BMW International Open

June 26th, 2009

Following last week’s U.S. Open, the European Tour is back in full swing at the BMW International Open, held at Golfclub München Eichenried in Munich, Germany. The 7000 yard, par 72 layout at Eichenried is playing its full length due to heavy rain in recent days but, with the greens receptive and a high quality field, a low winning score is to be expected.

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Fresh from a gruelling five days of competition at Bethpage Black, world number 16 Rory McIlroy is straight back into European Tour action and heads a strong contingent of Titleist Ambassadors at this week’s event. Teeing it up this week in Munich are the following Titleist staffers:

Rory McIlroy
Gregory Bourdy
Peter O’Malley
Brett Rumford
Chinnarat Phadungsil
Robert Dinwiddie
Martin Erlandsson
Michael Curtain
Carlos Del Moral
Branden Grace
Seve Benson
Paul Waring
Mikko Ilonen
Michael Hoey
Shane Lowry

Despite being the most recent addition to our playing staff, the name at the bottom of this list is one that many of you will instantly recognise; Irishman Shane Lowry. Back in May Shane became an overnight sensation when he claimed victory as an amateur at the 3 Irish Open and, in so doing, earned himself full playing priveleges on the European Tour. Understandably, Shane has now joined the professional ranks and plans a full playing schedule. Shane will continue to trust in the equipment that served him so well as an amateur and embarks on his professional career with a full bag of Titleist equipment, including the 2009 Pro V1x golf ball. It’s great to have Shane as a Titleist Ambassador and we all wish him well with his European Tour career.

This week in Munich saw Shane check in to see the Titleist Tour Team as he was keen to find a new putter. It seems that despite using a Newport putter of late he has always had a penchant for the larger, mallet-style heads and wanted to see what was available. We knew just what to show him; the Scotty Cameron Studio Select Kombi!! Shane took an instant shine to the Kombi and it’s straight in play for the event.

Shane Lowry

Model: 909D2
Loft: 8.5°
Shaft: Fujikura Rombax 7Z08 X-Stiff
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet (+1/32”)

Model: 909F2
Loft: 15.5°
Shaft: Fujikura Rombax 7Z08 X-Stiff
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet (+1/32”)

Model: 909H
Loft: 19°
Shaft: Fujikura Speeder 904HB X-Stiff
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet (+1/32”)

Model: AP2
Composition: 2-9 iron
Shafts: True Temper Rifle 6.5
Length: +1/4”
Lie: 2° Upright
Loft: 1° Strong
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet (+1/32”)

Model: Titleist Vokey Tour Chrome
Loft.Bounce: 48.06, 52.08, 58.08 (Spin Milled)
Shafts: True Temper Project X 6.0
Length: +1/4”
Lie: 1° Upright
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet (+1/32”)
Personalised stamping: SL

Model: Scotty Cameron Studio Select Kombi
Length: 35”
Grip: Cameron Custom Shop Lime Green Midsize
Weights: 30g (heel & toe), 20g (back)

The heavy rain in Munich rather put pay to the usual raft of equipment testing, meaning that the Titleist Tour Support Vehicle (TTSV) was a little quieter than normal. However, things got a little more hectic when the team discovered that the TTSV was beginning to sink into the practice range!! Obviously the guys weren’t too keen on the idea of having to dig out the near 35-tonne truck and the situation called for immediate action. After a moment of deliberation an evacuation order was issued and, following some handy jack work from Tour representative (and TTSV driver) Ian Martin, the TTSV was back above ground and up and running, much to the delight of everyone concerned.

Despite the persistent deluge there were a couple of Titleist players that braved the elements and hooked up with the team to work on their equipment. The first of these was big-hitting Englishman Paul Waring, who spent some time with Titleist Tour Technician Mattias Jelver working on his fairway metals. Paul wanted to utilise the Trackman system to check the distances and spin rates of his 909F3 fairways. The Trackman did reveal that his spin rates were a little too high but the general consensus was that the wet conditions were probably the cause. A soft surface often forces the player to hit the ball with a steeper angle of attack in order to avoid hitting it heavy. The result of this steeper path into the ball is an increase in spin. Paul was more than happy with the performance of his two 909F3 fairways (15° & 18°) but Mattias decided to build him a 13° version and work with him again at the Open de France next week. Hopefully the weather will be kinder to us all!!

Paul Waring

Model: 909F3
Lofts: 13°, 15°, 18°
Shafts: Grafalloy Blue X-Flex
Lengths: 43” (13° & 15°), 42.5” (18°)
Grips: Golf Pride Multi-Compound – Red / Black (+1/32”)
Swingweight: D3

Another player working on his metals in Munich was Titleist Ambassador Martin Erlandsson. Martin has had a Titleist 905R driver in the bag for some time as he was happy with the performance, but we felt that we could improve on this with a 909. Martin’s preferred shot shape is a soft draw and at the beginning of our testing we were having difficulties finding a shaft that delivered the appropriate combination of launch and spin whilst allowing Martin to retain his stock right-to-left flight. In the end, however, we identified the right combination and Martin has put his new 909D2 in play for this week’s event.

Martin Erlandsson

Model: 909D2
Loft: 8.5°
Shafts: Mitsubishi Rayon Fubuki 63 X-Stiff
Length: 45”
Grip: Golf Pride Multi-Compound Round – Red / Black (Standard & Reversed)
Swingweight: D3

Next week the Tour moves to Le Golf National on the outskirts of Paris for the Open de France ALSTOM. Last year’s event saw Titleist Ambassador Pablo Larrazabal claim a maiden victory on the European Tour on his way to being named 2008 European Tour Rookie of the Year. The charismatic Spaniard will again be in the field and have high hopes of retaining his title. However, he will undoubtedly face stiff competition from another quality field which will include fellow Titleist Ambassadors Robert Karlsson and Soren Hansen, as well as Pro V1 loyalists Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood.

The European Tour Blog will be back at the same time next week, but in the meantime be sure to check out the slideshow which includes some great shots from this week in Munich, not least a particularly interesting pose from Scott Strange. No, we can’t figure out what he’s doing either!!

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