As the official airline of the BMW International Open, Emirates joined over 60,000 spectators in enjoying yet another exceptional tournament in 2012, at Gut Lärchenhof Golf Club in Pulheim. Top golfers such as Martin Kaymer, Sergio Garcia and Retief Goosen were in attendance this year and gave fans a fine display of the sport at its highest level. Amongst a star studded field, it was England’s Danny Willett who emerged to lift the tournament trophy and secure a slice of the impressive EUR 2 Million prize money. We would like to use this opportunity to congratulate Danny on a well-deserved victory. Marcus Fraser taking second place with a final score of 11‑under‑par after a thrilling four hole playoff. As part of the tournament programme, Emirates provided children and Golf AG students from the Dontaus-Schule in Pulheim-Brauweiler with an unforgettable experience during the “Emirates Golf Clinic”, receiving coaching tips from golfing superstar Sergio Garcia.
The BMW International Open is one of the marquee events on the European Tour schedule and the only one to be played in Germany. Founded in 1989, the BMW International Open has always been held in Munich and played at the Golfclub München Eichenried. However, from 2012 the BMW International Open will alternate between Munich and Cologne, starting this year with the event held at Gut Lärchenhof in Pulheim. The BMW International Open has an enviable prize pot of around EUR 2 million and always attracts a high calibre field. Previous winners include Sandy Lyle, Paul Azinger, Colin Montgomerie, John Daly, Lee Westwood, German favourite Martin Kaymer and Pablo Larrazabal in 2011.
Emirates now flies into four German airports - Munich, Hamburg, Dusseldorf and Frankfurt - so the relationship with the BMW International Open provides an important platform to raise awareness and engage with existing and potential customers. Over the years, Emirates has developed a number of activation initiatives which have given spectators the opportunity to find out more about the brand and products.
Emirates also sponsors The Ryder Cup, UBS Hong Kong Open, Dubai World Championship, Japan Open, WGC-HSBC Champions, Emirates Australian Open Championship, Australian PGA Championship, Austrian Golf Open, Avantha Masters, Ballantine’s Championship, Barclays Singapore Open, Maybank Malaysian Open, Thailand Open and Alstom Open de France.