The delighted winners of the worldwide qualifying tournaments where about 14,000 golfers competed against each other in 16 (2020) and 17 (2022) markets duly booked their tickets for the World Final in Mallorca. In total, more than 120 golfers competed at both World Finals. They competed for the World Trophy in the team event and in five individual classes (gross women and men plus three mixed net classes) over two rounds using the Stableford system.
“Being able to enjoy the event again is arguably the biggest win of the 2020 and 2022 Porsche Golf Cup World Finals,” says Sebastian Mertke, Director Global Community Management at Porsche AG. “We’ve seen just how incredibly inspiring and enriching it is when people share their passions and come together in beautiful places as a community. The week in Mallorca was shaped by people from a multitude of nations mixing with each other and the fantastic atmosphere generated by the great spirit within the Porsche family.”
Team Japan came out on top in the team competition at the 2020 Porsche Golf Cup World Final (20-23 June), whilst Karen Schmidt (Team Mexico; HCP 7.8) and Dr Luigi D’Amico (Team Italy; HCP -1.3) pipped their closest rivals in the gross classes due to a better second round after finishing with the same number of points in the thrilling competitions.
The team trophy at the 2022 Porsche Golf Cup World Final (23-26 June) was won by Team Mexico. It crowned an impressive overall performance by the country during the week spent in Mallorca.
The titles in the gross classes were secured by Meike Leichtle (Team Germany; HCP -0.6) and Helmut Konrad (Team Austria, HCP 1.7) who went round in one under par on the first day at Canyamel. Leichtle not only won in the gross class – the young golfer from the Stuttgart GC Solitude was also victorious in the nearest-to-the-pin and longest drive competitions.
The dream of a hole-in-one prize did not materialise for any of the participants. Had they struck lucky, they could have found themselves driving a Frozen Blue Taycan Turbo S or a Chalk-coloured Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo for a year. The former was positioned on the 17th hole of the Club de Golf Alcanada while the latter could be seen on the 18th at Canyamel Golf. The fact that no player hit a hole-in-one meant that no one went home with a TAG Heuer Connected Watch Golf Edition, which was put up by the tournament partner, TAG Heuer. However, the two winning teams from Japan and Mexico can look forward to a special prize: as winners of the World Trophy, they will be able to watch the 2023 Porsche European Open live at the venue plus play the Pro-am tournament as a part of a trip lasting several days.
“The days were just incredible,” said a delighted Luigi D’Amico, gross winner of the 2020 World Final. “Everything was perfect, from the organisation to the stunning hotel, the weather and naturally the golf courses that were in an excellent state. It was such an exciting event with strong competition, with a dreamlike end for me. It was also immensely enjoyable out on the course and when mixing within the community of wonderful people who, like me, love both Porsche and golf.”
A programme of supporting events added to the tournament’s special atmosphere and rounded off the brand experience. The community celebrated the return to the Balearic island at an opening ceremony that included a welcome message by the Porsche Brand Ambassador Paul Casey. A dinner overlooking the sea, followed by a diverse Nations’ Dinner and the spectacular Winners’ Night, also took place. Those accompanying the main tournament players had the opportunity to play their own event, as well as taking part in a special Porsche Road Tour of the island in a variety of models. Several all-electric examples of the Taycan were also available for test drives while Hans-Peter Porsche – the grandson of the Porsche founder Ferdinand Porsche and the founder of the Alcanada golf course – made a special appearance and proved to be a much sought-after source of advice.
Winners 2020 Porsche Golf Cup World Final:
World Trophy:
1. Team Japan
2. Team Belgium
3. Team Canada
Individual:
– Gross women: Karen Schmidt, Team Mexico
– Gross men: Dr Luigi D’Amico, Team Italy
– Net A mixed (HCP -2.5 – 8.7): Michael DeGasperis, Team Canada
– Net B mixed (HCP 8.8 – 15.9): Prof Dr Janggeol Woo, Team South Korea
– Net C mixed (HCP 16.0 – 36.0): Toshiaki Koyama, Team Japan
Winners 2022 Porsche Golf Cup World Final:
World Trophy:
1. Team Mexico
2. Team Australia
3. Team Switzerland
Individual:
– Gross women: Meike Leichtle, Team Germany
– Gross men: Helmut Konrad, Team Austria
– Net A mixed (HCP -3.0 – 10.0): Yasufumi Kano, Team Japan
– Net B mixed (HCP 10.1 – 19.5): Ricardo Oviedo, Team Mexico
– Net C mixed (HCP 19.6 – 36.0): Thomas Burri, Team Switzerland
Porsche in golf
Porsche has been the title sponsor of the Porsche European Open, a DP World Tour event, since 2015 and the sports car manufacturer has expanded its involvement in professional golf with automotive partnerships at tournaments on the Asian and DP World Tour since 2019. Porsche has also organised the Porsche Golf Cup – one of the company’s most successful customer events – for more than three decades. Held for the first time in Germany in 1988, it has developed into an international event in which about 14,000 Porsche customers recently took part in the worldwide qualifying tournaments. The Porsche Golf Circle, an international app-based community for keen golf-playing Porsche customers that was launched in 2017, has also proved a great success, with membership currently totalling about 4,000. Since 2020 Paul Casey has been complementing the Porsche family as the first Brand Ambassador from the game of golf.