31.05.2013, 05:11
VELUX EHF FINAL4 Charity Golf success

More than 40 play for German Cancer Aid on the fairways at the Golf & Country Club in Velderhof

VELUX EHF FINAL4 Charity Golf success

Sporting celebrities, handball legends, EHF officials, auction winners and more passionate golfers teed off at the 2013 VELUX EHF FINAL4 Charity Golf at the Golf & Country Club Velderhof today (Friday 31 May). 15 selected and mixed flights (pairings) started their way with better weather than expected.

As golf is very common among handball players a huge number of former world and European champions were on the fairways like former World Handball Player of the Year, German Daniel Stephan, former Swedish world and European champions and current coaches of the Swedish men's national team; Ola Lindgren and Staffan Olsson, 2007 German world champions Florian Kehrmann and Christian Schwarzer (the first-ever German EHF Champions League winner with FC Barcelona), 1978 German world champion Kurt Klühspies and two-time EHF EURO champion with Denmark and nowadays VELUX ambassador for the EHF Champions League, Lars Christiansen.

The range of EHF officials was headed by EHF President Jean Brihault and EHF Secretary General Michael Wiederer. Additionally Matthias Rudolph, President of VELUX EHF FINAL4 participants HSV Hamburg, Gerd Butzeck, Director of Forum Club Handball and Kay-Sven Hähner, manager of German women’s handball record champions HC Leipzig, were among the 'handball department' on the course. Playing for the VELUX EHF FINAL4 Charity Partner German Cancer Aid, which was represented by a former handball player and current handball coach, Michael Roth, on the fairways.

“This Charity Golf tournament is a perfect event to meet agents, players and the whole handball family in a relaxed atmosphere. It is a great opportunity to network,” said Ola Lindgren.

Even world champions from other sports supported this charity action. Former undefeated boxing world champion Sven Ottke and 1974 football world champion Rainer Bonhof, both from Germany.

“It is great to have a possibility to help people who are not in a good physical shape. We can do something for them in a nice way,” said Christian Schwarzer to ehfCL.com, who was part of the inaugural VELUX EHF FINAL4 tournament in 2012.

Lars Christiansen, who won the unofficial award for the "Most remarkable golf trousers" dressed in purple, shared Schwarzer’s opinion. “It is a brilliant opportunity for handball to do something good, which is not directly related to handball. To help the German Cancer Aid is an important way of showing the support of our sport.”

Christiansen, who has never involved as a player at the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in his career, enjoys being part of this tournament, although in a slightly different way.  “As I will be in the arena for the whole weekend, it is brilliant to start my tasks in the fresh air by playing golf.”

The Charity Golf tournament officially was started by the first tee off with players of the four participating teams. Aron Palmarsson represented THW Kiel, Andreas Nilsson HSV Hamburg, top scorer Michal Jurecki for KS Vive Targi Kielce and Aitor Arino for FC Barcelona Intersport.

The Scandinavians Palmarsson and Nilsson proved that it had not been the first time they had a golf club in their hands. Nilsson’s current handicap is only 17, and Palmarsson used to accompany his grandfather on golf courses in Iceland, when he was a young boy.

“Before I arrived in Germany, I constantly played golf, nowadays only when I am in my summer holidays in Iceland,” the THW playmaker said to ehfCL.com.

The final ranking will be known later this afternoon (Friday 31 May) and the winner of the tournament, which is supported by adidas, gets a personal golf club fitting at the TaylorMade Center of Excellence in Herzogenaurach, Germany, including a brand new TaylorMade iron set and many other prizes.

Find the photos from the golf tournament here.

TEXT: Bjorn Pazen/amc