by Craig Lemley | Oct 27, 2018 | News
Robin Horvath (left), Martin Borgmeier (center), Jordan Brooks (right), are the top three finishers in the 2018 LDET season (Photo: Long Drivers European Tour)
It was not the way anyone wanted to end the 2018 Long Drive European Tour season. Torrential weekend rains battered Panorámica Golf in Spain. According to the LDET, area roads were blocked with up to 50 centimeters of flood water on the pavements, electrical power was lost, and the grid itself saw spots of standing water and sand deposits. And while some say conditions remained playable, the tour made the difficult decision to pull the plug on the event.
That capped off an amazing year for Germany’s The Beard Borgmeier, having won 3 other events and securing his new title as the 2018 LDET Champion. “What happened this year with Long Drive was a U-turn in my life,” Borgeier says in a post-event address.
But the Beard wasn’t the only LDET player with a standout 2018. The Hungarian Hulk Horvath also notched 3 wins, hit the season’s longest drive (443), and was a mere 400 points short of Borgmeier in final ranking points. “It was an amazing season for me,” he told the crowd. “I’m very happy for everything.”
Though England’s Jordan Brooks didn’t get the chance to strut his stuff in the season finale either, he finishes the season, with one win, 4,500 points, and the no.3 LDET ranking. “I’ve gained a lot of confidence going through the season,” Brooks said. “I feel like I belong amongst the top players.”
“2018 was an amazing season,” Xavier Eusebio, LDET CEO, says. “The tour visited 9 countries, and the competition level has been very high, with a lot of competitors from around Europe, and also US, Canada, South Africa, and more.”
Though the LDET’s 2018 season finale was marred by weather and drama, it shouldn’t take away from the landmark season the tour had. A debut in Russia and a first-of-its-kind Nations Cup event, exceptional players and exciting competition all speak to more good things to come in 2019.
by Craig Lemley | Jul 31, 2018 | News
The Long Drivers European Tour Germany Championship was sure to be one of the must-see events of the season, with top-tier bombers like Martin The Beard Borgmeier, Vincent Palm, Timo Petrasch, and The Hungarian Hulk, Robin Horvath, all hailing from the great country. Borgmeier brought the tour’s #1 ranking with him to Munich’s Münchener Golf Club, which set the stage for an anticipated showdown with Horvath, a close second heading into the weekend.
Horvath made it clear early he was there to compete launching a 395-yard bomb in the qualifiers to secure his spot in the top 16 Sunday afternoon. The first taste of the The Beard vs Hulk matchup came in the first round of the top 16. 6th-ranked Tanguy Marionex (Belgium) and #16 Tyler Dangerfield (England) joined the duo, and marked a 340-yard blast and one OB, respectively. Horvath reached 374 yards and Borgmeier notched 350 in the first round.
The second round of the top 16 brought the foursome together again, with strong showings from Marionex and Dangerfield (368 and 353, respectively). But Horvath was on a mission, going 377 yards to Borgmeier’s OB, and ending our hopes for the marquee matchup in the finals.
For The Hulk to claim his home country title, though, there was a lot more ground to cover, and a lot more balls to hit. Horvath qualified for the semis after defeating #14-ranked Steve Vandebos (Belgium) 375/382 to 355/356. The second match brought #4 Dewald Lubbe (S. Africa) face to face with #12 Chris Latta (Scotland), and ended with Lubbe punching his ticket to semis as well (375/389 to OB/368). Horvath’s fellow German, Timo Petrasch was ousted from the quarters by Paul Woodcock 376/OB/OB to OB/357/348, and Jordan Brooks topped Marionex 382/390 to 362/360 for his spot in the semis.
In the first semifinal, Horvath continued his march with a 365/OB/375 showing, topping Lubbe’s 345/362/366 and ensuring his spot in the final. Jordan Brooks dominated the second semifinal, ousting Woodcock 352/360 to 342/345. Lubbe and Woodcock went to battle for the third place position, with Lubbe’s 361/OB/368 besting Woodcock’s 357/359/360, and the stage was set for the big final.
With the title in sight, the Hulk came out swinging and dropped a 394-yard bomb. Brooks followed with 374- and 387-yard blasts, but Horvath’s 391-yard finisher secured the title in his home country. Not only that, Horvath overtook Borgmeier’s multi-week reign at the top of the LDET rankings. The Hulk now has a slim 200 point lead over The Beard Borgmeier, which means we can anticipate more matchups between the top two German bombers in the foreseeable future.
Next up, the players head to Italy’s Terre Dei Consoli Golf Club for the Italy Championship, the last regular season event before the marquee event of the season, the Nations Cup, and the Masters LDET Cup season finale. Follow LDET online and on social media to keep up with all the action.
by Craig Lemley | Apr 9, 2018 | 19th Hole, News
Robin Horvath’s (GER) 399-yard bomb earned him the 2018 France Championships, and the no.1 ranking on the LDET. (Photo courtesy LDET).
The 2018 Long Drivers European Tour season opener showed France what it’s been missing. Hotel Golf Château de Chaillly played host to the tour for the first event in the country since 2014. And though there was a local name in the running heading into the final rounds, it was Robin Horvath of Germany claiming the first victory of the season.
Sunday began with a quarterfinal lineup that could not disappoint. Frenchman Maxime Bourzicot took on the top-seeded Bryan Roberts (WAL) while reigning LDET Champion Matt Nicolle (ENG) faced Martin Borgmeier (GER). Second-seeded Dewald Lubbe (SAF) versus Aleksi Kivini (FIN), and an all-German showdown between “The Hungarian Hulk,” Robin Horvath from Stuttgart, and Timo Petrasch, the “German Bomber” from Munich, filled the other side of the bracket.
Roberts (356/OB/372) bested Bourzicot (348/367/362) to earn a trip to the semifinals against Matt Nicolle (361/356), who ousted Borgmeier (357/OB). On the other side, Kivini fell to Lubbe 351/351/355 to 363/348/347, setting up a face-off against the winner of the the Horvath/Petrasch matchup. Horvath ousted Petrasch, 365/346/375 to 333/372/348, to continue his march to the finals.
The exciting championship match was shaped by Matt Nicolle’s 385/373 to 376/OB victory over Roberts, and Horvath topping Lubbe by the slimmest of margins, OB/375/371 to 375/372/OB.
In the final round, Horvath started strong with a 388-yard blast in the first set, a little too close to Nicolle’s 381-yard effort for comfort. But Horvath secured the France Championship with the longest ball of the day, a 399-yard bomb, over Nicolle’s 372-yard finisher, and vaulted into the no.1 spot in the LDET. (Lubbe took the 3rd place position on the podium after a 386/367 to 335/360 win over Roberts.)
(From to left to right) Matt Nicolle (ENG) 2nd-place, Robin Horvath (GER) 1st-place, Dewald Lubbe (SAF) 3rd-place. (Photo courtesy LDET)
“I’m speechless right now. Can’t believe it!” Hovarth posted on his Instagram page after the event. (He has, as of this writing, yet to comment further, so I’m guessing the emotion has yet to wear off, and understandably so.)
“Congratulations to @hungarian_hulk for pipping me in the final, impressive stuff going deep with a 399!” reads an April 8 post on Nicolle’s Instagram page. ” I will be back fighting harder than ever to regain that top stop!” he continues. Nicolle is now ranked no.2 on tour.
Hovarth is set to continue his hot start at Steenhoven Golf Club in Belgium later this month for the Belgium Championship, April 20th-21st. And he’s surely looking forward to competing in his own country later this year at the Germany Championship at Müncherner Golf Club in Munich, hometown of “The German Bomber” Timo Petrasch. Here’s to hoping for exciting rematch between the two that July weekend.
The 2018 LDET season is expected to one of the best yet, and the players came ready to live up to the hype. The bar has been set high for the remainder of the season but with an exciting mix of some of the best and up-and-coming players in Long Drive, new, marquee events and, of course, the long ball, it’s safe to say the best is yet to come.
Click here for the most current 2018 LDET player rankings.
