Mercedes Benz

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Stuttgart/Pulheim, Germany, Sep 10, 2008

The Gut Lärchenhof Golf Club at Pulheim near Cologne will play host to the Mercedes-Benz Championship for the second time from September 11-14. The Mercedes-Benz Championship is one of the most exclusive and prestigious tournaments on the PGA European Tour. The event is organised on a "winners only" basis, guaranteeing a highly select field of competitors and golf of the highest quality. Only tournament winners from the current European tour season can qualify, along with the top 75 in the official world rankings and the top 60 in the European Order of Merit. The field is limited to 78 professionals, who will play the full 72 holes without a cut over four days. This makes Mercedes-Benz the only automotive brand to have its own tournament format on the PGA European Tour.


“After the tremendous success of the first Mercedes-Benz Championship in 2007, which attracted around 50,000 spectators, we are delighted once again to welcome a large field of world-class golfers," said Dr. Olaf Göttgens, Vice President of Brand Communications at Mercedes-Benz Cars. “Furthermore, this year’s event boasts an even more attractive support programme for competitors and spectators alike. The Mercedes-Benz Championship represents a fantastic platform for our brand.”

The top-class field taking part in this year’s Mercedes-Benz Championship includes current champion Søren Hansen, Germany’s three leading professionals, Bernhard Langer, Martin Kaymer and Alex Cejka, and a large contingent of overseas stars, including: American Fred Couples, who has 20 victories on the American and European tours to his name; the Australian Stuart Appleby, who from 2004 to 2006 won the equivalent tournament on the US Tour in Hawaii three years in succession; and the current title holder of the American Mercedes-Benz Championship, Daniel Chopra of Sweden.

The high quality of the field taking part in the Mercedes-Benz Championship at Gut Lärchenhof is not the only drawcard for the event, however. Along with the top prize of 320,000 euros, the winner will drive away a brand new Mercedes-Benz GLK. And the top-class field can look forward to a further highlight at the 16th hole, where Mercedes-Benz is offering a vehicle from the CLS-Class to the first golfer to score a hole in one.

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