German Masters (golf)

The German Masters was a European Tour men's professional golf tournament played in Germany, and hosted and promoted by Germany's most successful golfer Bernhard Langer and his brother Erwin.

Mercedes-Benz Championship
Tournament information
LocationPulheim, Germany
Established1987
Course(s)Golf Club Gut Lärchenhof
Par72
Length7,289 yards (6,665 m)
Tour(s)European Tour
FormatStroke play
Prize fund2,000,000
Month playedSeptember
Final year2009
Tournament record score
Aggregate262 K. J. Choi (2003)
To par−26 as above
Final champion
South Africa James Kingston
Location Map
GC Gut Lärchenhof is located in Germany
GC Gut Lärchenhof
GC Gut Lärchenhof
Location in Germany
GC Gut Lärchenhof is located in North Rhine-Westphalia
GC Gut Lärchenhof
GC Gut Lärchenhof

History

Founded in 1987,[1] the tournament was originally played in Stuttgart, moving to Berlin in 1994. Since 1998, it has been held at Golf Club Gut Lärchenhof in Pulheim near Cologne. The prize fund had climbed to €3 million by 2005, making the German Masters one of the richer tournaments on the PGA European Tour at that time outside of the major championships and the three individual World Golf Championships.

After a one-year break in 2006, the tournament returned to the European Tour schedule in 2007, renamed as the Mercedes-Benz Championship. Played as a no-cut event, it had a maximum field of 78, consisting primarily of players who had either won tournaments on the European Tour in 2007 or were in the top 75 of the Official World Golf Rankings or in the top 60 of the European Order of Merit. It was played in mid-September, a slot created by the rescheduling of the HSBC World Match Play Championship to October. However, as it clashed with the PGA Tour's Tour Championship, many leading players were unavailable, and so the prize fund had dropped to €2 million on its return, one third less than it was in 2005.

Winners

YearWinnerScoreTo parMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
Mercedes-Benz Championship
2009South Africa James Kingston275−13PlayoffDenmark Anders Hansen
2008Sweden Robert Karlsson275−132 strokesItaly Francesco Molinari
2007Denmark Søren Hansen271−174 strokesEngland Phillip Archer
Scotland Alastair Forsyth
Linde German Masters
2006: No tournament
2005South Africa Retief Goosen268−201 strokeEngland Nick Dougherty
England David Lynn
Spain José María Olazábal
Sweden Henrik Stenson
2004Republic of Ireland Pádraig Harrington275−133 strokesAustralia Nick O'Hern
2003South Korea K. J. Choi262−262 strokesSpain Miguel Ángel Jiménez
2002Australia Stephen Leaney266−221 strokeGermany Alex Čejka
2001Germany Bernhard Langer (4)266−221 strokeUnited States John Daly
Sweden Freddie Jacobson
2000New Zealand Michael Campbell197[lower-alpha 1]−191 strokeArgentina José Cóceres
1999Spain Sergio García277−11PlayoffRepublic of Ireland Pádraig Harrington
Wales Ian Woosnam
1998Scotland Colin Montgomerie266−221 strokeSweden Robert Karlsson
Fiji Vijay Singh
1997Germany Bernhard Langer (3)267−216 strokesScotland Colin Montgomerie
1996Northern Ireland Darren Clarke264−241 strokeEngland Mark Davis
Mercedes German Masters
1995Sweden Anders Forsbrand264−242 strokesGermany Bernhard Langer
1994Spain Seve Ballesteros270−18PlayoffSouth Africa Ernie Els
Spain José María Olazábal
1993England Steven Richardson271−172 strokesSweden Robert Karlsson
1992England Barry Lane272−162 strokesAustralia Rodger Davis
Germany Bernhard Langer
Wales Ian Woosnam
1991Germany Bernhard Langer (2)275−13PlayoffAustralia Rodger Davis
1990Scotland Sam Torrance272−163 strokesGermany Bernhard Langer
Wales Ian Woosnam
German Masters
1989West Germany Bernhard Langer276−121 strokeSpain José María Olazábal
United States Payne Stewart
1988Spain José María Olazábal279−92 strokesSweden Anders Forsbrand
Republic of Ireland Des Smyth
1987Scotland Sandy Lyle278−10PlayoffWest Germany Bernhard Langer

Notes

  1. Shortened to 54 holes due to weather.

References

  1. "German event lifts tour pool to record". The Times. London, England. 18 February 1987. p. 38. Retrieved 7 June 2020 via The Times Digital Archive.
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