Haydn Porteous will fly the South African flag as the European Tour returns to work at the Diamond Country Club for the Austrian Open.
Diamond Country Club – a European Tour Destination – celebrates hosting the Austrian Open for the tenth time, having first held the tournament in 2010, with just one event-free year in 2019 since then.
In 2017 and branded as the Lyoness Open, the venue was the scene for Dylan Frittelli’s breakthrough win. Since then the tournament has been rebranded but the layout now provides the opportunity for Porteous to begin his rise up the rankings. Since winning the Czech Masters in 2017, he has dropped to outside the world’s top 400.
The 25-year-old has not played competitively since following his runner-up finish in the Sunshine Tour’s Tour Championship with a top 50 at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.
Joost Luiten will be hoping to lift the trophy for a second time this week while local hero Markus Brier could make history as a four-time champion of the event. He currently remains the only player to win the tournament on multiple occasions, completing the feat at his home Open in 2002, 2004 and 2006.
Also in the field this week are Wil Besseling and Connor Syme (runner-up here at the 2018 Shot Clock Masters), who both earned victories during the Tour’s BMW Indoor Invitational.
Others to watch out for are Sami Välimäki, who won the Oman Open back in March, and Belgian Ryder Cup star Nicolas Colsaerts, who finished tied for third place here in 2018. Miguel Angel Jimenez, who helped redesign the course in 2010, has five top 20s in his last six starts in this event.
The Austrian Open will mark the first week of a new comprehensive Health Strategy on the European Tour that will see health care specialists Cignpost deliver rapid on-site COVID-19 screening.
All tournaments played for the remainder of the 2020 season will be governed by the Health Strategy, developed by European Tour Chief Medical Officer Dr Andrew Murray in consultation with Cignpost and advisers across the countries in which the Tour plays.
In order to help mitigate risk, all players, caddies and other personnel on-site will be tested using Cignpost’s rapid COVID-19 screening products and services.
The rapid COVID-19 testing consists of a dry swab to collect oral and nasopharyngeal samples using mobile PCR diagnostic equipment, with results available within two hours. Participants will operate within national public health guidelines, including social distancing, and following enhanced hygiene directives.
European Tour schedule before the Ryder Cup:
Austrian Open
July 9-12
Diamond Country Club, Austria
Euram Bank Open
July 15-18
Golf Club Adamstal, Austria
Betfred British Masters
July 22-25
Close House Golf Club, England
English Open
July 30-August 2
Forest of Arden Country Club, England
WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational
July 30-August 2
TPC Southwind, USA
English Championship
August 6-9
Hanbury Manor Country Club, England
PGA Championship
August 6-9
TPC Harding Park, USA
Celtic Classic
August 13-16
Celtic Manor Resort, Wales
Wales Open
August 20-23
Celtic Manor Resort, Wales
US Open
September 17-20
Winged Foot Golf Club, USA
