The stage is set: from 22nd to 26th June, GC Gut Lärchenhof near Cologne will host to a star field at the most prestigious professional golf tournament in Germany: the BMW International Open. BMW is organising this European Tour event for the 28th time.
In doing so, it continues a remarkable success story: no other European Tour event has been held under the same name for such a long time as the BMW International Open. We present an overview of all the important information and fascinating facts to do with the tournament week:
The numbers: Take a look at some fascinating figures, which reveal what goes on behind the scenes to make the tournament a success.
2 video walls and 50 screens.
10 leaderboards and two hole-by-hole scoreboards.
53 exhibitors present their golf-related products.
150 km of TV, electricity and telephone cables.
200 experts make TV broadcasts possible.
250 trucks are unloaded.
500 volunteers offer their services.
500 technicians assemble and dismantle equipment.
2,000 seats in the various grandstands.
3,500 project professionals ensure everything runs smoothly.
5,000 sandwiches are eaten.
7,000 litres of beer are served.
9,500 m² of tents are erected for hospitality, exhibition and work areas.
15,000 m² of Public Area.
20,000 litres of water are drunk.
38,850 golf shots will be played in roughly 450 rounds of golf.
60,000 spectators are expected.
140,000 kilometres will be covered by the BMW Shuttle Service.
Top players: Many pros in action at this weekend’s second Major of the year, the U.S. Open, will travel straight from Oakmont (US state of Pennsylvania) to the BMW International Open. They include Masters champion Danny Willett (ENG), Henrik Stenson (SWE) and Sergio García (ESP), as well as BMW Golfsport Ambassadors Max Kieffer (GER) and Bernd Wiesberger (AUT). Flying the flag for Germany will be local favourites Marcel Siem and Alex Cejka, who is making a rare appearance in Germany at the BMW International Open. Golf fans can also look forward to seeing the flamboyant Miguel Ángel Jiménez (ESP) and defending champion Pablo Larrazábal (ESP).
Directions: There is sufficient free parking at the tournament site. Visitors should check out the current parking situation and possible alternative parking arrangements atwww.bmw-golfsport.com before setting off – particularly in adverse weather conditions. You can also travel comfortably with the S-Bahn railway and the free shuttle service from Köln-Worringen station.
Live broadcasts: Sky (pay TV, Thursday to Sunday) and Sport1 (free TV, Saturday and Sunday) will broadcast live from Cologne. Live streams from all days of the tournament are available on sport1.de and golf.de. You can find all the broadcast times at www.bmw-golfsport.com
