Billy Horschel: “I want to beat Rory to the punch”.

+++ Billy Horschel sets sights on the BMW hat-trick in Munich +++ The “BMW International Open means everything” to Matti Schmid +++

Munich. Billy Horschel could make history this week and become the first player to complete the BMW hat-trick – winning the title at the BMW Championship on the PGA TOUR, the BMW PGA Championship in London, and the BMW International Open. The American number 14 in the world is set to tee off in Germany for the first time.

Matti Schmid from Regensburg finished 14 in last year’s BMW International Open, making him the best-placed amateur. He subsequently turned pro and was named “Rookie of the Year” on the DP World Tour at the end of the season.

During today’s Pro-Am tournament, Horschel and Schmid discussed their impressions of the BMW International Open so far, and their goals for the week.

Billy Horschel.

“After winning in Wentworth last year, I said on the 18^th green that I wished BMW sponsored every event I played in. That got me thinking that I should make a trip to Germany to play the BMW International Open and win the one BMW title I’ve not won yet. I understand that of the current BMW tournaments around the world, there’s only one other guy who has won the BMW Championship and the BMW PGA and that’s Rory McIlroy. Maybe I can beat him to the punch and win the third one before he can.

This is my first time in Germany. I haven’t seen too much of it, but I’m looking forward to getting out the next couple of days and seeing a little bit of Munich and downtown. Everyone has been very nice and very accommodating. Driving to the course from the hotel, you see everyone is very active on bikes, riding around, exercising. I can tell it’s a great city to be outdoors.

It’s a beautiful golf course (Golfclub München Eichenried). I played nine holes on Monday and nine on Tuesday. It’s a flat golf course but the greens have a lot of undulation to them and are built up to make them a little bit tricky. There’s a lot of little subtle hidden breaks, so far I’ve had a bit of difficulty reading the greens at times. You’ve got to really be on your iron game, going for greens and tiers and the spots where they will put the pins.”

Matti Schmid.

“The BMW International Open means everything to me. I followed the tournament as a little kid and have visited it a lot. I also practice here often. It is one of my favourite tournaments. The goal is obviously always to challenge at the top of the leaderboard. Let’s see whether it works out that way this week.

The course (Golfclub München Eichenried) is in super condition. The greens are running better than before – it is awesome. The rough has not necessarily grown, but that is not really a disadvantage for me. That means you can take more advantage of the par 5s. It is definitely going to be an exciting week.”