After three years in Klagenfurt-Seltenheim, the Kärnten Golf Open presented by Mazda has found a new home, as the Jacques Lemans GC St.Veit-Laengsee will host the fourth edition of the Challenge Tour event next week.
The course affords stunning views of Lake Laengsee, a picturesque holiday destination just 15 miles north of Klagenfurt.
European Tour champion and local favourite Markus Brier will headline the field, which also includes rising star Manuel Trappel, who in 2011 became the first Austrian winner of the European Amateur Championship.
“In our intention to promote Carinthia as a great golfing destination, we decided to move on to a new course to outline what this part of Austria has to offer”, said Peter Hofstaetter, promoter of the Kärnten Golf Open presented by Mazda.
“All major work has been done to the golf course, and we can’t wait to welcome the Challenge Tour back to Carinthia. We are happy to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Challenge Tour in our style, which means with our very warm and special hospitality.”
Local hero Martin Wiegele, who has recently returned to European Tour duty after hip surgery, has very special memories of the event, having won the tournament in 2010 before, two weeks later, earning promotion to The European Tour courtesy of his victory in the dual ranking Najeti Hotels et Golfs Open presented by Neuflize OBC.
He said: “I managed to win a new Mazda two years running, in 2009 and 2010, with a hole-in-one on the eight hole at Klagenfurt-Seltenheim. So the tournament was very good to me!”
