Blog

The power of Owen Farrell is something to behold. When the cameras panned to him at the Allianz on Saturday, the entire crowd reacted, some with pantomime booing, others with cheering. The one thing they weren’t was indifferent.

Farrell, who arrived in Sydney on Friday, took it well, smiling and laughing. The guy is pure box office. We’re all still talking about why he’s been parachuted into this squad. The coach’s son, yes, fine, we get it. But what else is going on here?

Some observers say that this was always going to happen and that Farrell will definitely be in the Test 23 for Brisbane. They’re convinced of it. The intrigue is fantastic.

His father’s official explanation in midweek is that he felt his squad was a little short at inside centre with Sione Tuipulotu and Bundee Aki the only options. Terrific ones, in fairness.

Is there more to it? Does he have doubts about Fin Smith’s readiness to back up Finn Russell on the bench? Does he have issues around the leadership of the squad – is everyone too nice and/or too quiet?

If those are views he shares, then Saturday might have only reinforced them. Smith struggled in running the backline and the direction of the team was all over the place for most of the evening.

So, enter Faz Jnr, but when? Not on Wednesday against the Brumbies, says his father. He might still be getting over the jet-lag.

Next Saturday in Adelaide against the invitational Australia-New Zealand team? All things being equal, definitely.

What about after that? If you believe that Owen can step into a Lions Test match squad (covering 10 and maybe 12) after not playing in nine weeks, having not played particularly well before that and having not featured in an international game for 20 months, then you’re convinced that he can return to his best stuff at the mere sight of the red jersey, as if the last year doesn’t matter.

Maybe he can. And maybe he will be given the chance for a fairytale tour, but the stakes are monstrously high. Smith’s struggles made Owen’s elevation a bit more likely. But will he be any good?

+++ England’s Daniel Brown (-16) takes the lead +++ Jordan Smith
(ENG, -15) in second place +++ Matti Schmid (-10, T12) and amateur Tim
Wiedemeyer (-9, T17) best Germans +++ Marcel Siem and Martin Kaymer
out of title contention +++ €56,000 already raised for “Eagles
for Education” +++

Munich. “Moving Day” under the best conditions: Round
3 of the BMW International Open shook up the leaderboard
significantly. Rising all the way to the top was England’s Daniel
Brown, who carded a 65 on Saturday to take the lead at 16 under par.
His round of 65 was the best score of the day, matched by Dutchman
Joost Luiten (-13, 3rd) and Spain’s Ivan Cantero (-11, T9). Just one
stroke behind Brown is fellow Englishman, Jordan Smith (-15), who shot
a 66.

From a German perspective, the biggest movers were Matti
Schmid 
(-10, T12) and amateur Tim Wiedemeyer (-9, T17). Marcel
Schneider (today -2, total -8, T20), Martin Kaymer (-2, -6, T34),
Yannik Paul (-1, -5, T41), Marcel Siem (+2, -5, T41), and Hurly Long
(-1, -4, T53) were unable to improve their positions.

Brown made just one bogey on Saturday and claimed the top spot on the
leaderboard thanks to a fantastic back nine featuring four birdies and
one eagle. The 30-year-old, who celebrated his only win on the DP
World Tour in 2023, credited his performance to a sense of ease: “I
actually didn’t play or control the ball as well as I did yesterday,
but the final holes went really well. I was just in a flow, felt no
pressure all day, was very relaxed, and had fun with my caddie.”

The largest deficit ever overcome by a BMW International Open winner
on Sunday is five shots – a feat achieved by five players since the
tournament began in 1989: Mark McNulty (IRL, 1994), Frank Nobilo (NZL,
1995), David Horsey (ENG, 2010), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR, 2014), and,
most recently, Pablo Larrazábal (ESP, 2015).

Although Matti Schmid posted the best round among the German players
with a 68, the Regensburg native remains six shots behind Brown – just
outside the comeback “window.” Two late bogeys on holes 16 and 17 kept
him from scoring even lower in an otherwise flawless round. Still, the
27-year-old was thrilled with the atmosphere on course and hasn’t
given up hope: “There are so many golf fans out here creating an
incredible level of support. You can only draw energy from an
atmosphere like this. Every good shot is cheered. It definitely gives
you a positive feeling. On the front nine I hit almost nothing and had
a lot of bad drives. But I had a great short game and putted well. The
back nine was really solid. Overall, I’m happy with that. You really
have to hit good shots here to score well. But with the par-5s and
hole 16, which is attackable, there are birdie chances out there.
Martin Kaymer shot 8 under in the final round back in 2021 – something
like that is what we’ll need.”

Amateur Tim Wiedemeyer continued to impress. In his hometown, the
20-year-old shot a 69 and now sits at 9 under par, maintaining his
spot inside the top 20. “The atmosphere out there was great,”
Wiedemeyer said. “There were a lot of people I know in the crowd. It’s
just a cool vibe, and the support really helps you play well. After
making the cut, everything was pretty relaxed anyway. I mean, I’ve got
nothing to lose here. I know where I stand –  I’m still an amateur.
I’m just having fun, learning a few things, and we’ll see what happens tomorrow.”

Martin Kaymer – still the only German winner of the BMW International
Open since 2008 and the youngest in tournament history – likely won’t
add a second title this year, but was still satisfied with his
performance in Munich: “Two under par is okay, but it doesn’t get you
anywhere,” said the two-time major champion. “You really need one low
round in this tournament to climb the leaderboard. I didn’t hit enough
fairways today. If I do tomorrow, I can create a lot of chances. I
might play a bit more aggressively. I feel good around the greens and
have had lots of up-and-downs this week. So I think I can allow myself
to take a few more risks.”

Marcel Siem, who had put himself in a strong weekend position after
the first two rounds, experienced what he described as “a day to
forget.” Two bogeys at the start and a triple-bogey on the par-5 6th
derailed his round early. A spectacular eagle on the par-4 16th and a
birdie on the final hole couldn’t salvage the day. “Of course it’s
frustrating and sad to know you have no chance to win anymore,” Siem
said. “Then I tried to make the impossible possible and just focused
on eagles and aces to somehow get back into it for Sunday. But it is
what it is – I’ve only got myself to blame.”

Siem’s eagle was one of 56 made so far in the tournament. That means
the “Eagles for Education” donation total from last year (€55,000) has
already been surpassed in Round 3. For every eagle made during the
tournament rounds, the BMW Group donates €1,000 to the Philipp Lahm
Foundation for Sport and Education. The shared goal is to equip
children and young people with key skills in movement, nutrition, and
personal development.

The final round at Golfclub München Eichenried begins on Sunday at
7:10 AM. The final pairing, featuring Brown and Smith, tees off at
1:10 PM. Please refer to the attachment for the full list of tee times.

Britain’s last remaining hope in the women’s singles, Sonay Kartal, is first up on Centre Court on day seven of Wimbledon 2025.

Kartal, who is enjoying her best run in a Grand Slam, will look to extend her dream run into the second week when she faces Tokyo 2020 mixed doubles gold medallist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Sunday (6 July).

Next up on Centre Court is world number one Aryna Sabalenka. Fresh from dispatching Emma Raducanu, the two-time Australian Open champion now faces Belgium’s Elise Mertens.

Two-time reigning Wimbledon men’s singles champion Carlos Alcaraz ends the Centre Court action on Sunday. He takes on 14th seed Andrey Rublev, who won gold in Tokyo with Pavlyuchenkova. The pair met twice in 2024 with a win apiece, but the Spaniard leads 2-1 in the head-to-head.

Also in action on Sunday are USA’s fifth seed Taylor Fritz, incoming top 10 debutant Amanda Anisimova, and Cameron Norrie who flies the flag for the home nation in the men’s singles.

Read on to find out the start times and all the matches at the Championships.