Course Overview. Golfclub Kitzbühel-Schwarzsee-Reith provides one of the more unusual tests on this year’s DP World Tour schedule, with the Austrian Alpine Open moving to the scenic Tyrolean resort venue for the first time this year. Situated just outside the famous ski town of Kitzbühel and framed by the Wilder Kaiser mountains, the course sits around 800 metres above sea level which will allow the ball to fly a little further than normal and will require a little calculation from this week’s attendees.
Originally opened in 1989 and designed by Gerold Hauser, the layout is traditionally a Par 72 resort course measuring a little under 6,700 yards from the member tees. However, the DP World Tour have made significant alterations for championship play, reducing the course to a par 70 and extended the length to 6,822 yards in an effort to stiffen what could otherwise become an extremely low-scoring test. Tournament organisers have also introduced tighter fairways, deeper rough, additional bunkering and new tee boxes in an attempt to challenge the professionals.
3 Par-5s and 5 Par-3s explains the overall Par of 70, with the long holes all in the reachable range given the assistance from the altitude. 5 sub-400 yard Par-4s will also present scoring opportunities to the better wedge players in the field.
The front nine is generally flatter and more scoreable, while the back nine moves into hillier terrain with more elevation change and several visually intimidating approach shots. Water hazards are in play throughout the course, while the signature hole is the Par-3 16th, known locally as the “Mausefalle” or “Mousetrap”, which plays across a ravine to a narrow green.
Tournament Stats. We’ve published some key statistics for this week’s event that will help to shape a view on players who may go well this week.
As noted above, we’re moving to a venue that’s new to the DP World Tour so the event stats should be considered accordingly: Current Form | Event Form | First Round Leader Stats | Combined Stats.
Predictor Model. Our published Predictor Model is available here. As always you can build your own model using the variables available.
Winners & Prices. 2025: Nicolai Von Dellingshausen, 200/1; 2021: John Catlin, 70/1; 2020: Marc Warren, 150/1; 2018 (Shot Clock Masters): Mikko Korhonen, 28/1; 2017 (Lyoness Open): Dylan Frittelli, 40/1; 2016: Ashun Wu, 160/1; 2015: Chris Wood, 12/1; 2014: Mikael Lundberg, 250/1; 2013: Joost Luiten, 25/1; 2012: Bernd Wiesberger, 25/1; 2011: Kenneth Ferrie, 55/1; 2010: Jose Manuel Lara, 66/1.
Weather Forecast. The latest weather forecast for the area is here.
Afternoon rain on Wednesday could soften the course a little should it materialise, however after that the weather should be largely set fair for the tournament days with light winds and temperatures in the mid- to high-70s Fahrenheit.
Tournament Trends & Key Factors.
Although this is effectively a new venue for most DP World Tour players, there is some professional history here as the course hosted the 2003 Challenge Tour’s Kitzbühel Golf Alpin Open, won by David Geall at 23-under-par with the course playing as a Par 71 that year.
With no skill stats captured from that event we’re in the dark this week as to what style of play the course may favour, with Gaeall’s limited starts on the European Tour back in the day not really giving many clues either.
Incoming Form: Looking at the winners of the Austrian Opens over the years, the incoming form is pretty varied which goes some way to explaining the variety of winning scores that we’ve experienced here. Last year’s winner Nicolai von Dellingshausen had missed 4 of his last 5 cuts, finishing 44th in the one weekend that he made it through to, so finding the 200/1 shot wasn’t easy.
Before that, in terms of recent results prior to victory, the bulk of John Catlin’s best work had been done towards the end of 2020 rather than at the start of 2021 prior to his victory at Diamond Country Club in this event. A closing 65 on his penultimate start in Kenya had shown some promise though.
The year before that, Marc Warren had shown very little prior to lockdown to suggest that success was pending. 45th at the South African Open was his only outing before golf was halted and he’d failed to finish inside the top-50 at all in the year prior.
2018 Shot Clock Masters champion Mikko Korhonen arrived at the event having missed the cut at the Italian Open the week before his victory, however 15th at Wentworth prior to that with an eye-catching display with his irons suggested his game was in good shape.
Dylan Frittelli had recorded a couple of runner-up finishes in the recent past before missing two consecutive cuts prior to winning the last Lyoness Open before the event’s demise. Ashun Wu had been solid if unspectacular with 8 out of 10 cuts made in 2016 and a best of 16th prior to victory.
In 2015, Chris Wood arrived off the back of a top-20 in Ireland that followed a decent 4th place finish at Wentworth. In 2014, Mikael Lundberg had shown little incoming form of note with 28th at the Spanish Open two events before being his best finish of what had been a poor season up to that point.
Kenneth Ferrie had finished 8th at Gleneagles on his penultimate start which was his best result for some time and Jose Manuel Lara had finished 4th the week before in the Netherlands – his best effort for over a year. Joost Luiten and Bernd Wiesberger were both more obvious winners, Luiten had finished inside the top-11 on three occasions in recent events and Wiesberger had won the Ballantine’s Championship earlier that year:
- 2025, Nicolai von Dellingshausen: MC/52/44/MC/35/MC/14/MC/MC/MC/44/MC
- 2021, John Catlin: 1/8/1/MC/MC/54/MC/MC/MC/42/28/MC
- 2020, Marc Warren: MC/MC/MC/MC/MC/DQ/MC/65/MC/75/56/45
- 2018, Mikko Korhonen: MC/22/61/MC/MC/3/MC/41/26/15/MC
- 2017, Dylan Frittelli: MC/48/2/8/16/12/29/19/5/2/MC/MC
- 2016, Ashun Wu: 16/52/24/60/MC/35/60/31/MC/48
- 2015, Chris Wood: MC/MC/3/29/31/49/4/16
- 2014, Mikael Lundberg: 66/MC/MC/MC/35/MC/MC/39/28/60
- 2013, Joost Luiten: 6/MC/49/27/MC/22/15/21/8/MC/11
- 2012, Bernd Wiesberger: 19/57/7/1/53/MC/17/MC/47/MC
- 2011, Kenneth Ferrie: 61/MC/67/MC/70/35/69/MC/8/50
- 2010, Jose Manuel Lara: MC/MC/MC/MC/MC/WD/MC/MC/MC/4
With very little to go on in terms of course history, we’re once again relying on specification only to guide our selections this week.
My selections are as follows:
