Porsche European Open 2017

It took a play-off at Green Eagle Golf Courses to decide the destination of title. In the end, it was the 24-year-old Englishman Jordan Smith who emerged triumphant against the defending champion, Frenchman Alexander Lévy, on the second hole of the play-off. The win in Hamburg was Tour rookie Smith’s first success on the European Tour. Both players had previously finished on -13 after the 72 regular holes to force a play-off. Smith was overjoyed at his win: "I just love this prestigious event, and I really enjoyed the whole week here."

Swede Johan Edfors and Bangladesh’s Siddikur Rahman (-11) finished tied in third place, two shots behind Lévy and Smith. Over the course of the four days of the tournament, 39,000 spectators visited the course to witness world-class golf at first hand.

Saturday had already produced a further two sporting highlights

“Golf fans have really embraced the Porsche European Open on its first appearance in Hamburg, in spite of the unsettled weather,” said Dr. Kjell Gruner, Vice President of Marketing at Porsche AG. “We have witnessed some great sporting action at Green Eagle Golf Courses and, as title sponsor, we are pleased to have been able to contribute to offering players and spectators alike a top-class experience – both on and off the course – with an extensive brand presence. The past few days have shown emphatically that Porsche, golf and the metropolitan region of Hamburg are an excellent fit.”

Saturday had already produced a further two sporting highlights, courtesy of US Ryder Cup star Patrick Reed, who shot an albatross on the 18th, and Marcel Siem: the 37-year-old German, making his 400th appearance on the European Tour, hit a hole-in-one on the 17th hole (par 3). Siem was rewarded for his masterstroke with a Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo.

Stuttgart/Hamburg. A direct hit on his 400th Tour start: German golf pro Marcel Siem won a Porsche Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo when he aced the 17th hole at the Porsche European Open in Hamburg on Saturday. On his 400th European Tour start, the 37-year-old Rhinelander took his 7 iron and scored a hole in one at the spectacular 170-yard, par 3 hole on the Green Eagle golf course. Oliver Eidam, Director Brand Partnerships & Sponsoring Porsche AG, handed Siem a symbolic, outsized car key after his fantastic shot.

“Today’s hole in one was my third on the European Tour,” said Siem. “So far, I'd had a handshake and a bottle of champagne - and now, finally, something useful.”

Two top athletes learn from each other: Porsche works driver Patrick Pilet and golf pro Peter Hanson met up for a special kind of exchange ahead of the Porsche European Open that teed off outside Hamburg today. First, they both jumped in the current Porsche 911 GT3 and headed to a test track near the tournament site. At the track, Pilet showed just what you can do with a car with an extremely sporty design. Hanson travelled the 450 kilometres from Malmö in his Porsche GT3 RS 4.0 specially for this “driving experience”.

On the test site near Lüneburg, the two athletes completed numerous laps of the track. They drifted through turns, avoided water fountains, completed slaloms and practised crisp kick starts. Then Peter Hanson returned the favour as he and Patrick Pilet contested the ProAm of the Porsche European Open together: The pro gave golfing amateur Pilet (handicap 8.4) some tips on putts and drives during the round on the course.

“Patrick and I had so much fun over these two days,” said Hanson. “Even if he is undoubtedly much better at his hobby of golf than I am as far as my passion for racing cars is concerned.” Patrick Pilet was only too happy to repay the compliment: “You can tell instantly that Peter has experience of being at the wheel of fast cars,” he said. “I gave him tips on visualisation and synchronising his hands. He was very good at putting it into practice.”

Team USA win the Porsche European Team Challenge: Patrick Reed and his fellow countryman Jimmy Walker got the first win in the run-up to the Porsche European Open on Tuesday evening. In front of countless delighted golf fans, the two Americans won the Porsche European Open Team Challenge, a show competition on Spielbudenplatz in the middle of Hamburg’s Reeperbahn. The prize Reed and Walker received is a Porsche 911 each at their disposal for the tournament week, provided by the title sponsor. The Porsche European Open gets underway this Thursday at Green Eagle Golf Courses, just outside the Hanseatic city.

“It was an outstanding event, and it's great to have the use of a 911 for the tournament week. It's an amazing, an iconic car,” said Jimmy Walker. The German Alexander Knappe and his fellow player, local hero Niklas Adank, were defeated in the final, but were fascinated by the atmosphere on the Reeperbahn. “That was a fantastic experience here on the Reeperbahn, it was great,” Adank said.

A 45-metre artificial grass golf course resembling the 17^th hole of the tournament course in Green Eagle was laid at Hamburg’s Spielbudenplatz specially for the Porsche European Open Team Challenge. It was on this course that the eight pros taking part and took each other on in various contests – in addition to Walker, Reed, Knappe and Adank, the Danes Thorbjørn Olesen and Lucas Bjerregaard and the South Africans Charl Schwartzel and Zander Lombard were also involved.

US Ryder Cup star shows great interest in sports cars: Ahead of the start of the Porsche European Open this Thursday, the US top golfer Patrick Reed took the opportunity to have a look at the latest car models in the Hamburg Porsche Centre Nord-West. Managing Director Steffen Knies, a passionate golfer himself, was delighted to guide the US star through the showrooms and explain the special features of the various Porsche models and the modern workshop halls.

“It feels great,” said Texan Reed, after climbing into a silver metallic Porsche 911 Carrera GTS and revealing a secret: “When I was a young boy, my dad owned a Porsche. I was allowed to sit on my dad’s lap and use my little hand to help him change the gears. Those are my first memories of Porsche.”

Incidentally, the Hamburg visit is 26-year-old Reed’s first stay in Germany: “From what I’ve seen so far, Hamburg is a beautiful city. And the golf course on which I already played nine holes is in top condition. The fairways are very well maintained and the greens made a great impression. I’m looking forward to the tournament.”

The venue for the prestigious European Tour event is Green Eagle Golf Courses on the outskirts of the Hanseatic city. For the first time, the demanding Nord Course will provide the stage for the pinnacle of European professional golf. The tournament week kicks off on Tuesday evening with the “Porsche European Open Team Challenge”: a golf demonstration event on Hamburg’s Reeperbahn, in which a number of the top stars of the tournament will go head to head in a team competition.

“Everything is in place for an excellent sporting event,” says Detlev von Platen, Member of the Executive Board responsible for Sales and Marketing at Porsche AG. “The course at Green Eagle is in very good condition, and golf fans can also look forward to a very extensive programme away from the course. I am confident we will enjoy an outstanding tournament this week.” The top-class field includes Major winners Jimmy Walker (USA) and Charl Schwartzel (South Africa), Ryder Cup star Patrick Reed, PGA Tour winner Pat Perez (both USA), defending champion Alexander Lévy (France), European Ryder Cup captain Thomas Björn (Denmark), and many more of the European Tour’s top players. As well as world-class golf, spectators can also look forward to a comprehensive Porsche brand experience over the course of the tournament week.

Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo on display ahead of market launch

One of the highlights of the vehicle exhibition in the free Public Village is the Panamera Sport Turismo, which will be on display to golf fans before its market launch in October. Visitors will also be able to see the extremely limited-edition Porsche 911 Turbo S Exclusive Series, the new Porsche 911 GTS models, and various hybrid cars.

Sporty fringe programme

The pros are not the only people who could win a Porsche Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo with a hole-in-one on the 17th hole. Visitors will also have that opportunity: On each of the days of the tournament, spectators – aged 18 and above – can qualify for an evening shoot-out on the 17th hole. To qualify, they must sink a 30-metre putt on the Porsche Public-Hole-in-One challenge. 

On Wednesday, one day before the opening round of the tournament, the Nord Course will host the Pro-Am, in which the pros are joined by celebrities. The two winners of this year’s Porsche Generations Open, a tournament series for amateur golfers, and the victorious British team that won the Nations Cup at the Porsche Golf Cup World Final have also earned their places in the Pro-Am. 

Experience the Porsche brand world up close and personal

Porsche Drive, the Porsche mobility concept, is providing the official shuttle service for the tournament. In addition, it is also offering any interested visitors the opportunity to test a wide range of the latest cars – including the new Porsche 911 GTS models. Reservations can be made in advance at www.porsche.com/drive.

During the tournament, visitors can also gain an overview of the Porsche brand world. Porsche Design, the Porsche Driver’s Selection, Porsche Driving Experience and the Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur will all be showcasing their products.

Porsche Owners’ Lounge

Over the course of the tournament, Porsche customers can relax in the exclusive Porsche Owner’s Lounge on the spectacular 17th hole. To gain admission, Porsche owners need simply to present their car key. The large terrace offers visitors a perfect view of the 17th and 18th holes on the Nord Course.

911 Carrera GTS: Fuel consumption combined 9.4 – 8.3 l/100 km; CO₂ emissions 212 – 188 g/km

911 Carrera S: Fuel consumption combined 8.7 – 7.7 l/100 km; CO₂-emissions 199 – 174 g/km

911 GT3: Fuel consumption combined 12.9 – 12.7 l/100 km; CO₂ emissions 290 – 288 g/km

911 Turbo S Exclusive Series: Fuel consumption combined 9.1 l/100 km; CO₂ emissions 212 g/km

Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo: Fuel consumption combined 9.5 – 9.4 l/100 km; CO₂ emissions 217 – 215 g/km

911 GTS models: Combined fuel consumption 9.7 – 8.3 l/100 km; CO₂ emissions 220 – 188 g/km

Panamera Sport Turismo models: Combined fuel consumption 9.5 – 2.5 l/100 km; CO₂ emissions 217 – 56 g/km