RESULTS | German Club Golf

HENDRIK MÖLLENHAUER WINS STA. ELENA CUP

The German Club Golf Circuit returned to one of the Philippines’ most prestigious golfing destinations for the Santa Elena Cup 2026, held at the magnificent Santa Elena Golf & Country Club. The tournament attracted a strong field of 40 players, all eager to test their skills on a course consistently ranked among the very best in the country.

The day could not have been better. Players enjoyed perfect weather conditions, a course presented in immaculate condition, and fast, challenging greens that demanded precision throughout the round. Santa Elena once again demonstrated why it remains a favorite among golfers, offering a championship-caliber experience from the first tee to the final putt.

Taking top honors and claiming the Santa Elena Cup 2026 Overall Championship was Hendrik Möllenhauer, who delivered an outstanding performance to finish with an impressive 42 Stableford points. Finishing just one point behind was Steve Lawrence with 41 Stableford points, a remarkable round that also earned him Low Gross Champion honors after shooting an excellent 83 gross.

Third place went to Peter Burnett, who secured the podium position with 36 Stableford points, prevailing in a countback against three other players who finished on the same score.

Special award winners were:

Drive and Pitch: Magnus Karlsson
Closest to the Pin: Klaus Steven
Closest to the Pin #3: Helen Ambrose
Most Accurate Drive: Joey Magcalyao
Guest Champion (Net 70): Ben Avenceña
Ladies Champion: Ulrike Steven

The awarding ceremony was held in the elegant Club Restaurant, where participants enjoyed a magnificent buffet featuring an excellent selection of dishes, complemented by generous servings of wine and other refreshments. The relaxed atmosphere provided the perfect setting for golfers and guests to celebrate the day’s achievements and enjoy the renowned hospitality of Santa Elena.

A special highlight of the evening was the auction of four Santa Elena green fee vouchers. The auction generated enthusiastic bidding from the participants, with all proceeds being donated to the Tender Charity, courtesy of the ongoing charitable efforts led by Keith Bradley. The generosity displayed by the members once again demonstrated the strong community spirit that characterizes the German Club Golf Circuit.

A sincere thank you goes to Santa Elena Golf & Country Club for presenting the course in superb condition and to all participants for making the Santa Elena Cup 2026 another successful and enjoyable event.

We look forward to seeing everyone at the next German Club Golf Circuit tournament on August 28 at the Alabang G&CC

⛳🏆 Congratulations to Hendrik Möllenhauer and all prize winners, and thank you to everyone who participated in another memorable day of golf and fellowship

A special highlight of the evening was the charity auction held after the awarding ceremony. Our generous tournament sponsor donated four Santa Elena green fee vouchers, which were successfully auctioned off to enthusiastic bidders. Together with the sponsor’s commitment to donate 50% of the tournament sponsorship fee, the Santa Elena Cup 2026 raised more than Php 30,000 for the Tender Charity, demonstrating that our golf community enjoys giving back while enjoying a wonderful day on the course.

ROLF DUNDER CLAIMS GERMAN CLUB CUP 2026

The German Club Golf Tournament was played at Villamor Golf Club on June 3rd and proved to be another great success, attracting several new faces to our golfing community. Following the round, almost everyone made the pilgrimage back to the German Club, where an outstanding buffet and an apparently endless supply of refreshments awaited the players. A very special thank you goes to the management of the German Club for their generous hospitality and continued support of our golf events.

Weather-wise, the golf gods were kind to us. Apart from a brief 30-minute rain delay, conditions were very pleasant. Villamor was presented in good shape, although the recently plugged greens were still recovering and proved to be quite a challenge throughout the day. Judging by the scores, they successfully defended themselves!

In fact, only two players managed to finish under par in the System 36 format, highlighting just how demanding the course played.

The Guest Champion title went to Christian Reuber, who produced an excellent even-par round of 72. Christian also demonstrated his precision by claiming one of the Closest-to-the-Pin awards.

The Ladies Champion was April Rose Manese, who not only topped the ladies’ division but also finished as Overall First Runner-Up with an impressive 37 Stableford points.

However, the day’s top honors belonged to Rolf Dunder, who delivered a superb performance to become Overall Champion with 38 Stableford points, edging out a very competitive field and joining Christian as one of only two players to finish under par.

Special congratulations also go to Jesper Jensen, who powered his way to the Longest Drive prize and added a Closest-to-the-Pin award for good measure.

Winners:

Overall Champion: Rolf Dunder – 38 Stableford Points
Overall First Runner-Up / Ladies Champion: April Rose Manese – 37 Stableford Points
2nd Runner-Up - Jomi Pegler
Guest Champion: Christian Reuber – Even Par 72
Longest Drive: Jesper Jensen
Closest to the Pin: Jesper Jensen
Closest to the Pin: Christian Reuber

A heartfelt thank you once again to the German Club for sponsoring a wonderful day of golf and an equally memorable after-golf fellowship, which, as tradition dictates, continued well into the evening.

A big THANK YOU also goes to Bernd Jückmann, Dr. Tschangiz Scheybani, Jomi Pegler,, Rolf Dunder fand last not least Bill Cammack for organizing this special event. Thank you to Ulrike for the picture taking!!

David’s Salon Cup 2026 – Putts Dropping from Everywhere

The David’s Salon Cup 2026 delivered one of the most remarkable performances in recent German Club Golf Circuit history—set against the stunning backdrop of Mount Malarayat Golf & Country Club, arguably one of the most beautiful settings we play all year.

🏆 Overall Champion

Klaus Schröder stormed to victory with a record-setting 48 Stableford points—a number that usually belongs in video games, not on a scorecard. Rumor has it he holed 10–11 putts from 5–10 meters… from all corners of the green. At that point, even the hole started cooperating.

🥈 Top Finishers

2nd Place: Rolf Dunder – 41 STP (excellent golf, just ran into a buzzsaw)
3rd Place: Ulrike Steven – 38 STP

🏌️ Special Awards

Low Gross: Richard Delamarre & Tommy Sliman
Closest to the Pin: S. Piciotto
Longest Drive: Jose Arenas – a 296-yard hammer 💣
Most Accurate Drive: Richard Delamarre
Guest Champion: Tim Walker

🌤️ Conditions & Field

A strong field of 39 players enjoyed perfect golfing weather—a few degrees cooler than Manila, which felt like a small but very welcome miracle. Some greens were still under partial renovation, but clearly that didn’t slow down everyone… especially not our champion.

📉 Handicap Alert

Following this performance, Klaus will be getting very familiar with a significantly lower handicap— dropping by 12 strokes. We wish him all the best in his new, much tougher life.

🍽️ After the Round

The day wrapped up with excellent food and wine, well deserved after a long round—and even better when accompanied by a few “slightly adjusted” retellings of the day’s best shots.

🏆 Looking Ahead

Join us on June 3 for the German Club Cup at Villamor and a great after golf party at the German Club:

🙏 With Thanks - A big thank you to:

Rolf Dunder for handling the scoring
Tschangiz Scheybani for organizing the collection
And especially David’s Salon for their generous sponsorship and for making this a truly memorable tournament

Tender Charity Golf Tournament – Ayala Greenfield Estates (March 17)

The Tender Charity Tournament at Ayala Greenfield delivered exactly what we all expected: A beautiful course, great weather… and widespread emotional damage.

The day started with a light drizzle before Greenfield did what Greenfield does best: quietly destroy scorecards while smiling politely.

And then there was Gerhard Kropp.While the rest of the field was busy “managing expectations,” Gerhard decided to ignore reality completely and post 37 Stableford points, becoming the only player to beat his handicap..

Rolf Dunder came in 2nd with 36 points, confirming that solid golf is still possible… just not for most people.

Peter Bichelmeir took 3rd place with 35 STP, edging out Steve Lawrence on count back.

On the specialty holes:

Peter Gassner won Nearest to the Pin on Hole 3, proving that at least one person can actually hit a green
Klaus Koppenhöfer hit a stunning 9-iron on Hole 14 (155 yards) — a shot so good it will now be mentioned at least 14 times at every future dinner
Joey Arenas absolutely destroyed the Longest Drive with 328 yards, then casually added Low Gross… just to make sure nobody else feels too comfortable

And then… “Hulk.” Driver. 6-iron. Eagle on Hole 10.

Most players needed driver, wedge, hybrid… and therapy.

The course was in good shape — which makes it even more impressive how creatively it was attacked (and survived) by the field.

The real winners, however, emerged after the round:

Buffet opened, wine poured, and suddenly everyone played “quite well actually.”

Stories improved rapidly. Distances increased. Putts dropped retroactively.

A big THANK YOU GOES TO KEITH BRADLEY, who made this event possible.

A fantastic day for a great cause — and a gentle reminder that in golf, hope is temporary, but scorecards are permanent.

The Nordlichter Cup - a new event on the Circuit

The Nordlichter Cup made its grand debut on the German Club Golf Circuit — and what a stage it chose.

Hosted at The Country Club in Laguna, one of the most prestigious golf courses not only in the Philippines but in all of Asia, the tournament delivered championship vibes from the first tee shot to the final toast.

The course? Pristine.

The greens? Lightning fast.

The weather? Suspiciously perfect.

The mild breeze? Just strong enough to blame when necessary.

The Battle for Nordic Glory

Leading the charge was Joey Arenas, who stormed to victory with 38 Stableford points, claiming the Overall Champion title — and promptly lowering his handicap by 2 strokes. A noble act of generosity, really, giving the rest of the field at least a mathematical chance in the next events.

Hot on his heels was Renz Koekenbier, the only other player to beat his handicap, finishing second with 37 STP’s. Clearly, training paid off.

Third place went to the ever-dangerous, seemingly unstoppable defending champion Joey Magcalyao, who posted 36 STP’s and edged out Stefan in a dramatic countback. Not content with that, Joey casually fired an even par 36 on the back nine — because apparently normal golf is overrated. He also walked away with the Low Gross Trophy, just to make sure his trophy cabinet continues to require structural reinforcement.

Ladies, Guests & Precision Specialists

Once again, April Rose Manese proved that consistency is queen, taking home the Ladies Champion honors.

The power award — Longest Drive — was claimed by Joey Arenas (yes, again).

Meanwhile, Steve Wesley delivered a masterclass in precision:

Closest to the Pin
Most Accurate Drive
And just for good measure… Guest Champion

When you’re hot, you’re hot.

🍷 From Fairways to Festivities

The celebrations moved to the stunning clubhouse of The Country Club, where a delicious buffet awaited the players. Wine flowed generously — which may explain why everyone suddenly remembered their “almost birdies” with remarkable clarity.Stories grew longer with each glass.

🙏 A Big Thank You

A special and heartfelt thank you to Manfred Rode for making this event possible and for securing this world-class venue for us.

The Nordlichter Cup was proudly sponsored by Manfred, Gerhard, and Stefan — proving once again that great tournaments happen when passion for golf meets great friendship (and excellent wine selection).

We are already looking forward to the next tournament at Ayala Greenfield

Until then: Hit them straight / Blame the wind / Practice your countback strategy.

PAYRETO CUP 2026
WIND, DRIZZLE & BRILLIANT GOLF

🏆 Champion (and Survivor of the Day) JOEY MAGCALYAO

Joey Magcalyao, fresh from winning the 2025 Bernhard Langer Trophy, added another title to his collection by winning the Payreto Cup on countback over Steve Lawrence. Both posted an impressive 36 Stableford points, proving that even Canlubang North has its limits. Joey also claimed Low Gross honors with a superb 81—a score that earned quiet respect, loud applause, and more than a few shaken heads.

Conditions: Not Easy - Very Canlubang.

The weather behaved… mostly. Light drizzles came and went, while steady easterly winds made club selection an ongoing philosophical debate. The course won most of the arguments, and not a single player managed to play below handicap.

The season opener attracted an excellent field of 42 players, all fully committed to golf, good company, and the belief that the next shot would surely be better.

Chasing the Champion:

2nd Runner-Up: Joe Sullivan with 35 STP, holding off Nico Punzalan on countback
Closest to the Pin: Joe Arenas and our generous host Tschangiz Scheybani
Most Accurate Drive: Nico Punzalan (proving accuracy still matters)
Ladies Champion & Longest Drive: April Rose Manese, our newest member, making an immediate and powerful impression
Guest Champion: Efren Alvez

Awards, Applause & Recovery

Trophies were presented during a luncheon on the clubhouse terrace, where stories improved, swings got shorter, and scores became increasingly “explainable.”

PAYRETO CUP - A Certified Classic

Now played for the 5th time, the Payreto Cup has officially earned its status as a classic on the German Club Golf Circuit calendar—challenging, competitive, and always worth coming back for.

With Thanks

A very big THANK YOU to Dr. Tschangiz Scheybani, CEO and Co-Founder of Payreto, for being a generous host and for once again supporting a tournament that perfectly combines great golf, great company and lots of fun!