Nürnberg 1st at GERMAN TEAM Championship Qualifying - Hirmer and Jahns lead REICHSWALD wolf-pack!

Newly appointed GC Am Reichswald Nürnberg captain Dennis Daurer and his team of AK18 talents, delivered a resounding 1st place success during qualifying for the GERMAN TEAM Championship at Golfclub Schwanhof.

The Reichswald boys, lead by Club Champion Keanu Jahns, tallied their combined scores at only 0.5 above par, while in other groupings, 2011 Bavarian Team Champion GC Olching, finished at 6.5 above par and GC Woerthsee produced an overall team result of 29.0 above par.

With this result, GC Am Reichswald and Daurer underlined, their eyes are firmly set on the 2012 Bavarian and subsequently the German Team Championship.

Keanu produced a steady result of 1-over par, but missed a repeat under-par performance on the very last hole. The 16-year old had fired a 7-under par 65 on the same course two weeks earlier.

Teeing up on 18 after 5 birdies and 3 bogeys, the youngster fired his tee-shot at 2-under par into the right fairway bunker and subsequently did not select sufficient loft on his iron to extricate with a clean shot. Hitting the lip of the bunker, Keanu's ball came to rest a few meters from the bunker, from where his mis-cued 3rd shot for the green found water. The result, a triple-bogey 7, but still a good overall team contribution at 1-over par.

15-year old newcomer Michael Hirmer celebrated a great christening in his first team competition for the renown Reichswald club. Playing on his home course, the youngster demonstrated sensational form and unleashed a string of birdies on 11, 12, 13 and 14 to offset 2 bogeys and close out at 2-under par.

Reichswald's player captain Marc-Andre Gehr and two other newcomers, reigning Bavarian AK16 Champion Jonas Liebich and Matthias Schmidt, likewise contributed solid performances to ensure Reichswald's 1st place finish.

Keanu now moves on to compete in this week's AUSTRIAN Junior Golf Championship at Golfclub Kremstal. The week after, the wolf-pack will reassemble at Golfclub Pottenstein-Weidenloh with Reichswald's 1st Men's Team under captain Julian Hacker, where the boys will be howling for the BAVARIAN TEAM CUP.

Photo from left to right: Keanu Jahns, Matthias Schmidt, Moritz Spindler (partially hidden), Timothy Rauth, AK18 TEAM Leader Marc-Andre Gehr, Leon-Linus Molina carrying 12-year old Tobias Rothe, Jonas Liebich, Matthias Wuerzinger, Michael Hirmer and AK18 TEAM Captain, Dennis Daurer.

Keanu settling in, fires 7-under par 65 with Reichswald Nürnberg in German Team Ch'ship Prep!

There should be no doubt that Golfclub Am Reichswald Nürnberg will gun for the Bavarian and German Team Championship in 2012 (picture shows the Reichswald AK18 Team with their 2nd place medals during the 2011 Bavarian Team Championship).

Under the guidance of its visionary sports director and mentor, Dr. Manuel Ober, Reichswald consistently invests in its youth development program, which saw 15- and 16-year old youngsters like Keanu Jahns, Tim Rauth, Marc-Andre Gehr and Matthias Wuerzinger help secure the renown club's 2nd Bundesliga ranking in 2011.

Since then, Julian Hacker, captain of Nürnberg's 1st men's team, strengthened the gunners even further, adding the likes of reigning Bavarian AK16 Champion Jonas Liebich (HC 1.1), 14-year old Michael Hirmer (HC 1.2), 15-year old Matthias Schmid (HC 2.2) and 12-year young Tobias Rothe (HC 6.5) to the AK18 cadre. With Hacker's no-nonsense approach in leading his players, all newcomers will also get a shot at playing in Reichswald's 1st Men's Team, if their scores warrant a nomination.

With so much talent under his wings, it will now be up to newly appointed Reichswald AK18 captain, Dennis Daurer, to bring out the best in the boys and field harmonious foursomes to add crucial points to the core singles of Jahns, Rauth, Liebich, Hirmer, Schmid and Gehr. The complete 2012 Reichswald AK18 Team also includes Moritz Spindler, Matthias Wuerzinger, Leon-Linus Molina, Gregor Asteroth, Constantin Behrschmid and Tyler Carbone.

In the meantime, Keanu is on course to another great season in Europe.

Equipped with the latest PING G20 Driver/Woods and I-20 Irons with Project X 6.0 shafts, courtesy of Philippine golf entrepreneur Joey Mendoza and GOLF DEPOT, the Reichswald Champion shook off jet-lag, freezing temperatures from his first-week 6th place during the Bavarian Championship Qualifier, last week's passing of Diva, the Jahns family's much-loved golden retriever, and recorded a 7-under par 65 (34 and 31) in Reichswald's German AK18 Team Championship preparation at GC Schwanhof. Maybe an indication of what may be in store in 2012?

Keanu drowns to 8th in rain-soaked DHL Philippine Amateur Ch'ship, Korean Nat'l player Shin Jin-Woo takes title at 7-over par!

Keanu's aim for a top finish at the 2012 EXPRESS DHL Philippine Amateur Championship did not materialize, although the 2011 Reichswald Nürnberg Club Champion salvaged 8th.  Keanu though did have his chances.

A half-way total score of 9-over par (77, 76) had Keanu in a position to attack on day 3, and attack he did. Birdie on 1, par on 2, eagle on 3, birdie on 4, and suddenly Keanu stood at 4-under par when walking onto the tee-box of #5 and was well in contention.

Pars followed on 6 and 7, but on 8, where the 16-year old usually goes straight for the green to give himself an eagle chance, Keanu changed game-plan and took out an iron. A mis-placed 2nd shot and a bogey 5 followed. 

Conditions subsequently deteriorated and a few more bogeys on the back-nine saw Keanu tally his scorecard for day 3 at even-par 72 and with a good overall T3 position, 3 strokes behind the leader.

Keanu's odds for a top finish though declined right at the beginning of the final day of competition.

Bogeying hole 1 with a 3-putt and being edgy to play faster, while his flight mates took their time to go through longer pre-shot routines, Keanu rushed on almost every shot, sliced his tee-shot on 3 into a ravine and didn't take much time on subsequent shots to save bogey or double-bogey. What followed was a triple-bogey 7 and although the Reichswald gunner maintained composure on the back-nine with a 1-over par 37, hopes for a top-three finish had faded away.

In contrast, Korean National player Shin Jin-Woo played steady golf to hold off all Filipino and international competitors to take home the Champion's Trophy of the wwwExpress-DHL Philippine Amateur Championship with a 7-over par 295.

Shin recorded a 1-over par 73 for a 2-shot victory at 295 over Jonar Austria's 297, while Andres Saldaña and Gio Gandionco also lost out on the back-nine, tallying their final scores at 11-over par and 299 for the tournament.