The Debrief - BMW International Open

Andrea Pavan secured his second European Tour title less than 12 months after breaking his duck as he beat Matthew Fitzpatrick in a play-off to win the BMW International Open.

Pavan's caddie jumped for joy as the Italian followed up a sublime third shot at the second extra hole with a close range birdie putt to clinch the trophy.

It was also a memorable week for Gaganjeet Bhullar, who left Germany as the proud owner of a brand new car courtesy of a hole-in-one at the 17th in his second round.

Here, we take a look at some of the highlights from the week at Golfclub München Eichenried.

Bhullar's special prize

Gaganjeet Bhullar had never had a hole-in-one on the European Tour before Friday but he certainly picked the right time and place to make one. His ace from 196 yards with a six iron on the 17th handed the Indian the keys to a BMW M8 Coupé worth €194,000 (which would have been enough for solo third!) before the car has even made its premiere. His perfect shot was the 16th of the season and just the third in BMW International Open history on the 17th at Golfclub München Eichenried.

Pavan's perfect play-off

Last year's D+D Real Czech Masters winner Pavan started the week strongly in Munich, setting the early pace on day one thanks to an opening 66. But he had drifted down the leaderboard as the week went on and found himself four shots off the lead as he entered the final round. He made amends on Sunday, though, with a flawless closing 66 giving him the clubhouse lead on 15 under par. It looked like that may not be enough as Fitzpatrick entered the scoreable closing stretch in a share of the lead but the Englishman bogeyed the 17th before picking the shot back up on the last to set up the play-off. Both men safely parred the first extra hole as the rain came down hard and, after they had returned to the tee, Pavan made up for a disappointing second shot with one of the approaches of the week to set up a birdie putt from two feet. He holed it to claim the spoils, much to the delight of his overjoyed caddie who had already endeared himself to golf fans earlier in the week when he celebrated a long birdie putt at the 14th.

Heading for Royal Portrush

This week saw five European Tour members secure their spots in next month's 148th Open Championship. Kurt Kitayama, David Lipsky, Robert MacIntyre, Richard Sterne and Erik van Rooyen will all be teeing it up at Royal Portrush Golf Club. The quintet are the top five players in the top 20 of the Race to Dubai Rankings Presented by Rolex who are not already exempt for the season's final Major Championship. Kitamaya, who has not yet played golf in the United Kingdom, and MacIntyre will be making their Open debuts. Scotland's MacIntyre said: "I'm over the moon. I thought the chance might never come up to get into The Open or a Major after losing the British Amateur final but here we are. I played Royal Portrush for Scotland, it's an unbelievable golf course and a course I know reasonably well. For an Open, it couldn't have been a better one for me."

Golf fans turn up in numbers

The BMW International Open made a return to its spiritual home at Golfclub München Eichenried and the fans also came back in huge numbers. Over 15,500 made it a record breaking first day in Munich, with the number stretching to more than 60,000 by the end of the weekend. And they were not disappointed either, as home favourite Martin Kaymer remained in contention throughout before Pavan edged out Fitzpatrick in a play-off.

Party time for the players

The players got into Bavarian spirit and dressed in Lederhosen for the tournament sponsor's BMW Players' Party on Friday. The likes of Matt Wallace, Rafa Cabrera Bello and first time visitor Jhonattan Vegas revelled in the night, with Spaniard Cabrera Bello looking at home in the German garment as the European Tour enjoyed one of the best nights of the season.