Southern Bavaria, two hours east of Munich, will again play host to European golf's second tier as the Aegean Airlines Challenge Tour by Hartl Resort returns to the schedule for a second year.
Last year Andrea Pavan picked up his first win of the season en route to finishing top of the Rankings, and everyone teeing it up on the Beckenbauer Course from July 3-6 will hope to follow suit this season.
Germany's Moritz Lampert has won twice already this season, at the Kärnten Golf Open presented by Mazda and the Fred Olsen Challenge de España. He is currently second on the Rankings, behind Jordi Garcia Pinto, and a victory on home soil would see him automatically ascend to The Race to Dubai.
Lampert will be joined by a field full of German talent, including Florian Fritsch, who is currently ninth on the season long list, thanks in part to a play-off loss to William Harrold at the Belgian Challenge Open.
Volker Schwartz, CEO of the Hartl Resort, believes it is very important to have an event in Germany to inspire the next generation of golfers, and is excited to showcase their tournament venue.
He said: “It is important, especially for young German players, that there is a Challenge Tour tournament in Germany, and we are very pleased to be holding it in Bad Griesbach. This way, we support young talents and sustainably improve the position of Germany as a golf nation.
“Additionally, thanks to last year, we were able to win people over with our offers for players and officials and have made a name for ourselves as an outstanding venue. This praise greatly pleased us, and of course, we do not only want to achieve the same again this year but make our event even better.”
As well as showcasing four days of competitive golf, the Aegean Airlines Challenge Tour by Hartl Resort will also have plenty to interest spectators.
This will begin with the celebrity Pro-Am on the Wednesday, featuring Swiss Olympic skiing Champion Dominique Gisin, the TV star Sasha Hehn, former national coach of the German cross-country skiers – Jochen Behle – and ex-tennis star Eric Jelen.
Some even younger German talents will also be given a chance to compete at Hartl Resort over the weekend, with the Tino Schuster Junior Trophy powered by Aegean Airlines set to be contested on the Saturday.
Golfers with a handicap of ten or better will play over the Mercedes-Benz Course, with the winner set to earn themselves a place in the Challenge Tour event next year, provided they hold a handicap of scratch or better at the time.
Spectators will be able to attend all four tournament days free of charge, with plenty of manufacturers also in attendance throughout, and numerous offers available to compliment the golf.
