BMW Masters Golf Tournament in China (European Tour)
First played: 2011
Last played: 2015
The tournament debuted with a field of just 30 golfers split between the European Tour and Asian Tour, although it was not sanctioned by the European Tour that first year. The tournament name in Year 1 was Lake Malaren Shanghai Masters. The winner's share of $2 million was the largest first-place prize in golf that year.
In Year 2, the event became part of the European Tour and the name changed to BMW Masters. In its final three years, 2013-15, the tournament was part of the European Tour's season-ending "playoff" series, the "Race to Dubai Final Series."
Winners of the BMW Championship in Shanghai
2011 — Rory McIlroy, 270 (def. Anthony Kim in playoff)2012 — Peter Hanson, 267
2013 — Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, 277
2014 — Marcel Siem, 272 (def. Ross Fisher, Alexander Levy in playoff)
2015 — Kristoffer Broberg, 271 (def. Patrick Reed in playoff)
The tournament had an auspicious start in 2011, when it carried the largest first-place prize in golf, and ended in a high-profile playoff between McIlroy and Kim. (But because the tournament was not yet sanctioned by the European Tour, his victory here does not count as an official European Tour win for McIlroy.)
McIlroy was the runner-up the following year, finishing one behind Hanson. (Three of the five times the BMW Masters was played it ended in a playoff, and the other two produced one-stroke victories.) Hanson's winning score of 267 remained the tournament's 72-hole scoring record.
The final winner, Kristoffer Broberg, was the 30th Swedish golfer all-time to win on the European Tour, and his victory was the 100th all-time by a Swedish golfer on the Euro Tour.
Golf course: All five years, the BMW Masters took place at Lake Malaren Golf Club in Luodian, Shanghai, China.
