German Masters (golf)
Encyclopedia
The Mercedes-Benz Championship was a European Tour
men's professional golf
tournament played in Germany
and hosted and promoted by Germany's most successful golfer Bernhard Langer
and his brother Erwin.
Founded as the German Masters in 1987, the tournament was originally played in Stuttgart
, moving to Berlin
in 1994, and since 1998 it has been held played at Golf Club Gut Lärchenhof in Pulheim
near Cologne
. The prize fund had climbed to €3 million by 2005, making the German Masters was one of the richer events, outside of the major championships
and the three individual World Golf Championships
, on the European Tour at that time.
After a one year break in 2006 the tournament returned to the European Tour schedule in 2007, renamed as the Mercedes-Benz Championship. Played as a no-cut event, it had a maximum field of 78, consisting primarily of players who had either won tournaments on the European Tour in 2007 or were in the top 75 of the Official World Golf Rankings
or in the top 60 of the European Order of Merit. It was played in mid-September, a slot created by the rescheduling of the HSBC World Match Play Championship
to October. However, as it clashed with the PGA Tour
's Tour Championship, many leading players were unavailable, and so the prize fund on its return had dropped to €2 million, one third less than it was in 2005.
* - The final round of the 2000 event was cancelled because of bad weather
PGA European Tour
The PGA European Tour is an organization which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the European Seniors Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour. Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England...
men's professional golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
tournament played in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and hosted and promoted by Germany's most successful golfer Bernhard Langer
Bernhard Langer
Bernhard Langer is a German professional golfer. He is a two-time Masters champion, and was one of the world's leading golfers throughout the 1980s and 90s, being the first official number one ranked player in 1986...
and his brother Erwin.
Founded as the German Masters in 1987, the tournament was originally played in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, moving to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in 1994, and since 1998 it has been held played at Golf Club Gut Lärchenhof in Pulheim
Pulheim
Pulheim is a city in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.Since the 1920s, a large substation of the RWE has been sited at Pulheim...
near Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
. The prize fund had climbed to €3 million by 2005, making the German Masters was one of the richer events, outside of the major championships
Men's major golf championships
The men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
and the three individual World Golf Championships
World Golf Championships
The World Golf Championships are a group of four annual events for male professional golfers created by the International Federation of PGA Tours, with a fifth to be added in 2012...
, on the European Tour at that time.
After a one year break in 2006 the tournament returned to the European Tour schedule in 2007, renamed as the Mercedes-Benz Championship. Played as a no-cut event, it had a maximum field of 78, consisting primarily of players who had either won tournaments on the European Tour in 2007 or were in the top 75 of the Official World Golf Rankings
Official World Golf Rankings
The Official World Golf Ranking is a system for rating the performance level of male professional golfers...
or in the top 60 of the European Order of Merit. It was played in mid-September, a slot created by the rescheduling of the HSBC World Match Play Championship
HSBC World Match Play Championship
The Volvo World Match Play Championship is the current name of an annual match play men's professional golf tournament. From 2009 the event has been played at the Finca Cortesín Golf Club in Casares near Málaga, Spain, having previously been played at Wentworth Club near London...
to October. However, as it clashed with the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
's Tour Championship, many leading players were unavailable, and so the prize fund on its return had dropped to €2 million, one third less than it was in 2005.
Winners
| Year | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Mercedes-Benz Championship | ||
| 2009 |  James KingstonJames Kingston James Hubert Kingston is a South African professional golfer.Kingston was born in Ottosdal, South Africa. He turned professional in 1988, and is currently a member of the European Tour and the Sunshine Tour... |
275 (-13)PO |
| 2008 |  Robert KarlssonRobert Karlsson Robert Karlsson is a Swedish professional golfer who plays on the European Tour and as of 2011 on the PGA Tour.-Career:... |
275 (-13) |
| 2007 |  Søren HansenSøren Hansen Søren Hansen is a Danish professional golfer.Hansen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. He won the 1997 Danish Amateur Stroke Play Championship and turned professional later that year.... |
271 (-17) |
| Linde German Masters | ||
| 2006 | No tournament | |
| 2005 | Retief Goosen Retief Goosen Retief Goosen is a South African professional golfer who has been in the top ten in the Official World Golf Rankings for over 250 weeks between 2001 and 2007. His main achievements have been two U.S... |
268 (-20) |
| 2004 | Pádraig Harrington Padraig Harrington Pádraig P. Harrington is an Irish professional golfer who plays on The European Tour and The PGA Tour. He has won three major championships: The Open Championship in 2007 and 2008 and the PGA Championship, also in 2008.-Background:... |
275 (-13) |
| 2003 |  K.J. ChoiChoi Kyung-Ju Choi Kyung-Ju , also known as K. J. Choi. is a South Korean professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour. Since turning pro in 1994, he has won a total of eighteen professional golf tournaments worldwide, including eight on the PGA Tour, making him Asia's most successful golfer. His... |
262 (-26) |
| 2002 |  Stephen LeaneyStephen Leaney Stephen John Leaney is an Australian professional golfer.Leaney was born in Busselton, Western Australia. He turned professional in 1992 and won several tournaments in his home country in the 1990s, despite having two ribs cut removed in December 1993 after doctors diagnosed a blood clot in his... |
266 (-22) |
| 2001 |  Bernhard LangerBernhard Langer Bernhard Langer is a German professional golfer. He is a two-time Masters champion, and was one of the world's leading golfers throughout the 1980s and 90s, being the first official number one ranked player in 1986... |
266 (-22) |
| 2000 |  Michael CampbellMichael Campbell Michael Shane Campbell, CNZM is a New Zealand golfer who is best known for having won the 2005 U.S. Open and the richest prize in golf, the £1,000,000 HSBC World Match Play Championship, in the same year. He is a member of the European Tour.Ethnically, he is predominantly Māori, from the Ngati... |
197 (-19) |
| 1999 |  Sergio GarcíaSergio García Sergio García Fernández is a Spanish professional golfer who plays on both the United States PGA Tour and the European Tour. He has spent much of his career in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings... |
277 (-11)PO |
| 1998 |  Colin MontgomerieColin Montgomerie Colin Stuart Montgomerie, OBE is a Scottish professional golfer, often referred to by one of his nicknames 'Monty'. He has had one of the finest careers in European Tour history, having won a record eight Order of Merit titles, including a streak of seven consecutively from 1993 to 1999, and 31... |
266 (-22) |
| 1997 | Bernhard Langer Bernhard Langer Bernhard Langer is a German professional golfer. He is a two-time Masters champion, and was one of the world's leading golfers throughout the 1980s and 90s, being the first official number one ranked player in 1986... |
267 (-21) |
| 1996 |  Darren ClarkeDarren Clarke Darren Christopher Clarke is a professional golfer from Northern Ireland who currently plays on the European Tour and has previously played on the PGA Tour. He has won 22 tournaments worldwide on a number of golf's main tours including the European Tour, the PGA Tour, the Sunshine Tour and the... |
264 (-24) |
| Mercedes German Masters | ||
| 1995 | Anders Forsbrand Anders Forsbrand Anders Forsbrand was one of the first Swedish professional golfers to make a major impact on the European Tour.Forsbrand was born in Filipstad, Sweden, and turned professional in 1981. He first played on the European Tour in 1982, and has been a member since... |
264 (-24) |
| 1994 | Seve Ballesteros |
270 (-18)PO |
| 1993 |  Steven RichardsonSteven Richardson Steven Richardson is an English professional golfer.Richardson was born in Windsor, Berkshire. He won the English Amateur in 1989 and turned professional later that year. He made a strong start to his professional career, finishing in 29th place on the European Tour Order of Merit in his rookie... |
271 (-17) |
| 1992 | Barry Lane Barry Lane Barry Lane is an English professional golfer.Lane was born in Hayes, Middlesex. He turned professional in 1976 and first played on the European Tour in 1982. For the first few seasons he failed to finish high enough on the Order of Merit to retain his card and he made several visits to the... |
272 (-16) |
| 1991 | Bernhard Langer Bernhard Langer Bernhard Langer is a German professional golfer. He is a two-time Masters champion, and was one of the world's leading golfers throughout the 1980s and 90s, being the first official number one ranked player in 1986... |
275 (-13)PO |
| 1990 | Sam Torrance Sam Torrance Sam Torrance OBE is a Scottish professional golfer and sports commentator. He was one of the leading players on the European Tour from the mid 1970s to the late 1990s, with 21 Tour wins. Torrance was a member of European Ryder Cup teams on eight occasions, from 1981 to 1995 consecutively; he was... |
272 (-16) |
| German Masters | ||
| 1989 | Bernhard Langer Bernhard Langer Bernhard Langer is a German professional golfer. He is a two-time Masters champion, and was one of the world's leading golfers throughout the 1980s and 90s, being the first official number one ranked player in 1986... |
276 (-12) |
| 1988 | José María Olazábal José María Olazábal José María Olazábal Manterola is a Spanish professional golfer who has enjoyed success on both the European Tour and the PGA Tour, and has won two major championships.-Career outline:... |
279 (-9) |
| 1987 | Sandy Lyle Sandy Lyle Alexander Walter Barr "Sandy" Lyle, MBE is a Scottish professional golfer. Lyle has won two major championships during his career. Along with Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam, he became one of Britain's top golfers during the 1980s... |
278 (-10)PO |