Celebrating its first year back post-COVID, MercedesTrophy once again proved you don’t have to take home the silverware in one of the world’s premier corporate golfing events to be a winner.

The Australian team excels

The three-man Australian team contesting the World Final in Stuttgart finished a creditable 8th out of 22 teams, behind eventual winner Spain, after three highly competitive rounds of golf.

Yet it was the off-course experiences – both at the National Final, held at Queensland’s stunning Sanctuary Cove Country Club, and the World Final staged in the hometown of Mercedes-Benz in Stuttgart, Germany – that really set the MercedesTrophy apart from other similar tournaments.

Opportunities included taking a tour followed by dinner at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, which is regarded as one of the world’s premier automotive displays. In between rounds, players also visited the Affalterbach headquarters of Mercedes-AMG, and the Mercedes-Benz production plant featuring the world-renowned Factory 56.

On the golf course, the Australian team of Mick O’Neill, Lu Min Yong and Sean Weidemann represented their country with distinction. Mick completed his three rounds in equal 9th for Class A, Lu in 16th for Class B and Sean 4th in Class C.

A priceless experience

For Lu, who is a regular customer of Mercedes-Benz retailer G Brothers in Mona Vale, NSW, progression to one of the coveted positions on the national team also afforded the chance to meet and spend time with two of his golf heroes.

At the National Final, he was a winning bidder for the “A Day With The Pro” prize, spending a day on the golf course with Nick O’Hern, the former European and US PGA Tour player who is the only person to have ever beaten Tiger Woods twice in match play.

“This was a priceless experience. We learnt and benefited a lot from Nick's lessons about course management and the mental aspects of golf,” Lu says.

Everyone’s a winner

At the World Final, all players received an introduction to a bona-fide legend of the game, two-time Masters champion and Mercedes-Benz golfing ambassador, Bernhard Langer.

“This was a memorable experience for every golfer,” Lu says, adding that Langer then produced a special guest of his own. “Bringing a true replica of the British Open ‘claret jug’ all the way from St Andrews was the icing on the cake.”

The MercedesTrophy World Final is the culmination of one of the world’s largest invitational amateur golf tournaments. Each year, more than 60,000 golfers – all Mercedes-Benz customers – tee off around the world in local, regional and national events in a bid to qualify to represent their country.
 

If you are interested in taking part in the MercedesTrophy, please speak to your preferred authorised Mercedes-Benz retailer.

By Steve Colquhoun