BMW Masters: Make-or-break time in Shanghai

This year, the BMW Masters forms the penultimate tournament in the European Tour Final Series. The prestigious tournament in Shanghai (10th to 15th November), which boasts a prize purse of 7 million US dollars, will determine which 60 professional golfers will tee off the following week at the finale of the Race to Dubai. The BMW Masters is played at Lake Malaren Golf Club. 64 top international players will be joined by 14 Chinese golfers. There is no cut.

“This year’s BMW Masters has once again attracted a high-class field to Shanghai. We are looking forward to a fascinating mixture of top players from the European Tour and up-and-coming Chinese pros. The BMW Masters offers them a fantastic opportunity to show what they are capable of at the highest level and to score valuable world ranking points towards qualifying for the Olympics in 2016,” said Christian Masanz, Head of BMW Golfsport Marketing.

The defending champion is Marcel Siem (GER), who defeated Ross Fisher (ENG) and Alexander Levy (FRA) in a play-off to win the biggest title of his career last year. Siem is one of three Germans in the field: two-time major winner Martin Kaymer and BMW Golfsport Ambassador Max Kieffer will also tee off in the Chinese metropolis.

Sports fans in Shanghai can also look forward to watching other top players, including 2013 Race to Dubai winner Henrik Stenson (SWE), major winners Justin Rose (ENG), Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) and John Daly (USA), and Ryder Cup stars Sergio Garcia (ESP), Ian Poulter (ENG), Victor Dubuisson (FRA) and Jamie Donaldson (WAL). Patrick Reed (USA), a four-time winner on the PGA TOUR, will be making a rare appearance on the European Tour. He will be joined by Paul Casey (ENG), who these days plays almost exclusively on in the USA.

The Chinese are led by China’s BMW Golfsport Ambassador Wu Ashun, who claimed his first European Tour victory at the China Open in April, and rising star Li Hao-tong, who last year became the first Chinese golfer to earn a place on the Web.com Tour, the developmental tour for the PGA TOUR.

The long tradition of BMW Hole-in-One Awards will also continue at the 2015 BMW Masters. The first player to hit an ace on the 17th hole will be rewarded with an extraordinary car: the new BMW 7 Series. This year, two spectacular Hole-in-One Cars have already been snapped up: Chris Wood (ENG) won a BMW i8 at the BMW PGA Championship, while his compatriot drove away from the same tournament in a brand-new BMW M4 Coupé.