BMW International Open:
German Marcel Siem, who was as high as 175-1 pre-tournament, won his sixth career DP World Tour event last weekend at the Italian Open. Siem was playing his fourth event after recovering from hip surgery in February. He held off Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin in a playoff.
McKibbin carded a Sunday round of 65 and finished nearly three hours before Siem, who had to make a 22-foot birdie on 18 just to make the playoff. McKibbin’s consolation prize was earning one of the two spots (American Sean Crocker earned the other) available for entry at the British Open in three weeks’ time at Royal Troon.
This week, the DP World Tour returns to Germany for the BMW International Open in Munich.
Patrick Reed (16-1) finished 29th in Italy last week and is playing this week in a last-ditch effort to earn a spot in the British Open as is Thomas Pieters (22-1), who was runner-up here in 2022.
Ryan Fox (18-1) was third here two years ago and returns to the DP World Tour for the first time since the January swing through the Middle East.
Bernd Wiesberger (25-1) has finished in the top 7 in two of his last three events and was top 5 here in 2021.
Jordan Smith, third here in 2019, and Keitz Nakajima follow at 28-1.
Thriston Lawrence (35-1) is the defending champion in Munich.
The Course
Golfclub München Eichenried in Munich is a tree-lined parklands that has been slightly lengthened to a par-72 of 7,347 yards. The 1989 Kurt Rosknecht design is very scoreable with four mid-range par-5s and couple of potentially drivable par-4s. The Poa/Ryegrass fairways are very generous, so the layout is set up for the players to attack.
The Creeping Bentgrass greens are relatively flat and roll about 10 feet on the stimpmeter.
History has proved that many players with different styles have succeeded here. Birdies and low scoring are the order of the day, particularly if rain softens the putting surfaces.
BMW International Open Recent History
2023: Thriston Lawrence (-13/275); 100-1
2022: Haotong Li (-22/266); 66-1*
2021: Viktor Hovland (-19/269); 13-2
2020: Tournament canceled due to COVID-19
2019: Andrea Pavan (-15/273); 100-1**
2018: Matt Wallace (-10/278); 40-1
2017: Andres Romero (-17/271); 300-1
2016: Henrik Stenson (-17/271); 10-1
2015: Pablo Larrazabal (-17/271); 60-1
2014: Fabrizio Zanotti (-19/269); 80-1***
2013: Ernie Els (-18/270); 22-1
2012: Danny Willett (-11/277); 90-1****
2011: Pablo Larrazabal (-16/272); 45-1*****
2010: David Horsey (-18/270); 150-1
Playoff win over Thomas Pieters – *
Playoff win over Matthew Fitzpatrick – **
Playoff win over Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Gregory Havret, and Henrik Stenson – ***
Playoff win over Marcus Fraser – ****
Playoff win over Sergio Garcia – *****
Note that the 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018 events were played at Lärchenhof.
Selections
Thomas Pieters, 22-1
Pieters finished runner-up here two years ago when Haotong Li drained a 50-footer to beat him in a playoff.
The Belgian also finished runner-up six weeks ago back home in the Soudal Open.
He ranks in the top 10 for Driving Distance on LIV, and this is a course where he can attack using the driver.
Joost Luiten, 35-1
Like Pieters, Luiten has some scar tissue in this event having finished runner-up to Thriston Lawrence here last year after giving up the 54-hole lead.
The Dutchman has four top-15 finishes in his last seven starts, plus arrives in a great mood with news that he will be able to represent the Netherlands in the Olympic Games in Paris next month after all.
Luiten took the Netherlands Olympic Committee to court after it decided to exclude him, Darius van Driel and women’s golfer Dewi Weber believing there was “no reasonable chance of a top-eight ranking during the Olympic Games.”
He was also prevented from competing in the Tokyo Olympics because he was not ranked in the OWGR Top 100.
Certainly, this whole ordeal gives him even more motivation entering this week.
Matti Schmid, 35-1
Schmid, who now plays primarily on the PGA Tour, returns home to Germany to play in this event where he has finished inside the top 20 twice in three appearances.
The young German has had erratic form this year, missing his first six cuts of 2024 and going through another stretch in May of missing four cuts in a row
However, he has played some solid golf (four top-20s) in spots and this drop down in competition may be what the doctor ordered.
Rikuya Hoshino, 45-1
Hoshino finished third here last year. Since that finish, he became a DP World Tour winner for the first time earlier this year in Qatar.
He ranks sixth for Strokes Gained: Tee-To-Green and 12th for Strokes Gained: Approach this season.
Sean Crocker, 50-1
Crocker finished third last week in Italy and just one stroke out of the playoff between Siem and McKibbin. That close call did earn him a nice consolation prize though with a spot in the upcoming British Open at Royal Troon in three weeks.
That likely takes some pressure off of him here.
He finished 14th in this event last year.
Matthias Schwab, 125-1
Austrian Matthias Schwab has two top-10 finishes in his last five starts with a T-8 in China and a T-10 last week in Italy. Unfortunately, those finishes bookend three missed cuts.
Schwab was third here in 2019.
He ranks in the top 10 on the DP World Tour for both Greens In Regulation and Driving Accuracy.
