David Micheluzzi had a sensational opening day at the BMW International Open in Munich, delivering a spectacular six-under-par round of 66.
The Australian golfer, already a four-time winner on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, showcased his skills at Golfclub München Eichenried, taking an early one-stroke lead.
Despite a minor hiccup—a bogey on his 12th hole, the third—Micheluzzi rebounded with an impressive display of birdies, seven in total.
This stellar performance put him just ahead of a competitive pack, featuring Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson, South African Casey Jarvis, England’s Frank Kennedy, and American Patrick Reed.
Reflecting on his round, Micheluzzi said, “The key to my round was definitely my short game.”
His ability to recover after missing the third green, resulting in his only bogey of the day, was indeed pivotal.
Micheluzzi’s round began with a bang, as he nailed birdies at the 11th, 13th, and 18th holes, making the turn at three-under-par.
Though he stumbled briefly at the third, he quickly regained his stride with a birdie at the fourth.
Further birdies at the sixth, and a strong finish with back-to-back birdies, secured his spot at the top of the leaderboard.
David Micheluzzi: “It was kind of all over the shop to be honest. I was a little bit wayward with the swing early on, the putter and short game were elite today. The back nine, I gave myself some chances.
“Know I’m putting it well at the moment, holed a 15-footer on eight and then when I saw the putt on nine, I knew if I’d put a good stroke on it, it would go in, so I’m very happy with it. Going to do a little bit of range work and call it a day.”
The excitement wasn’t limited to Micheluzzi’s performance. German fans turned out in droves to witness their beloved Bernhard Langer in action.
The 66-year-old legend, making his final DP World Tour appearance in his home country, posted a solid one-under-par round of 71.
Langer’s round, characterized by ten straight pars, a bogey, and two birdies, placed him in a tie for 54th, giving him a fighting chance to make the weekend cut.
Thursday’s play was not only about competition but also about giving back. Sixteen eagles on the opening day resulted in 16,000 euros being donated to the Eagles for Education charity campaign.
Among the highlights was Belgium’s Matthis Besard, who aced the par-three 12th, marking his first hole-in-one on the DP World Tour.
With the tournament progressing, the focus remains on whether Micheluzzi can maintain his lead and clinch a memorable victory at the BMW International Open in Munich.
Fans and fellow golfers alike are eager to see how the story unfolds.
Scores after round one:
66 D MICHELUZZI (AUS),
67 F KENNEDY (ENG), E FERGUSON (SCO), P REED (USA), C JARVIS (RSA),
68 J LUITEN (NED), J GUMBERG (USA), D FICHARDT (RSA), J DEAN (ENG), R LANGASQUE (FRA), T POWER HORAN (AUS),
69 K NAKAJIMA (JPN), T PIETERS (BEL), J WINTHER (DEN), C HILL (SCO), J SMITH (ENG), E PEPPERELL (ENG), R FISHER (ENG), D HORSEY (ENG), J KO (FRA), K BROBERG (SWE), J MORRISON (ENG), M KAYMER (GER), N NORGAARD (DEN), R FOX (NZL), T BJ?RN (DEN), S KJELDSEN (DEN), B WIESBERGER (AUT), S JONES (NZL),
70 C SYME (SCO), M JIM?NEZ (ESP), M SCHMID (GER), J DE BRUYN (GER), R HOSHINO (JPN), H LI (CHN), M BALDWIN (ENG), B ROBINSON THOMPSON (ENG), A WU (CHN), F LAPORTA (ITA), G DE LEO (ITA), F SCHOTT (GER), L DE JAGER (RSA), D HUIZING (NED), P LARRAZ?BAL (ESP), M ROTTLUFF (GER), A JOHNSTON (ENG), E MOLINARI (ITA), G FORREST (SCO), M JORDAN (ENG), P WARING (ENG), L NEMECZ (AUT), H BARRON (AUS), K JOHANNESSEN (NOR),
71 S JAMIESON (SCO), J NICHOLAS (USA), T LAWRENCE (RSA), Y PAUL (GER), L DONALD (ENG), J SVENSSON (SWE), S CROCKER (USA), J OVERTON (USA), M ELVIRA (ESP), R CABRERA BELLO (ESP), G GREEN (MAS), F ZANOTTI (PAR), J DANTORP (SWE), S GALLACHER (SCO), A SADDIER (FRA), M KORHONEN (FIN), L SCALISE (ITA), N VON DELLINGSHAUSEN (GER), U COUSSAUD (FRA), B LANGER (GER), M SIEM (GER), A GARCIA-HEREDIA (ESP), B STONE (RSA), G MIGLIOZZI (ITA), J PAUL (GER), A ARNAUS (ESP), D RAVETTO (FRA), J GIRRBACH (SUI), J HARDING (RSA), R PARATORE (ITA), F CELLI (ITA), M SOUTHGATE (ENG), P MOOLMAN (RSA),
72 T CHRISTENSEN (AM) (GER), A COCKERILL (CAN), J KRUYSWIJK (RSA), A WILSON (ENG), J BERRY (ENG), M BESARD (BEL), D MOSTERT (RSA), N GALLETTI (USA), J DAVIDSON (WAL), D HOWELL (ENG), S TARRIO (ESP), H LONG (GER), D VAN DRIEL (NED), M PENGE (ENG), T AIKEN (RSA), T LEWIS (ENG), R GOUVEIA (POR), J VEERMAN (USA), L RUUSKA (FIN), O CHOUHAN (IND), A MARTIN (AUS),
73 N COLSAERTS (BEL), A AYORA (ESP), A OTAEGUI (ESP), D BROWN (ENG), S GARCIA (ESP), A SULLIVAN (ENG), F LACROIX (FRA), R RAMSAY (SCO), J SCHAPER (RSA), J GUERRIER (FRA), A PAVAN (ITA), G CHEN (CHN), K APHIBARNRAT (THA), M SCHNEIDER (GER), D HILLIER (NZL), J SCRIVENER (AUS), J DONALDSON (WAL), T VAILLANT (FRA), S BROHOLT LIND (DEN),
74 O BEKKER (RSA), S FORSSTR?M (SWE), D LAW (SCO), J FAHRBRING (SWE), J PRINSLOO (RSA), G WIEBE (USA), C HANNA (USA), J G?TH-RASMUSSEN (DEN), D WILLETT (ENG), J BLIXT (SWE), M SCHWAB (AUT), G PORTEOUS (ENG), B RUSCH (SUI),
75 O STRYDOM (RSA), M MANASSERO (ITA), M KIEFFER (GER), I CANTERO (ESP), D WHITNELL (ENG), O WILSON (ENG), W ENEFER (ENG), S FRIEDRICHSEN (DEN), S MANLEY (WAL), Y MALIK (AM) (GER),
77 J WALTERS (RSA), A CEJKA (GER), P FIGUEIREDO (POR), A FITZPATRICK (ENG), N ELVIRA (ESP), A DEL REY (ESP),
**
OUT D GAVINS (ENG),