Long drive show match at the 35th BMW International Open.

+++ “Launch Control – A Long Drive Ccmpetition presented by BMW & Martin Borgmeier” on Thursday +++ A very special golfing experience straight after the 1^st round +++ “After Work” with DJ Bernhard Fleischmann in the Tournament Village +++

Munich. Sports fans need to mark this Thursday (4th July) in their calendars and head on over to Golfclub München Eichenried. At the 35th BMW International Open, this is not only when the first round of the tournament with Germany’s golfing legend Bernhard Langer and many other stars will start, but also when the 18th hole will be turned into a long drive arena with top-level competitors at the end of the first round (approx. 18:30). From the stand, spectators will have the best view of the powerful drives from the green against the normal direction of play that will be on display during “Launch Control – A Long Drive Competition presented by BMW & Martin Borgmeier”.

In this entertaining and spectacular show match, the German long drive world champion will go head to head with two other top-class industry giants: Ryan “The Canadian Lumberjack” Gregnol (CAN) and Sam Judah (USA). Local heroine and European amateur long drive champion Sonya Knebel will face Cassandra Meyer and Gabi Powel (both USA) in the women's competition, which also has an excellent line-up. Sky’s golf reporter Florian Bauer will be the host for the event.

“We are really looking forward to presenting our adrenalin-charged sport at the BMW International Open. I’m confident that we will inspire a large number of people. Long drive is an extreme discipline, but it’s also a lot closer to traditional golf than some people might think,” says Borgmeier. “One thing I can definitely promise is that we have a fantastic line-up taking part, with two athletes in each of the competitions making the trip all the way from North America. Spectators can look forward to a thrilling evening, in terms of sport as a given, but also in terms of entertainment value. We will be showing ball flights that many people have never seen before.”

Starting at 17:00, there will be an “After Work” taking place in the Tournament Village, with DJ Bernhard Fleischmann taking care of the background music. The long drive event will last around an hour, allowing all fans to head there afterwards to bring a day of fascinating sport to a perfect end.