A total of 33 amateur teams have qualified and will now compete at the World Final in Stuttgart to determine the champion
- With more than 65,000 participants in more than 60 countries, last year’s participation record will again be broken
- Brand ambassador Bernhard Langer is the sponsor for the special competition, “Drive to the Major”, while Franz Beckenbauer will be presenting the Team Spirit Award
The MercedesTrophy World Final in Stuttgart will conclude the 23th year of the amateur invitation series organised by Mercedes-Benz. Some 33 teams from around the world will be travelling to the “birthplace of the automobile” over the period 13–18 September 2012 to decide this year’s top national team and best individual player.
“We deliberately decided on Stuttgart as the location for the final more than two decades ago. We want the participants to experience our brand values of fascination and perfection in the setting of the MercedesTrophy World Finals”, says Lüder Fromm, head of Global Marketing Communication Mercedes-Benz Cars. “Needless to say, the fringe events will include visits to the Mercedes-Benz Museum and the Mercedes-Benz plant in Sindelfingen, as well as an AMG driving experience in the SLS AMG, the ML 63 AMG or the SL 63 AMG, plus the presentation of the Concept Style Coupé.”
The World Final traditionally begins with a welcome evening, at which participants appear in their national costumes. The special guest this year will be Bernhard Langer, brand ambassador and the most successful German golfer of all time. The three rounds of golf will be played at the Solitude and Schloss Nippenburg golf clubs around Stuttgart. The awards ceremony will be held at an exclusive dinner at the Mercedes-Benz Museum, at which football legend and brand ambassador, Franz Beckenbauer, will present the Team Spirit Award. Last year, for the first time in the history of the MercedesTrophy, the first place was shared. With 201 points each, New Zealand and southern Asia took first place equal on the winner’s podium, closely followed by the UK in third with 200 points.
In the special competition, “Drive to The Major”, on the first day of the tournament, participants will have an opportunity to experience a further unique golfing highlight. Those competing in the “Straightest Drive” competition against Bernhard Langer can win a trip to the Open Championship and the chance to participate in the qualification tournament for the “Monday After Event”. As the official automotive partner of the world’s oldest golf tournament, Mercedes-Benz is giving participants the chance to tee off on the historic links course. The winners will also be invited to follow the major tournament live on the course as a VIP guest of Mercedes-Benz.
German Laureus ambassador Axel Schulz is sponsor for the special competition, “Nearest to the Pin”, on the third day of the tournament. During this event, donations will be collected for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. As a founding member, Mercedes-Benz is providing particular support for this organisation. For example, in addition to what is collected at the MercedesTrophy World Final, all of the donations made during the MercedesTrophy qualification tournaments that were staged around the world will also go to the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.
