From a change in date to spectators in attendance and the chance to qualify for the U.S. Open, here are your five things to know about this week’s Porsche European Open.
A 54-hole event
This week’s Porsche European Open is now set to take place over 54 holes at Green Eagle Golf Courses in Hamburg, played from Saturday June 5 to Monday June 7.
The decision to move the tournament, which was originally scheduled to begin on Thursday June 3 and played over 72 holes, was due to a late change in Covid regulations by the German Government which placed the United Kingdom on its travel ‘red list’.
This meant almost a third of the scheduled 156-player field, along with a similar number of caddies and a significant number of European Tour Productions and European Tour staff, would have been unable to enter Germany without observing a mandatory quarantine period if they had not been outside the UK for a minimum of ten days. Moving the date back two days has allowed the vast majority of these people affected to spend the requisite time outside of the United Kingdom before crossing the border into Germany.
Casey returns to defend
Paul Casey memorably ended a five-year wait for another win on the European Tour with his 14th Tour victory in 2019, and returns this week to defend his title at the 38th staging of the Porsche European Open.
Last time around, Casey topped a tightly packed leaderboard during a thrilling finale on the demanding Porsche Nord Course.With just three holes remaining and tied at the top with Robert MacIntyre and Bernd Ritthammer, the Englishman holed a long birdie putt at the 16th which proved to be the turning point.
And now Casey, who is currently ranked 21st in the Official World Golf Rankings, arrives following a fourth=place finish at the US PGA Championship. He is joined in the field by Major Champions and fellow Ryder Cup stars Henrik Stenson and Martin Kaymer, as well as the Tour’s most recent winner Bernd Wiesberger, who set a new course record of 64 with Romain Wattel in the final round of this event in 2019.
In front of spectators
One noticeable addition to this week’s event in Europe will be spectators, after authorities gave the go ahead for a model project to allow 2,000 daily spectators after constructive discussions with promoters U.COM Event.
This will be the largest attendance on the European Tour regular schedule since the return to tournament play last July, which has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Tournament Director Dirk Glittenberg said: "They were intensive weeks, but it's all been worthwhile. We're so unbelievably happy that the Porsche European Open can be held in front of spectators. It'll be the first top class professional tournament in Europe to do so. It means we already have a winner even before the first round gets underway – the tournament and the players will benefit from the atmosphere, and the fans will be finally rewarded for their patience.
“Our thanks go out to the local Harburg district authorities for all their efforts and their decision to permit the model project.”
U.S. Open Qualifying
The Porsche European Open marks the third and final event on the European Tour schedule which forms a qualifying series for the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. This replaces traditional qualifying for a second year in a row due to the continued impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Following his recent victory at The Belfry, Richard Bland currently tops the list, which will see the top ten aggregate Race to Dubai points earners (not otherwise exempt) earn their place in the field for the third Major of the year. As it stands, Guido Migliozzi lies in second after back to back runner up finishes, with last week's champion Bernd Wiesberger in third. Bland and Migliozzi have secured their places at Torrey Pines, and Wiesberger will join them after moving back into the Top 50 in the World. The other eight places available will be keenly contested this week.
The qualification series is made up of the following events: The Betfred British Masters hosted by Danny Willett (May 12-15), the Made in HimmerLand presented by FREJA (May 27-30) and the Porsche European Open (June 3-6).
Click here to find out more about the current standings.
A lengthy test
The Porsche Nord Course at this week’s Porsche European Open is an exacting test, and with a maximum length of 7,717 yards from the Champions Tees is one of the longest courses on the European Tour. There are five par fives on the back nine alone, which includes the 705-yard 16th – one of the longest golf holes on the European Tour.
But in addition to length, there is also a premium on accuracy around the Michael Blesch designed course – aptly named the ‘Green Monster’. With 17 of 18 holes designed with water hazards, it’s understandable why this venue is named by the German Golf Association as the hardest course in Germany.
