No fewer than six of the top ten in the Official World Golf Ranking will tee off in the 1,680,000 euro (£1.2m) Deutsche Bank-SAP Open, TPC of Europe, which this year moves from Gut Kaden in Hamburg to St.Leon-Rot, Heidelberg.
World No.3 Tiger Woods is taking part in a European Tour event on the continent for the first time, while also in the star-studded field are Ernie Els (world No.4), Lee Westwood (No.6), Mark O’Meara (No.7), Colin Montgomerie (No.8) and Nick Price (No.9).
The presence of that glittering array of golfing talent, as well as Ryder Cup stars Jesper Parnevik, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam and Darren Clarke, ensures that the Deutsche Bank-SAP Open, TPC of Europe commands the strongest field of the 1999 season so far on the European Tour. A first prize of 280,000 euro (£200,000) and a five-year exemption awaits the winner.
The Deutsche Bank - SAP Open, TPC of Europe, has always been one of the leading events on the European Tour, but the presence of so many superstar players has seen demand from the public escalate to unprecedented levels. This year’s event is already an all-ticket affair.
Woods, making a rare excursion outside the USA is, however, a European Tour winner, coming from seven shots back to pip Els in a play-off for the Johnnie Walker Classic in the opening tournament of the 1998 season.
He said: “I will be in Germany for the first time in my life and I am very much looking forward to taking part in the Deutsche Bank - SAP Open, TPC of Europe. I consider Deutsche Bank - SAP Open to be one of the most attractive tournaments on the PGA European Tour.”
O’Meara, the reigning Open champion, climaxed a fantastic 1998 by winning the Cisco Systems World Match Play Championship at Wentworth Club. However he was unable to add a European Tour title to that list thanks to the brilliance of Westwood and Clarke at Gut Kaden last May. Westwood shots 61, 66 over the weekend to finish one stroke ahead of his close friend Clarke with a 23-under-par total of 265.
Westwood has been passed fit to defend his title. Pain in the arm and shoulder area had caused Westwood to pull out of the defence of his Compaq Classic title in New Orleans and the Benson & Hedges International Open in the past fortnight.
The cause of the problem has now been diagnosed as an inflammation around the nerves in the region of his lower neck and upper back - probably triggered by a virus he picked up during The Masters at the beginning of last month. The result of this was the deferred pain in his right arm.
Westwood's neurologist has cleared him to tee it up in Germany, with or without the help of painkillers, in the knowledge that no further damage can be caused by playing.
O’Meara is a convert to European Tour golf and he explained: “The depth of the field has improved tremendously. Europe has turned out some tremendous golfers through the years. There is a lot more depth and more good quality players. There is no denying the fact that Colin Montgomerie is a wonderful player. What he’s accomplished in Europe is very, very good.
“Then you’ve got Darren Clarke, Lee Westwood, Andrew Coltart - all these fine young players that are coming up and are going to do nothing but get better. Lee has won in the United States, he’s won all the world and is a super golfer, there’s no question about that.
“So I think the depth of fields and the quality of field, has become stronger here, as it has on most tours. I’m a big fan of European golf. I got a lot of friends here and they treat me well. I enjoy coming over to play and I want to play well. My pride makes me.”
Price, the 1994 Open and US PGA champion, returns to Germany to play in the Deutsche Bank - SAP Open, TPC of Europe, for the second successive year while the impressive half dozen at the head of the world ranking cannot expect to have things all their own way.
Montgomerie arrived in Hamburg last year on a high following his first success in the Volvo PGA Championship, while this year he will play at St.Leon-Rot the week prior to defending his coveted Volvo PGA crown at Wentworth Club.
Young Spaniard, Sergio Garcia, who performed superbly to finished tied for third on his professional debut in the United States last week, the GTE Byron Nelson Classic, is also in the field.
Mark McNulty has withdrawn today owing to a bad back - he is replaced by Stephen Gallacher.
