Lee Westwood was close to tears when he held aloft the winner’s trophy on 31st August 2003. It was the Englishman’s first win on the European Tour for two long years – and, as a result, he has always had especially fond memories of the 2003 BMW International Open. He’s not the only one. The 15th Open tournament at the München Nord-Eichenried golf club had a hugely positive reaction from both pros and fans alike.
Westwood was clearly the most overjoyed – but who could blame him. After four days in northern Munich, during which he played some magnificent golf (rounds of 65, 68, 70 and 66 for a par 72 course), the 30-year old confessed: "There was a time when I was considering putting my clubs in a corner and never picking them up again – but that would have been the easiest thing to do. I have fought my way back. Here today I have been rewarded for that." The reward was also financial. Along with the title, Westwood also celebrated pocketing the winner’s check of more than 300,000 Euros.
It was on the final round that the Englishman really showed his fighting spirit. After three days, Sweden’s Robert Karlsson, winner of the 1997 BMW International Open, was still out front on the leaderboard. But his nerves buckled and the Swede let slip a repeat victory with a bogey on eight and double bogeys on 10 and 16. At the same time on the final day, it looked as if the first German winner of the BMW International Open might be on the cards – as Alex Cejka was catching up fast. But Cejka couldn’t match the six birdies that the focused Westwood hit on the final eight holes. Nevertheless, his clear second place was a thoroughly commendable finish.
Kind words were also saved for the course on which the professionals had to play. A satisfied tournament director Marco Kaussler announced: “The golf course was in terrific condition. We were delighted that Ernie Els said ‘he had found here the best green in Europe this year’.“ The South African Els, then number two in the World Rankings list, was only one of a plethora of top stars who honored the 2003 BMW International Open. Bernhard Langer (Anhausen), Thomas Bjoern (Denmark) and Nick Faldo (England) were among the other international greats who were not going to let anything stop them from taking part in this prestigious tournament on the outskirts of the Bavarian city.
Tournament president Ludwig Willisch saw the significance of attracting these illustrious names: "The BMW International Open has confirmed its prominent position with the strongest field in 10 years.”
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