Most recently Marcel Schneider finished fourth at the Dutch Open, before that Yannick Paul finished second in Belgium. And then Hurly Long, Olympic participant in Tokyo and the 27th best German in the annual ranking of the European Tour. Long finished second in Kenya and finished in the top ten in three other tournaments. So it seems only a matter of time before a German wins a tournament on the European Tour (renamed the DP World Tour this season).
Ritthammer and John were close in Winsen
The tournament on the “Green Eagle Golf Courses” in Winsen is taking place for the fifth time. And in recent years, at least two Germans have come very close to triumphing. In 2018, then-amateur Allen John, who has just become a gold medalist in the “Deaf Olympics” for the second time, came second, just one stroke away from victory. A year later, Bernd Ritthammer experienced the same disappointment when he had to admit defeat to Englishman Paul Casey on the last hole.
Ryder Cup captain Stenson still has a score to settle
This year, alongside the Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, the Swede Henrik Stenson is also one of the international stars in Winsen. The winner of the 2016 British Open, one of the four major tournaments (comparable to the Grand Slams in tennis), has just been chosen as the European team’s new Ryder Cup captain. That’s why Stenson will have plenty of extra duties off the golf course ahead of next year’s continental battle between Europe and the US in Rome.
Despite his now 46 years, he still wants to try to keep up and win tournaments. And he emphasizes: “I still have something to make up for here in Winsen.” Because just like Kaymer, Stenson failed at the cut last year – after two out of four rounds only the top 65 and tied players are allowed to continue playing at the weekend.
The “Green Monster” is one of the best courses in Europe
The fact that the task is particularly difficult for Stenson and all the other golf professionals is also due to the course in Winsen. At almost 7,000 meters, it is considered one of the longest and most difficult on the European tour. Rock musician and golf lover Alice Cooper therefore gave the course the name “Green Monster”. But despite the difficulty with water hazards on 17 of the 18 fairways, Siem considers the course to be the only one in Germany that can compete with the top courses in the world.