Defending champion Haotong Li is excited to be back in Germany and hopeful it can spark a resurgence after struggling for form following his emotional victory at last year's BMW International Open.
Li returns to the scene of the dramatic play-off victory which saw him end a four-year winless drought with a new caddie and a positive mindset as he looks to turn his fortunes around once again.
He comes into this year's tournament with a similar, if not tougher, stretch of form to contend with than he had last year, but is motivated by the positive memories evoked by his highly emotional win.
"I'm very excited about this week, especially because everything is the same as last year," said Li.
"A lot of great memories come in my mind again, so it’s going to be a good week."
Last year, Li arrived in Germany with little expectation after more than a year of ups and downs on the golf course that had him questioning whether he should give up the game.
He had not won a Tour title since the 2018 Dubai Desert Classic, and a difficult 2021 saw him miss 13 cuts in 16 appearances and fall as low as 460th in the Official World Golf Ranking.
“No-one knows how much I have gone through over the last couple of years,” he had revealed last year.
“Ten months ago, I nearly decided to not play golf. I thought I couldn’t play golf again.”
But he discovered some momentum in the weeks leading up to the event, and things quickly fell into place for Li.
Ahead of the final round, he held a three-stroke lead over nearest challenger Thomas Pieters after a course record-equalling round of ten-under 62 during the opening round. A thrilling final-day battle ended in a play-off between Li and Pieters, which Li won on the first play-off hole.
The resultant release of emotion was visible as an ecstatic Li sank to the ground after celebrating with his caddie on the 18th green.
But while Li hoped that it would be the start of a huge turnaround for him, things haven’t quite panned out like he had thought.
Since his victory, Li has missed 12 of 19 cuts – including the last five in a row – and has a best finish of 31st at the ISPS Handa – Championship in 2023. The three-time winner, who was once ranked as high as 32nd in the Official World Golf Rankings, has dropped from 134th after last year’s victory to 213th.
But returning to the scene of his win has aided Li to view this week as a fresh start, in the hope that with all the work he is putting in can be a springboard for better results to come.
"For me it’s always new week fresh, so I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing and hopefully have a good result," he explained.
Asked if he hopes returning to the scene of his victory will see him return to the winner's circle, he replied "Yeah, of course.
"I dream about that everyday. I’m working on that as well. I went back to my old coach as well, so things are only going to be getting better, so hopefully, hopefully, I can get another one as soon as possible."
Li will get that chance this week when he tees up on Thursday, alongside Poland's Adrian Meronk and Germany's Alex Cjeka.
