovland: The rising star from Norway is set to make his debut in Munich this year. At just 23 years of age, the world number 15 (as of 19th April) has already established himself among the very best in the world and has his sights set on a first Ryder Cup appearance this year.

Padraig Harrington: The current European Ryder Cup captain and two-time major winner is a welcome guest at the BMW International Open. The Irishman may not have won the tournament yet, but he and Retief Goosen came very close in 2006, missing out in a play-off to eventual winner Henrik Stenson.

Sergio García: The 2017 Masters winner was part of an all-Spanish play-off in 2011, which went down in the annals of the BMW International Open as the most dramatic conclusion in the history of the tournament. In the end, García had to settle for second place behind Pablo Larrazábal.

Bernd Wiesberger: The Austrian has claimed eleven tournament wins over the course of his career – however, victory at the BMW International Open is still missing from his collection. His best result to date: fourth place in 2013.

Louis Oosthuizen: At the start of the millennium, the South African was a regular guest at GC München Eichenried. However, he has yet to claim a top-ten finish. The biggest success of his career so far came at the legendary Old Course in St. Andrews, when he won the Open Championship in 2010.

Rafa Cabrera Bello: The Spaniard is a popular regular at the BMW International Open and has been in contention at Germany’s most prestigious tournament on several occasions. In 2010 he was third. Four years later, he went one better, finishing runner-up after a play-off.

Thomas Bjørn: With two wins to his name, the Dane is the joint record winner of the BMW International Open alongside Paul Azinger, Pablo Larrazábal and Henrik Stenson. The 2018 Ryder Cup captain won the tournament in 2000 and 2002.

Andrew Johnston: “Beef” made his debut at the BMW International Open in 2012. Since then, the Brit has regularly featured in the high-class field – and has always been hugely popular with the fans at the course. Alongside the German contingent, Johnston is always one of the crowd favourites.

Stephan Jäger: The man from Munich, who grew up around the corner from the venue in Eichenried, returns home again in 2021. In April, Jäger celebrated his sixth tournament victory on the US Korn Ferry Tour – and he would love to repeat the feat on the European Tour.

Alex Cejka: Second place in 2003, third in 2004 and 2010: Alex Cejka regularly hits top form at the BMW International Open. Now 50 years old, he played at the inaugural tournament back in 1989.

Max Kieffer: A BMW International Open without Max Kieffer? It’s hard to imagine! Kieffer is in excellent form: just two days ago, the German narrowly missed out on his first European Tour victory, coming up just short in a play-off.

As well as a total prize purse of 1.5 million euros and 2,750 Race to Dubai points, the pros will also have their sights set on a spectacular Hole-in-One Award at the BMW International Open. The first player to hit an ace on the 17th hone (par 3) will be rewarded with a BMW iX. The BMW iX heralds a new era of mobility. The BMW Group’s new technology flagship impresses thanks to sheer driving pleasure with zero local emissions, the sportiness you have come to expect from BMW, efficiency, and excellent range, as well as a holistic understanding of sustainability that is of implemented consistently from scratch.

(Text: BMW Press Release)

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European Tour

Annika Sörenstam to tee it up at mixed event in Sweden

Both Annika Sörenstam and Henrik Stenson will tee up at a mixed European Tour event in Sweden (Photo: Getty)
Both Annika Sörenstam and Henrik Stenson will tee up at a mixed European Tour event in Sweden (Photo: Getty)

Annika Sörenstam has announced she will tee it up on home soil for the first time in 13 years alongside fellow tournament host Henrik Stenson at the Scandinavian Mixed Hosted by Henrik and Annika at Vallda Golf & Country Club in Gothenburg from June 10-13, 2021.
 
During her 16-year Hall of Fame career, Sörenstam amassed 89 victories worldwide, including ten Major Championships before retiring in 2008 to start a family. The 50-year-old was initially announced as a non-playing host alongside Stenson for the inaugural edition of the event, scheduled to take place at Bro Hof Slott Golf Club in Stockholm in 2020, however it was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“I’m excited to tee it up at the Scandinavian Mixed and to be back playing competitively in my home country of Sweden for the first time in 13 years,” said Sörenstam.
 
After 13 years away from professional golf, Sörenstam made the cut in February this year at her first competitive outing at the Gainbridge LPGA at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Florida and will now return to action in Sweden this June following her last appearance on home soil at the 2008 Scandinavian TPC in Stockholm.
 
The eight-time Solheim Cup player’s decision to join the field of 78 men and 78 women brings a new level of excitement to the innovative mixed tournament co-sanctioned by the European Tour and Ladies European Tour.
 
With a prize fund of €1,000,000 for the entire field and Official World Ranking points on offer for both Tours, plus Race to Dubai and Ryder Cup points for European Tour members, and Race to Costa del Sol and Solheim Cup points for the Ladies European Tour.

“It’s going to be a great week and I’m sure a real thrill for all of the players in the field to have someone of Annika’s stature playing in the tournament”, Henrik Stenson added. “I can’t wait to see the dynamics of having both men and women going head-to-head for the same trophy and putting it all on the line come Sunday afternoon.”

Text: Press Release European Tour

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European Tour

European Tour: Belgium back in European Tour with Soudal Open

Pictured left to right: Bob Verbeeck (CEO, Golazo), Dimitri Rombouts (President, Rinkven International Golf Club), Vic Swerts (President, Soudal), Emmanuel Rombouts (President, Royal Belgian Golf Federation)

The European Tour will return to Belgium in 2022 with the announcement of the Soudal Open.

Golazo, the organiser of the event, Rinkven International Golf Club, Soudal – a leading producer of Sealants, Adhesives and PU foams – and the Royal Belgian Golf Federation are delighted to announce the return of Belgium’s national Open next year.

With a prize fund of €1 million, the Soudal Open will be held in May or June 2022 (exact dates to be confirmed) at The Rinkven International Golf Club in Schilde, near Antwerp. The tournament will be played over four days in a 72-hole strokeplay format with 156 players and a cut after the second round. A pro-am competition will be held on the Wednesday of the tournament week.

The three-year partnership with Soudal, revives the tradition of Belgium’s national Open which spans more than a century.

First played in 1910 at the Royal Golf Club of Belgium, the Belgian Open became part of the European Tour schedule in 1978 following the Tour’s inception six years earlier and it was last held as a strokeplay event at Royal Zoute Golf Club in 2000. It was then reborn in 2018 as the Belgian Knockout, an innovative format combining strokeplay followed by matchplay, which was staged for two years at Rinkven International Golf Club.

Vic Swerts, Founder and President of Soudal, himself an avid golfer, said: “As a global company present around the world, we are very proud to support such an important competition in Belgium. Our current Belgian champions shine around worldwide thanks to their amazing performances. We want to create an event that celebrates golf and becomes a place to be for all golf lovers in Belgium.”

Keith Pelley, CEO of the European Tour, commented: “Belgium has a strong tradition of European Tour events as well as history of producing some terrific talent, so we are delighted the country’s national Open will be part of our schedule again next year. Soudal is a fantastic partner for this tournament, and we are very happy that such a recognised global company is now part of the European Tour family.”

Emmanuel Rombouts, President of the Royal Belgian Golf Federation added: “The organisation of such a tournament is a real honour for our country and will certainly underpin the continued growth of our sport.

“Our current professional champions, as well as our future talents, will be able to benefit from a home tournament and we will be there to support them.”

Dimitri Rombouts, President of Rinkven International Golf Club, welcomed the announcement and said: “We are delighted and proud to welcome back the best Belgian and European players to our club after a two-year absence.

“We would like to thank the title partner Soudal and especially our member, Vic Swerts, for their support. Our members and all our staff will be at the service of this magnificent tournament.”

Bob Verbeeck, CEO of Golazo, said: “With the Soudal Open, we hope to recreate the magic of great golf tournaments in our country.

“We organise many golf events every year and an important tournament of this level fits well with our company’s vision.  We especially want to help with the accessibility of the sport as we believe it’s a great way for Belgians to exercise regularly.”

More information about the event and the full programme of activities will be announced later this year.

Meanwhile, the European Tour also announced it will co-sanction the 2021 Australian PGA Championship with the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.

It will take place from December 2-5, 2021 at Brisbane’s historic Royal Queensland Golf Club and will form one of the early events on the European Tour’s 2022 schedule.

(Text: European Tour)

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European Tour

Austrian Golf Open added to 2021 European Tour schedule

View of the Diamond Country Club in Atzenbrugg, Austria. (Image: Getty)

The European Tour today announced the Austrian Golf Open will be played at Diamond Country Club in Atzenbrugg from April 15-18, 2021.

The tournament returns to the European Tour’s schedule after last being played in July 2020 when it marked the Tour’s resumption following a three month suspension in the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Austrian Golf Open, which has a prize fund of €1million, moves into the date vacated by the Tenerife Open at Golf Costa Adeje, which will now take place from April 29 – May 2 following the postponement on Friday of the Portugal Masters at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course, in Vilamoura, due to ongoing travel difficulties. 

Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: “Throughout the pandemic, we have had to be agile with our scheduling and today’s announcement is another example of that. 

“We are naturally grateful to Diamond Country Club and the Austrian Golf Federation for once again helping us to continue to provide a full schedule and playing opportunities for our members.

“Diamond Country Club is obviously a venue that we know very well, and we look forward to returning there next month.”

Dr. Peter Enzinger, President of the Austrian Golf Federation, said: “We are very proud that the European Tour has, once again, chosen Austria to host a European Tour event and that the Austrian Golf Federation is able to contribute.

“The Covid-19 pandemic continues to pose major challenges for international sporting bodies, but in spite of this, working together with our partners in the Federal Ministry of Sport, we have been able to provide all the necessary information, in a very short space of time, to the European Tour making their decision much easier.

“Diamond Country Club in Atzenbrugg has distinguished itself many times as an excellent host already and we are very happy that Europe’s elite will be teeing off again this year in the region of Lower Austria. Obviously, the tournament will go ahead in compliance with the strictest Covid-19 prevention measures, but they will definitely not detract from the delight of the game of golf at its best.”

Christian Guzy, President of Diamond Country Club, said: “Our long-standing collaboration with the European Tour stems from, and is based on, mutual trust, especially given the difficult circumstances presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Last year, along with the European Tour, we showed courage in hosting the first European Tour tournament of the COVID-era, a challenge we mastered beyond expectations.

“With this year’s tournament, we hope to once again showcase golf in Austria and use the international media presence to support local tourism as the summer season is nearing.

“I am grateful to the everyone at the Austrian Golf Federation and the Ministry for allowing us to represent our country internationally. Of course, we are also grateful to everyone else who has made it possible to organise the 2021 Austrian Golf Open within such a tight timeframe.”

The Austrian Golf Open was first played on the European Tour in 1990 when Major Champion Bernhard Langer won the title.

This year’s tournament will be the 22nd edition and the 11th consecutive time it has been played at Diamond Country Club, in Atzenbrugg, near Vienna, which is part of the European Tour Destinations network of world class golf venues. Scotland’s Marc Warren became the most recent winner of the Austrian Open last July, finishing one shot clear of Germany’s Marcel Schneider to claim his first European Tour victory in six years.                                                                   

(Text: European Tour Communications)

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European Tour

Romain ready to take the title at Kenya Savannah Classic

(Image Credits: Getty)

Romain Langasque is hoping that his form at Karen Country Club will culminate in a second European Tour victory at the Kenya Savannah Classic supported by Absa, which tees off on Tuesday and marks the second consecutive event at the Nairobi venue.

The Frenchman enjoyed his best round of the week on Sunday at the Magical Kenya Open presented by Johnnie Walker as a six under 65 earned him a top five finish.

That added to an already impressive record at Karen Country Club – Langasque already boasted a runner-up finish there on the Challenge Tour in 2016 as well as a tied sixth finish on the European Tour in 2019. Incidentally, on all three occasions he has carded 65 in the final round.

“It was a really solid final round. It’s a place that I feel really good. I finished second here on the Challenge Tour, I think I finished sixth two years ago, and it’s a course that really suits my game. I play really offensively here and I feel really good out on that course and I enjoy being here.

“It was a really good idea from the European Tour to put back-to-back events on again because of the situation we have at the moment. I’m really happy to be playing here again because it’s a course where I feel really good, I love the shape of the course, the greens, and everything is good. I feel really happy to be here and I look forward to have a good week again next week.

“I have been really good with my irons over the last few weeks but not so good with my driver and my putter but last week was a lot better with the driver and putter. If my iron game becomes a bit stronger next week, it could be better than this week. I will have a good rest, because we only have one day to rest, and then I’m going to go back to fight again.”

Roman Langasque

The 25-year-old has another good omen on his side – his maiden European Tour victory came in the second of back-to-back events on the same golf course, at the ISPS HANDA Wales Open at Celtic Manor last August.

The winner of the first event of that Celtic Manor double-header was Sam Horsfield, whose first appearance of the 2021 Race to Dubai yielded a tied eighth place finish at last week’s Kenya Magical Open. The Englishman enjoyed his first experience of Nairobi and a final round 65 means he enters the Kenya Savannah Classic full of confidence.

(Text: European Tour Communications)

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European Tour

Aaron Rai Returns to ‘Second Home’ for the Magical Kenya Open

Rai describes his 2017 Challenge Tour win in Karen as his fondest memory of a win (Image: Getty)

Aaron Rai returns to the scene of an emotional victory and one of his career highlights at this week’s Magical Kenya Open presented by Johnnie Walker, an event which he won on the Challenge Tour in 2017 in front of his Kenyan-born mother and jubilant crowds.

The Englishman has a special connection to this week’s venue Karen Country Club, where he triumphed four years ago:

It feels like a home away from home here, my mum was born here and my sister lives here in Karen now. It very much has a home feel for me, it’s always going to be a special place with the memories I’ve had here down the years – I don’t think that’s something I’ll ever forget so I think any time that I’m here to play golf or here full stop is a blessing.

It was his first of three Challenge Tour victories, and the win came on Mothers’ Day as his own mother watched on proudly, having returned to her birthplace for the first time since leaving as a teenager. Additionally, Rai’s sister now calls Karen, the neighbourhood in the outskirts of Nairobi which hosts this week’s event, her home.

While the crowds will not be there to support him this week, Rai is feeling confident that his connections to the club, and the country, can give him a timely boost.

Guido Migliozzi of Italy defends his title this week, two years after winning his first of two titles in the 2019 season at Karen Country Club – the event was cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Darren Fichardt will reach a notable milestone on his home continent as the South African makes his 400th European Tour event, while Englishman Sam Horsfield – a two-time winner in the 2020 Race to Dubai – returns to action for his first appearance of 2021 after an injury lay-off.