+++ 24-year-old Daniel Hillier (-9) from New Zealand holds the lead heading into the weekend +++ Marcel Schneider and Marc Hammer (both -6) are the top German players, tied for fourth place +++ Joost Luiten (NED) records the second hole-in-one of the tournament ++ “Eagles for Education”: the number of eagles reaches 38 +++ Tee times for Saturday +++
Munich. The second round of the BMW International Open at the Golfclub München Eichenried was filled with two important questions. How would the players handle the gusty conditions, and who would make the cut? Michael Hirmer (GER) and Joost Luiten (NED) proved it was still possible to post a good score, both finishing with 66 strokes for the best results of the day. Luiten impressed with a hole-in-one on the eighth hole using a 6 iron from 185 meters, making it the second hole-in-one of the tournament, following Takumi Kanaya of Japan’s achievement at the 12th hole yesterday. However, no hole-in-one has been recorded on the 17th yet, which means the Hole-in-One Prize, a fully-electric BMW i5, is still up for grabs.
Daniel Hillier (NZL, -9) shot a 67 to claim the top spot on the leaderboard, followed by Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen from Denmark (-8), who also carded a round of -5 in his debut tournament on the DP World Tour. Luiten (-7) is in third place heading into the weekend.
Hillier feels completely comfortable during his week at the BMW International Open, not just because of his position. “From the hospitality to the course conditions, everything is just amazing here at the BMW International Open. And the infrastructure to accommodate all the spectators is awesome, you almost get a Major feeling here,” said the New Zealander.
Just one stroke behind, Marc Hammer and Marcel Schneider are among the players tied for fourth place at 6 under par. The two highest-ranked German players have their sights set on the top of the leaderboard and are well-positioned for the weekend. Marcel Siem (-5) should also not be discounted, as he played an impressive round of 68 today.
Schneider attributed his good results to playing in front of a crowd. “I love to play in front of the people: the more that come out, the better it is for me. I’m really enjoying it and it gives me an extra push. I hope that the weekend will see just as many spectators out there, or even a few more than in the first two rounds.”
German golf fans have 13 home players to look forward to on the weekend. Hammer, Schneider, and Siem will be joined by Max Schmitt (-4), Hurly Long (-3), Thomas Rosenmüller (-2), Matti Schmid (-2), Philipp Mejow (-1), Max Kieffer (-1), Michael Hirmer (-1), Jannik de Bruyn (even par), Velten Meyer (even par), and Jonas Baumgartner (AM, even par), all of whom made the cut.
The pros recorded a total of 16 eagles on their Friday scorecards, bringing the overall total to 38. For each eagle at the BMW International Open, the BMW Group will donate 1,000 Euros to the “JOBLINGE” and “Kick ins Leben” organizations, recognizing their longstanding cooperation with the BMW Group in promoting fair opportunities and educational equality.
Hoatong Li (CHN, +13) will not be able to defend his title as last year’s winner, missing the cut. German players Nicolai von Dellingshausen (+1), Nick Bachem (+1), Sebastian Heisele (+3), Freddy Schott (+4), Tim Wiedemeyer (AM, +4), Anton Albers (+5), Alex Cejka (+10), and Alexander Knappe (+11) also didn’t make the cut.
Pierre Pineau (FRA) and Rasmus Hojgaard (DEN) withdrew due to injury on Friday, while Oliver Hundebøll (DEN) was disqualified after signing an incorrect scorecard.
The third round of the BMW International Open at the Golfclub München Eichenried will begin on Saturday at 7:15 am. The PDF document (“Tee times”) contains an overview of all tee times and groups.
You can find the current scores, more information about the BMW International Open, and a livestream at www.bmw-golfsport.com