Four of the 13 players who WD or RETD from the event carded an 80 in the opening round.
This week the DP World Tour (formally known as the European Tour) is in Hamburg, Germany, for the Porsche European Open at Green Eagle Golf Courses.
It’s a tough track.
How tough? Well, the cut came in at 4 over and the players currently in last heading into the final round are at 12 over.
But, it gets worse. Four of the 13 players who WD or RETD from the event carded an 80 in the opening round. One player, Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez, shot a 16-over (!!) 88.
Many fans on social media are upset with the players, stating it’s disrespectful to not only the event’s host but the sponsors of the tournament as well as the other players in the field.
South African pro Christiaan Bezuidenhout, who is currently 62nd in the Official World Golf Ranking, was among those who brought up the issue.
13 players W/D – RETD this week on @DPWorldTour that was likely missing the weekend. Not much respect shown by them for the sponsors and fellow players. 👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻
Porsche announced Thursday that it is increasing its involvement in golf with a collaboration with Paul Casey as a Porsche brand ambassador.
Paul Casey has four Porsches in the garage of his Scottsdale, Arizona, home. Another resting comfortably in his home in England.
A GT3 RS 991.
A GT3 RS 996.
A GT3 RS 997.
A Cayenne.
And a 1968 911 L with no air conditioning “that is awesome. The best car in the bunch.”
From the days he hung a Porsche poster on his wall as a kid and often journeyed with his father to Brands Hatch Racetrack outside of London to soak in, see and listen to high performance cars speeding to the finish line, Casey has felt, well, that there is no substitute for a Porsche.
Now the Englishman has a Porsche on his golf bag. The logo, that is.
Porsche announced Thursday that it is increasing its involvement in golf with a collaboration with Casey as a Porsche brand ambassador. A “Make it Happen” global campaign will look back at his childhood, including footage of his first swings with a golf club and of Casey as a young volunteer at the 1991 European Open. The campaign also will feature his rise to becoming one of the best players in the world, a winner of 14 titles on the European Tour, three on the PGA Tour, and three victories in the Ryder Cup as a member of Team Europe.
Paul Casey is a new Porsche brand ambassador. (Photo: Porsche)
His 19th worldwide win as a pro came in the 2019 Porsche European Open.
“The name Paul Casey has stood for golfing excellence for approximately the last 20 years. He is a likeable person with a clever mind that, with his bond to Porsche, knows how to sustainably transport the values of our brand. The collaboration simultaneously underlines the importance of golf for Porsche,” says Oliver Blume, chairman of the executive board of Porsche AG.
Casey, who is ranked No. 21 in the world, will have the Porsche logo on his bag for the first time at next week’s U.S. Open at Winged Foot in New York.
Casey, 43, said the relationship with Porsche is a “natural fit.” He bought his first Porsche, a black turbo that “was very cool, very fast,” in 2006.
“I’ve always been a car guy. I either wanted to be a race car driver when I was a kid or a professional golfer. Always bought the car magazines, always had the posters on the wall,” Casey told Golfweek in a phone interview. “I love their racing heritage. And it’s the one car that I felt like I could own. Porsche was attainable and it’s such a cool car company. You would see them on the streets. Certain cars, like a Lamborghini, you don’t see them. You see Porsches.
“I spend a lot of money on Porsches and I will continue to do so. It’s a natural fit. It makes sense. This is a relationship that is not forced.”
Casey also said Porsche’s continued involvement in professional sports, especially with the European Tour, “is massive” as the world deals with COVID-19. The sports car manufacturer has been the title sponsor of the Porsche European Open since 2015 and has been involved with partnerships in three tournaments on the Asian and European Tour since 2019. It has additionally supported the United Kingdom swing with the European Tour’s “Golf for Good” initiative.
“Everybody, globally, is hurting,” Casey said. “Porsche has had to make tough decisions, but they stuck by their golf program, which is amazing. They feel golf is a great fit for them and I think it is, too. I’m excited they are continuing that pursuit. The global downturn is not going to turn them off.”
Casey said he expects to struggle from time to time next week at rugged Winged Foot in the U.S. Open. He finished 15th there in the 2006 U.S. Open won by Geoff Ogilvy and has done a couple corporate outings at Winged Foot.
“I’m vaguely familiar with it. I don’t know it well. But I know it,” he said. “When the superintendent is chanting the mantra “8 over,” that he hopes that’s what the winning score is, I can’t say I’m particularly excited about the proposition.
“I love playing in majors, I love the U.S. Open, but just let the golf course be. It’s like a Shinnecock where you can stick tees and the pins in tomorrow and it could host the U.S. Open. Don’t know why they have to ramp it up. But I’ll be there.”
