IRAK DIE WIEGE DER ZIVILISATION

SAVOIR-VIVRE LYONESS OPEN
INFO
several strongly committed people have worked tirelessly
to promote and improve the event at the Diamond
Country Club near Tulln to form a basis for
bigger and better things to come.
Christian Guzy, the owner of the facility and tireless
mentor, has been one of them. The complex will
be enriched by a few additions this year, driven forward
by Christian Guzy. After continuous development
of the Diamond Course over the past six years
including construction of the boathouse, a driving
range, the expansion of the Country Course, 2015
welcomes a hotel opening, turning the top golf
course into a top golf resort. Christian Guzy: “With
the opening, we will have done the last major step for
a reputable golf resort. The hotel also ensures a corresponding
professional international presence.”
Lyoness Open
powered by Greenfinity
Ort: Diamond Country
Club
Datum: 11.-14. Juni 2015
Preisgeld: 1,5 Mio. Euro
Location: Diamond
Country Club
Date: 11.-14. June 2015
Prize Money:
1.5 million euro
www.lyonessopen.com
www.countryclub.at
Der Sieger der Lyoness
Open 2014 sponsored
by Greenfinity Mikael
Lundberg, links Mathias
Vorbach, Konzernsprecher
Lyoness, rechts Christian
Guzy, Präsident & Eigentümer
Diamond Country Club.
The winner of the Lyoness
Open 2014 sponsored by
Greenfinity, Mikael Lundberg.
Left, Lyoness company
spokesman Matthias Vorbach.
Right, Christian Guzy,
president and owner of the
Diamond Country Club.
wie etwa Michi Berger zu verdanken.“
Besonders gut angekommen sei auch das Drehen
der Löcher und das damit verbundene Finale auf der
eigentlich neunten Spielbahn, einem spannenden
Par 3 mit Wasser bis vors Grün. „Das war von der
Wahrnehmung her deutlich besser als in den Jahren
zuvor, auch für die Spieler ist es extrem interessant.
Das war eigentlich ein neuer Platz für sie“, zieht
Vorbach auch hier ein positives Resümee.
Für 2015 sind seitens Lyoness noch mehr Attraktionen
und Interaktionen mit den Golffans geplant.
Da gebe es noch Potenzial, sagt Vorbach. Und mit
Bernd Wiesberger als Zugpferd werden heuer wohl
so viele Golffans wie noch nie nach Atzenbrugg bei
Tulln pilgern.
On 11 June 2015, the first group of three tee
off and practically start the Lyoness Open,
writing Austrian sports history. With the increased
prize money from one to 1.5 million euro,
the 156 top European Tour golfers aim to land the
highest prize money cheque ever to be issued in Austria.
The happy winner of the Lyoness Open 2015
will walk away with 250.000 euro. It’s a very positive
development for golf, and this is due to the fact that
The Long Shadow of the Lyoness Open
The fact that stars from the European Tour will be
present at the opening of the hotel makes for double
the value. The good news for the fans is that besides
the aforementioned increase in prize money and the
resulting top-profile player attendance, the longterm
partners are on board: Emirates and BMW provide
for additional international flair, the ORF (Austrian
Broadcasting Corporation) will broadcast live
again, and the VIP area is now even more attractive
due to the changes on the course.
Ali Al Khaffaf (Chief Executive Officer of Golf
Open Event Gmbh) explains: “The first requests for
VIP tickets for the Lyoness Open 2015 started coming
in relatively early and we will develop fresh
ideas to make the area even more exciting. Logistically,
it is more of a challenge now as we have less
space for the tour trucks due to the hotel.” The added
value is not only a pleasure for VIP guests, but
thousands of fans of golf can enjoy the off course fun
and benefits as well. “The exhibition area is somewhat
limited, but the numerous attractions will provide
for exhilarating days at the Diamond Country
Club,” Ali Al Khaffaf is pleased to report. The days
and weeks at the Diamond Country Club are eventful:
“Preparations are already in full swing. We will
fine tune a few details, and then the tournament is
ready to begin.”
From Augusta to Tulln
The Burgenland local spearheads the Lyoness
Open again this year. With unprecedented force,
Wiesberger “emigrated” to the United States after his
PHOTOS: GEPA PICTURES/ MARTIN HOERMANDINGER
„Hole-in-one Preis“ – der neue BMW i8.
“Hole in one prize” – the new BMW i8.
powerful start in the season at the PGA and only
“moves back” to Europe just in time for the Lyoness
Open. The long awaited premiere of an Austrian on
the sacred green of the Augusta National Golf Club
will most likely come true for the local golf fans, with
a probability of 99 percent. Ranked number 36 in the
world as per mid-February, Wiesberger has achieved
what no Austrian has done before him. Invitations to
the top events in the US PGA tour are his reward,
along with participation at the World Golf Championship
events, starting with all majors in the US
Masters. This year has not brought a victory to him
yet, which irks him just a little. However, his extraordinary
rise in the world ranking provides for delight,
coupled with the amenities that come with it. Wiesberger
has undoubtedly made it to the top and this
alone should and will be encouragement enough to
collectively support him during his home tournament
at Diamond Country Club.
Lyoness – a Partner with visions
The sensational start by “launcher” Wiesberger
couldn’t have been foreseen by main sponsor Lyoness.
The co-sponsoring partnership with Greenfinity
also opened many doors. Lyoness spokesman Mathias
Vorbach said: “Of course we had a certain
vision in mind when we came on board five years
ago, especially with regard to Lyoness, but the success
with Greenfinity came as a surprise.” The European
Tour carries the “Greenfinity” theme along
with its message of sustainability, which has as such
been implemented as a beacon project for the European
Tour Event at Diamond Country Club. Mathias
Vorbach is pleased with the highly prosperous cooperation
with the ORF (Austrian Broadcasting Corporation)
in 2014 and its ensuing development in
local TV: “The tournament has received an elevated
status with the extended transmission times and the
“Sport on Sunday” studio here last year. This is mostly
thanks to the personal efforts of some ORF staff
such as Michi Berger.” The course and the way shots
were framed on TV were particularly well received.
The final, essentially on the 9th hole, had an exciting
par 3 and water right up to the green. Vorbach draws
a positive conclusion, “It was a better perception to
the previous years and highly interesting for the
players. Actually, it was like a new course for them.”
In 2015, more attractions and interaction is planned
with the fans. Vorbach sees scope for potential and
predicts that this year, with Bernd Wiesberger as the
driving force, more fans of golf than ever will make
their way to Atzenbrugg near Tulln.
Bernd Wiesberger (re.)
mit Caddie.
Bernd Wiesberger, on the
right, with caddy.
110 Cercle Diplomatique 1/2015
Cercle Diplomatique 1/2015
111