Current Open Champion Ernie Els, held off , Thomas Bjorn (2nd) and Alex Noren (T4), to win the BMW International Open at Golfclub München Eichenried.
In perfect preparation for the defence of his
Open Championship title next month at Muirfield, Scotland - where he also won the Claret Jug in 2002 – South African Els’ 18-under par total secured his 28th European Tour title, thanks to rounds of 63, 69, 69 and 69, one ahead of battling Dane, Björn.
The ‘Big Easy’s’ wire-to-wire win, which included four birdies in the final round and hitting an incredible 89% of greens in regulation over the four days, has now climbed him back into the top 15 of the Official World Rankings.
Ernie, fresh from his fourth spot in the
US Open at Merion, commented:
“My play has been great and I felt good all week. Obviously, this win gives me a lot of confidence because there were many strong players in the field. Now, I'm really looking forward to Muirfield in a few weeks’ time.”
Runner-up Björn, who also finished runner-up in his last European Tour event in Austria, is a man in top form, securing five Top 10 finishes this season.
“I fought all the way to the end, but Ernie hit two very classy shots on the last hole to win. When you go up against someone like Ernie, you've got to take it right to the end and I didn't quite do it, even though I'm on a great run,” added Thomas.
The equipment in Ernie’s bag this week, included:
Fairway Woods: Callaway RAZR Fit Xtreme 3-wood, Callaway RAZR Fit Xtreme 5-wood
Utility Irons: Callaway X-Utility Prototype 21°, Callaway X-Utility Prototype 24°
Irons: Callaway RAZR X Muscleback
Ball: Callaway HEX Black Tour
Putter: Odyssey Tank Versa #7 Belly Putter
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