Damien Kayat previews the 2023 edition of the BMW International coming your way from the Golfclub München Eichenried.
2022/2023 DP World Tour
BMW International Open
Golfclub Munchen Eichenried, Munich, Germany
22nd-25th June
European golf fans were left to rue yet another near miss for Rory McIlroy at last week’s US Open. And it was once again agonizing to watch. It actually reminded me a lot of his final-round performance at St Andrews last year. He drove the ball magnificently but couldn’t hole a putt to save his life. But you have to give credit to the short-game heroics of newly-minted Major champion Wyndham Clark. He looked remarkably composed and highlighted the absolutely unreal depth of American golf.
LIV Golf acolytes never really had much of a say last week. DJ flirted with contention while Koepka languidly went about his business. I guess they didn’t really have a point to prove in the aftermath of that shock LIV merger. I don’t think we will see Los Angeles Country Club on the Major roster for some time. Players were lukewarm on the quirky layout and the whole event lacked something. I wonder if that has anything to do with the PGA Tour elevating so many events. It just makes the big events feel a little less special.
The tour moves to Germany this week for the 34th instalment of the BMW International Open. The last two editions of this event have actually been real nail-biters. Viktor Hovland held off Martin Kaymer in 2021 while Li Haotong came from nowhere to beat Thomas Pieters in an epic playoff last year. The tournament used to alternate between two courses- the Golf Club Gut Larchenhof and the Golfclub Munchen Eichenried.
This year will mark the 4th consecutive edition hosted at Golfclub Munchen Eichenried. Designed by Kurt Rossknecht and opened in 1989, this is a flat, tree-lined affair with extremely slow greens (which will make quite a change from some of those greens in LA). There is water in play on 10 holes and the scoring here is generally pretty low. Having said that, the course has matured in recent years as the trees have been allowed to grow. This has made errant tee shots a lot more penal of late. Given these changes, I would favour accuracy over distance this week. But I think it could still boil down to something of a putting contest.
Last week was not a brilliant showcase for DP World Tour regulars. Jordan Smith’s top 20 finish was one shining light. But the Englishman will not be in action this week. Consistent Pole Adrian Meronk will lead the markets this week. Rasmus Hojgaard is generally brilliant from tee-to-green and will feel refreshed after sitting out last week’s US Open. Antoine Rozner and Yannik Paul are two of the most consistent players on tour while regular winner Larrazabal is still undervalued in the market. There will be a host of other players looking to gain precious Ryder Cup points this week.
Past Winners
2022: Li Haotong (-22) *playoff
2021: Viktor Hovland (-19)
2020: event cancelled
2019: Andrea Pavan (-15) *playoff
2018: Matt Wallace (-10)
2017: Andres Romero (-17)
The Field (Odds TBA*)
Pablo Larrazabal
If Larrazabal continues to be disrespected in the market then I’m going to continue picking him. He has obviously caught a lot of a flak for his brief flirtation with LIV Golf. But there is no way he should be sitting at 33/1 this week. Firstly, he has won twice on this course (in 2011 and 2015). He also finished T5 last year despite all the hoopla surrounding his recent LIV Golf appearance. He also arrives with wins under his belt. He won the Korea Championship at the end of April and the KLM Open a month later. I can easily forgive his missed cut at Los Angeles Country Club. He describes this course as his favourite in the world and I think he represents amazing value at 33/1.
Maximillian Kieffer
This is a little leftfield when you consider Kieffer’s pretty poor record in this event. But I just think that the German will be relishing his chances after a distinctive uptick in recent form. His recent results read T16-T5-T41-T21-T2-MC. Crucially, that T2 came at the brutal Green Eagle North Course at the Porsche European Open. He clearly loves playing in Germany and 55/1 looks very inviting this week. He won his maiden DP World Tour title in August last year. I think he has the game to pick up his 2nd DP World Tour title this week.
The Man to Beat- Rasmus Hojgaard
I’m opting for potential Ryder Cup hopeful Rasmus Hojgaard this week. He had to be patient this year after injury hampered the start to his season. But that patience was rewarded with a 3rd place finish at the KLM Open two starts ago (and that despite a wild performance off the tee). He drove better at the subsequent Porsche European Open but struggled to make a dent around a notoriously brutal course. And he should suit this test better. He has won at the Belfry (a similar, if slightly easier parkland layout). He has shot seven under-par rounds out of eight in his two visits to this course. I have a feeling he could go really low this week.
