Damien Kayat previews the 2021 BMW International Open taking place in Munich.
2021 European Tour
BMW International Open
Golfclub Munchen Eichenried, Munich, Germany
24th-27th June
The European Tour needed last week. Jon Rahm’s epic showing at Torrey Pines will hopefully galvanize a tour that has been in a steady state of stagnation. Sure, Rahm hasn’t been based in Europe for some time. But it’s still something to crown the first Spanish winner of the most difficult golfing event in the world. It could also have a powerful knock-on effect leading into the Ryder Cup. The European players could be forgiven for developing something of an inferiority complex over the past three years. Rahm’s victory may do something to alleviate that. And let’s not forget the showmanship of Guido Migliozzi. The American media were drawn to the magnetic Italian and he probably guaranteed himself a Ryder Cup selection. It all segues smoothly into this week’s BMW International Open.
The BMW International Open is back on the European Tour following a one-year absence due to the pandemic. The tournament has essentially been shared between Cologne’s Gut Larchenhof and this week’s venue: Eichenried. The Championship Course at Eichenried was opened in June of 1989. This course is a relatively easy, tree-lined parkland course. This will come as sweet relief to the precious few who took part in California last week. Water is in play on 11 holes. But the rough will be fairly benign and the greens will be like molasses compared to the amusement park rides at Torrey Pines. The greens were modified extensively following the 2017 edition. Many of the putting surfaces were re-contoured, allowing for a lot more undulation. Still, you can expect a pretty low winning score this week.
A few golfing heavyweights will return to the European Tour this week. Louis Oosthuizen will be looking to exorcise the demons of yet another runner-up Major finish. That drive on the 17th will haunt every South African golfing fan for years to come. I find it hard to believe that he will have recovered from the psychological trauma just yet. Sergio Garcia had a solid week in California and he won’t have to deal with any scar tissue this week. Speaking of scar tissue, it will be interesting to see how Viktor Hovland holds up following his freak US Open withdrawal. Sand flew into his eye from a divot and he said it was too painful to continue.
Past Winners
2020: cancelled due to pandemic
2019: Andrea Pavan (-15) *playoff
2018: Matt Wallace (-10)
2017: Andres Romero (-17)
2016: Henrik Stenson (-17)
2015: Pablo Larrazabal (-17)
To Win Outright:
Viktor Hovland 13/2
Louis Oosthuizen 7/1
Sergio Garcia 11/1
Bernd Wiesberger 22/1
Matthias Schwab 25/1
Value Bets
Bernd Wiesberger- To Win 22/1 | To Place 48/10
Bernd Wiesberger is tried and tested on the European Tour (he won as recently as last month in Denmark). I wouldn’t be too concerned with his missed cut at Torrey Pines. His win in Denmark came off the back of a missed cut at the PGA Championship. He hasn’t missed the cut in Munich in six attempts. He has a best finish of 4th in 2013. He also closed out his last visit here with a personal best round of 65. He will also be motivated by Guido Migliozzi’s performance in Torrey Pines. The Italian leapfrogged the Wiesberger and took 11th place in the Ryder Cup standings. Now that’s some real motivation. Capturing automatic selection could prove vital for a player like Wiesberger.
Stephen Jaeger- To Win 66/1 | To Place 14/1
I’m opting for a local boy in Stephen Jaeger. I say local boy, but Munich’s Stephen Jaeger now plies his trade in America. He is currently the leading money earner on the Korn Ferry Tour. The Korn Ferry Tour is America’s secondary tour. It’s arguably just as competitive- if not more competitive- than the current European Tour. He has claimed one tournament victory since April and suffered two narrow defeats. He is an excellent putter who should be able to handle all the undulations on this layout.
The Man to Beat- Sergio Garcia- To Win 11/1 | To Place 24/10
I have to opt for Sergio at the upper end of the market. There are just too many doubts surrounding both Oosthuizen and Hovland. Garcia will be searching for his 17th European Tour victory and first win since the 2019 KLM Open. But his form figures on the European Tour are impressive. They read 12-6-6-23-8-6-7-1. The 41-year-old missed the cut last year but he has almost won this event on two previous occasions. He lost by a shot in 2017 and lost in a playoff to Pablo Larrazabal six years earlier. This just feels like a Sergio week.
