25th BMW International Open – No presents on offer at this birthday celebration: strong German quartet sets sights on second home win in tournament history.

Munich. With a good six weeks until the first tee shot of the 25th BMW International Open rings out around Golfclub München Eichenried (18th to 23rd June), more top players have confirmed they will be appearing at the anniversary edition of the only European Tour tournament to be held on German soil. Sergio García (Spain), British Open champion Ernie Els (South Africa), BMW Championship winner Dustin Johnson (USA) and BMW Brand Ambassador Martin Kaymer (Germany), who had already announced their intention to play, will be joined my more of the world’s top players in the battle for a share of the two million Euro prize purse.

First and foremost German aces Marcel Siem (Ratingen), Alex Cejka (Las Vegas) and Maximilian Kieffer (Düsseldorf). They are out to follow in the footsteps of their compatriot Martin Kaymer, to date the only German to win the title at the BMW International Open. A good omen: Kaymer’s victory came five years ago, when the tournament celebrated its last big anniversary.

Two things speak in favour of Marcel Siem challenging at the top of the leaderboard: firstly, the man from Ratingen is in scintillating form again this year, as proven recently by his victory at a European Tour event in Morocco. Secondly, Siem laid the foundations for his remarkable professional career at a recently opened Golfclub Eichenried over 25 years ago. He knows the course in the north of Munich better than any other player in the tournament.

Alex Cejka has also played his part at the top of the leaderboard of the BMW International Open in the past: the 42-year-old, who lived in Munich for a long time before succumbing to the draw of the US tour, finished runner-up in 2004 and also has two third places to his name at the BMW International Open. And finally, from a German perspective, there is European Tour rookie Maximilian Kieffer, who BMW recently started supporting as “Friend of the Brand”. The 22-year-old caught the eye at the recent Open de España, when he narrowly lost out to Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin on the ninth extra hole of the longest play-off in European Tour history. That second place was enough to guarantee “Kiwi” his Tour card for the coming season, even at this early point in the golfing year.

“We are pleased that the anniversary tournament will feature a very high-class quartet of players striving to become only the second German to claim the title at the BMW International Open,” said Tournament Director Marco Kaussler. “However, the outstanding international competition in the field means it will definitely not be easy for our guys – and the opposition includes a lot of potential winners. As always: may the best man win.”

For example, Ryder Cup players Edoardo Molinari of Italy and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson will both tee off in Eichenried. Stenson won the 2006 tournament in a memorable play-off on the 18th hole. And it goes without saying that last year’s winner Danny Willett will be back to defend his title. The Englishman triumphed – in another dramatic playoff, against Australia’s Marcus Fraser – when the BMW International Open made its debut at Golf Club Gut Lärchenhof near Cologne.

Spaniards have always played a major role in the history of the BMW International Open. Tournament winners Miguel Ángel Jiménez (2004) and Pablo Larrazábal (2011) will be back in Eichenried again this year. They are joined by Rafael Cabrera-Bello, who won last year’s Dubai Desert Classic, and big-hitting Álvaro Quirós, who was also successful in Dubai on two occasions in 2011: the Spaniard won the Desert Classic and the season finale, the Dubai World Championship.

In Anders Hansen, Eichenried welcomes something of a veteran. The Dane has been active on the European Tour since 1999 and has three tournament wins to his name. He also came within a hair’s breadth of picking up a fourth victory. However, he lost out to local favourite Martin Kaymer in a play-off at the 2008 BMW International Open. And then there is cheery Englishman Paul Casey, who is almost back to his formidable best following a painful shoulder injury. The eleven-time winner on the European Tour, whose successes include the 2009 BMW PGA Championship, is always a welcome guest in Munich.

This year’s Ryder Cup interest will be provided by three European captains, who tee off as part of this year’s 156-man field: Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie – winner of the 1999 BMW International Open – led his home continent to the title in Wales in 2010. Spaniard José-María Olazábal – responsible for one of only two albatrosses ever carded in the history of the BMW International Open – defended that title on a dramatic final day at the Medinah Country Club in Chicago last year. The third of the trio of captains is Paul McGinley, who has the honourable task of completing the hat-trick for Europe in autumn 2014. The Irishman is responsible for selecting the right twelve-man squad when the inter-continental competition comes to Gleneagles in Scotland – with BMW as the “Official Car” partner.

Last but not least, spectators in Eichenried can look forward to a host of fascinating young players, who have already done more than enough to indicate that we will hear a lot more from them in the near future. These include Italian Matteo Manassero. The man from the province of Verona demonstrated his exceptional talent at the young age of just 16 when he became the youngest player ever to win the British Amateur Championship, thus qualifying for that year’s Open Championship, which he ended as the best amateur in a sensational 13th place. In 2010 he won his first tournament on the European Tour and has since added another victory in Europe’s elite golf class to his collection.

One year ago Thorbjørn Olesen, now 23 years old, won his first European Tour event in Sicily. It was a success that had been coming, as the Dane had already finished runner-up on three occasions. Austrian fans will be particularly pleased to see their compatriot Bernd Wiesberger in action in Eichenried. The 27-year-old made people sit up and take notice in 2012, when he won tournaments on the European Tour and climbed as high as 76th in the world rankings. Only last week, Wiesberger sent out another reminder of his undoubted talent with victory at the Indonesian Masters, beating no less than Ernie Els in the process.

More well-known players are expected to join the high-class starting field by the start of the tournament.

Below you will find a media folder in PDF format. This also includes the following press information:

25th BMW International Open: A special book for a special occasion.
25th BMW International Open: Join in the celebrations.
25th BMW International Open: “Birthday presents” for social media users.
Golf pro Maximilian Kieffer drives a BMW.

BMW and golf – the “Global Golf Player”.

BMW first became involved in professional golf when the BMW International Open was held for the first time in 1989. In the meantime, BMW has become a strong, highly respected, integral partner of the golfing world and is the only brand represented on all the major tours. BMW organises another three tournaments on the European Tour. The BMW PGA Championship at the Wentworth Club near London is known as the “Players’ Flagship” and is one of the most prestigious tournaments on the tour. When the BMW Masters (Shanghai) made its debut in 2012, it featured one of the biggest prize funds on the European Tour and a world-class field. On the PGA TOUR, the BMW Championship is one of the most important golfing events in the USA and makes up the third leg of the four FedExCup Playoff tournaments. With the organisation of these professional tournaments, numerous “Official Car” partnerships and the global amateur tournament series – the BMW Golf Cup International – BMW is the most important global player in the world of golf. The relationship with the PGA European Tour, which BMW also supports by providing the “Official Car” at the Ryder Cup, is particularly close. Professionals around the world regard BMW very highly as a golf partner. For example, Major winner Martin Kaymer represents the company as BMW Brand Ambassador.

The BMW Group.

The BMW Group is the leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles in the world with its BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 28 production and assembly facilities in 13 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries. In 2012, the BMW Group sold about 1.85 million cars and more than 117,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for the financial year 2012 was euro 7.82 billion on revenues amounting to euro 76.85 billion. At 31 December 2012, the BMW Group had a workforce of 105,876 employees. The success of the BMW Group has always been built on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy. As a result of its efforts, the BMW Group has been ranked industry leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for the last eight years.