BMW International Open: Heavenly Hovland, Comeback Kaymer!

• Viktor Hovland (NOR, -19) triumphs at the 32nd BMW International Open to become the first Norwegian to win a European Tour event.
• The 23-year-old shoots a final round of 70 at Golfclub München Eichenried to round off an impressive debut in Munich.
• Martin Kaymer (GER, -17) produces a sensational final-round fightback, including ten birdies, to finish runner-up ahead of Jorge Campillo (ESP, -15, 3rd) and Victor Dubuisson (FRA, -14, 4th)
• Matthias Schmid (-11, T14) ends the iconic German tournament as the best-placed amateur, Bernd Wiesberger (-13, T5) is the top Austrian.
• Vincent Norrman (SWE, -14, T5) achieves a true golfing rarity on Saturday with a hole-in-one on a par 4.

Munich. Viktor Hovland carded rounds of 68, 67, 64 and 70 (269) to win the 2021 BMW International Open with a final score of -19. This was the Norwegian’s maiden victory on the European Tour at the 17^th attempt and sees him climb to 13^th place in the world rankings. 2008 winner Martin Kaymer (271 shots, -17), who remains the only German champion and youngest winner in the history of the tournament, had to settle for second place, just two shots back. Amateur Matthias Schmid (277, -11) impressed with an excellent 14^th place.

“Congratulations to Viktor Hovland on an impressive and deserved victory at the 32^nd BMW International Open, which sees him make history as the first European Tour winner from Norway,” said Ilka Horstmeier, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Human Resources, Labour Relations Director. “This tournament has been a feast of top-class golf, but there was one thing missing. We missed the many fans lining the fairways and greens, whose enthusiasm usually creates such a fantastic flair and atmosphere. We are very much looking forward to experiencing that together with all the visitors again next year.”

After three rounds, in which Hovland produced a display of excellent golf, as well as an impressive composure and calm, the young Norwegian’s three-shot lead looked set to make Sunday a formality. However, he struggled with a cold putter on his final round, despite continuing to take a very aggressive approach. On several occasions, Hovland found himself in a tie for the lead. However, strong nerves at the end of a round that included four birdies and two bogeys helped him to a historic victory.

“I am very happy to be sat here with the trophy. When you lead after three rounds, you can’t help thinking about what might be. That was not a good round today, but in the end I decided to play simple golf and stay true to myself,” said Hovland. “I really enjoyed being back in Europe. I keep hearing from colleagues what a fantastic tournament BMW puts on here. That was one of the reasons for coming to Munich. It was great to experience that for myself. I will definitely be back next year.”

Despite trailing Hovland by eight shots after three rounds, Kaymer came very close to claiming a second victory at the BMW International Open on Sunday. An outstanding performance – the two-time major winner carded ten birdies and just two bogeys – twice brought him into a share of the lead. In the end, a very satisfied Kaymer had to settle for second place: “I took a lot from today, particularly the birdie putt on the 18th. Whether or not it is ultimately enough for the win does not really matter. I gave myself chances. That is important. It was a wonderful tournament, and I feel sorry for the whole BMW team, which has invested a lot of work, that we were not allowed to have more spectators. I would have liked that.”

Schmid was presented with the trophy for the best amateur. Although the 22-year-old German was the only non-professional in the field, he more than deserved the recognition following four under-par rounds that saw him finish tied in 14^th place. “It was very tidy from tee to green, but my short game and putting were nothing special. I only made a few birdies from promising positions,” he said after his final round. On the whole, however, he was happy. “It has been a fantastic week for me against a home backdrop!”

23-year-old Norrman made history in the third round, when he hit an extremely rare hole-in-one on a par 4 hole. Using a 3-wood, he drove his tee shot straight into the hole on the 247-metre 16th. This was only the third albatross in the 32-year history of the tournament – following in the footsteps of José Maria Olazábal (ESP, 2001, hole 11, par 5) and Rafa Echenique (ARG, 2009, hole 18, par 5) – and the first on a par 4.

Unfortunately, nobody was able to produce the perfect shot on the 17^th to win this week’s BMW Hole-in-One Award. Neither the pros nor amateur Paul Neumann, whose trick shot won the “Steal the Car” competition on the BMW Golfsport social media channels. Neumann was rewarded on Tuesday with 50 attempts to hit a hole-in-one that would have won him the BMW iX, the BMW Group’s new fully-electric flagship.