PLAYING GOLF IN THE “GREEN HELL”

Which tournament nowadays is remunerated with 2 million euros (in numbers: €2,000 000)? Not a table tennis world cup, that’s for sure. No, golf is the sport of choice and reaches place number three when it comes to prize money after poker and tennis. This year’s Porsche Open, that will take place from the 27^th until the 30^th July in Hamburg, actually offers this amount of trophy money. For the first time, this golf tournament will be held on the Green Eagle golf course in Hamburg, after being based in the Bavarian town of Bad Griesbach in the past. Its north course boasts 7,165 meters of length, which makes it the longest course of the European Tour. It is also considered one of the toughest in Germany, mainly because of the challenging water hazards which are close to 17 of the holes. Rock legend Alice Cooper, who apparently changed from music to golf as he got older, dubbed it the “Green Hell”.

GOLF STARS FROM OVERSEAS

As a second novelty, the timing of the tournament has been changed this year. The Porsche European Open is scheduled for the week following the Open Championship in Birkdale, UK. This is a strategic choice of course, as the organisers hope to lure more golf celebrities over to Germany, who have flown in for the only European Major anyway. The US players are especially in focus, as they rarely ever frequent European tournaments. Porsche Open director Dominic Senn was able to secure the participation of Alexander Levy from France, and also of Thongchai Jaidee from Thailand, the winner of the 2015 edition, for the second time. Ryder Cup player Chris Wood has announced that he is joining the competition, as well as some of the European tour winners. Golf aficionados can look forward to appearances from Fabrizio Zanotti, James Morrison, Victor Dubuisson, Gary Stal, and Pablo Larrazábal.

PORSCHE OPEN 2017

Tickets to the event are surprisingly affordable. The entire tournament (Thursday until Sunday) can be enjoyed for 68 euros (or 75 euros on the day). For more information on buying tickets on the spot, visit the Porsche Open 2017’s website.