Tournament: BMW International Open
Race to Dubai: Tournament 25 of 44
Venue: Golfclub München Eichenried, Munich, Germany
Prize Fund: US$2,750,000
Hashtag: #BMWInternationalOpen #DPWT

Tournament Preview

Martin Couvra is intent on holding on to top spot in the European Swing Rankings as the fourth of five Global Swings on the Race to Dubai comes to a close at this week’s BMW International Open.

The 22-year-old Frenchman arrives at Golfclub München Eichenried in high spirits having won his maiden title at the Turkish Airlines Open in May, before following that up with a tie for eighth place at the Austrian Alpine Open presented by SalzburgerLand and a second place at the Italian Open last week.

He now holds a 69-point lead at the top of the European Swing Rankings as he looks to secure a US$200,000 bonus, having already earned entry into all Back 9 events after winning his maiden title in Türkiye.

The HotelPlanner Tour graduate is joined by a strong field in the German capital, including defending champion Ewen Ferguson, who won his third DP World Tour title at this event in 2024.

The Scot became the first Scottish winner of the event since Colin Montgomerie in 1999 and comes into his title defence in good form, with two top fives in his last three starts, including a play-off defeat against Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan at the Soudal Open.

Ryder Cup Captain and former World Number One Luke Donald returns to Munich for the third consecutive year and will be looking to continue his excellent record of never having missed a cut in the six times he’s teed it up.

Austrian Alpine Open winner Nicolai von Dellingshausen, the most recent German winner on the DP World Tour, leads a strong contingent of home players this week, including Marcel Siem, Yannik Paul and Matti Schmid.

BMW’s Eagles for Education initiative – where the BMW Group donate €1,000 for every eagle carded – returns again this year, with former Germany and Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm’s Foundation for Sport and Education being this year’s beneficiary.

The shared goal is to provide children and young people – particularly those from underprivileged backgrounds – with skills in the areas of physical activity, nutrition, and personal development. At the heart of the programme is the principle of equal opportunities, with a focus on promoting values that are fundamental to society as a whole: fairness, diversity, inclusion, and participation.

Player quotes

Martin Couvra: I’m feeling really good. It’s my first time here in Munich, first time on this golf course, and first time playing this event — so I’m just really happy to be here. I’m also really happy with where my game is right now, especially over the last few weeks. There have been a lot of positives.

I feel great about my position. Every week, I just try to play good golf, and to be in this spot going into the weekend is really nice. Now the goal is to finish the job.

Nicolai von Dellingshausen: It’s always a bit like coming home — even though technically it’s not, since I live 600 kilometres away — but this is where I played my first DP World Tour event back in 2017. So there are a lot of positive memories here, and I always love coming back.

Life’s good right now. As I’ve been saying, the form has been strong, and the confidence has been there for a while — now the results are starting to follow, and that just adds another boost. It’s a great feeling.

Ewen Ferguson: I feel great, to be honest. I love Munich. I like the vibe of the city, and this tournament really feels like a feel-good event, doesn’t it? You turn up — the infrastructure, the players’ lounge, the food, the putting green, the range — it’s just a good feel around it. The atmosphere’s great, and the weather so far has been great too. I’ve got a good draw for the next couple of days, and I’m excited.

To win any BMW event, and especially the International Open here in Munich, it’s a very special event. It’s got so much history to it. Some of the winners, there’ve been some cracking Scottish winners in there as well. And last year, it was Bernhard Langer’s last event too, so there was a lot of emotion around the crowds. To be the person that won that tournament — that was very special.