Golf News: - Posted 22nd April 1998

German Open to be played on Faldo's course

Wentworth, Surrey -  The 1998 German Open will be played on 6th- 9th August at the Sporting Club Berlin which is 75km south east of the capital in the spa town of Bad Saarow.

The Sporting Club Berlin boasts two 18-hole championship courses designed by Arnold Palmer and Nick Faldo. A third in on the drawing board being designed by Bernhard Langer. The German Open however will be played on the par 72 Faldo course which measures 7,042 yards and is said to be one of the best in Germany.

In addition to the golf facilities at Sporting Club Berlin there is the Kempinski five star hotel with 200 rooms with views over the lake or the golf course. Additional accommodation is available in 64 elegantly furnished apartments, many of which are available for rent over the period of the championship.

Commenting on the decision to move the championship to Berlin, Ken Schofield, executive director of the European Tour, said, "It is wholly appropriate that the German Open should be played at the country's capital city and we are delighted that it will be played over such an excellent course designed by one our most illustrious members."

Wolfgang Reitzi, general manager of the Sporting Club Berlin, said, "Having the German Open staged at the Sporting Club Berlin is the culmination of all our plans and dreams. When the club was first conceived and it was decided to build three championship courses, it was always our intention that they should be of sufficient quality to host a major championship on the European tour."

The German Open will be televised live for the four days on Sky Sports in the UK.