European Tour players who competed in yesterday’s inaugural BMW Indoor Invitational powered by TrackMan have given the ground-breaking virtual golf event a hearty thumbs-up.
The first of five events in the virtual tournament series utilizing the latest simulator technology was won by Joost Luiten, who carded a six-under-par 66 for a two-shot victory. The Dutchman finished top of a leaderboard featuring 18 European Tour players, including former world number ones Martin Kaymer and Lee Westwood, competing virtually over the Old Course at St Andrews from their own homes.
Luiten claimed the first prize of €10,000 towards a charity of his choice, with the six-time European Tour winner opting to split the proceeds between his own charity, the Joost Luiten Foundation, and Eramus Medical Centre, a hospital in Rotterdam which has been on the frontline in the battle against Covid-19.
“It’s a good feeling to win the inaugural event,” said Luiten. “We’ve been doing nothing for such a long time, so it is nice to get that feeling of competition going again.
Joost Luiten (Image: europeantour.com)
“You try to stay fit and practise the way you can indoors, but it is different, so it is good to have the some nerves and that feeling of actually competing and trying to beat everybody else. That’s the most fun for us and that is why we are golf professionals. We have been missing that feeling for a long time and it was good to get it back and to do well as well.
“St Andrews is such an iconic course to play too. Everyone knows it from the TV, so it is a great place to start this,” added the 34-year-old, who finished two shots clear of Frenchman Damien Perrier.
Luiten was also pleased to be able to claim the first prize for his two charities, with each of the five tournament winners receiving €10,000 towards good causes of their choice. “Charity is really important, especially in these times. There is so much going on in the world that just needs money. So it is always good to give back.
“It’s also important to raise awareness too. If everyone gives a little or helps out as much as they can hopefully the situation gets better and we can beat this virus. That is the most important thing at the moment, to beat this virus and keep the older people safe too and try to get back to normal life,” he said.
Meanwhile, German Kaymer joined Austrian Bernd Wiesberger in the interactive feature group. Wiesberger edged the contest with an even-par round of 72, while Kaymer carded 74.
Kaymer noted: “To interact with another player again was nice. That’s what you miss most – the competition, to compete against someone who is as good as you.
Martin Kaymer (Image: europeantour.com)
“I was quite surprised at myself that I was excited to play, and I also had a bit of nervousness at some stage, which is a bit strange. But I look forward to doing the same again next week.
“For BMW, TrackMan and the European Tour to do a good thing was fun. The winner can donate to their charity every week for five weeks in a row. This is a beautiful idea. Especially at this time we’re in right now, giving is more important than ever.”
Wiesberger added: “It was good fun. It was nice to interact with Martin although I can assure you it wouldn’t normally be like that in a tournament!
“All of us, not just golfers but all athletes, are looking forward to getting back into competition again so it was fun to have set this up and for a good cause too, so thanks to the European Tour, BMW and TrackMan. It’s crazy where technology has taken us to that we can play golf tournaments indoors like this and interact with each other and still have a lot of fun, even if we have a couple more weeks until we get out there with a scorecard in our hand.”
Footage of the event is available on the European Tour’s social media channels (Twitter: @europeantour; Instagram: @europeantour; YouTube: EuropeanTour) and via bmw.trackmaninvitational.com.
The next course will be Royal Portrush (May 16), following by Golfclub München Eichenried (May 23), Real Club Valderrama (May 30) and Wentworth (June 6).
