Power. Precision. Style. Beauty. Atfirst glance, one might think thatthese terms apply only to asports car, but delve deeper and

the process of propelling a small whiteball across acres of manicured turf in thegame of golf incorporates the same ele-ments. It is a game of precision andpatience played on a canvas of greenbeauty. It requires dedication to improv-ing skills, commitment to obtaining theright equipment, and the proper applica-tion of power and finesse. Perhaps it isonly natural, then, that when one of theworld’s great carmakers, Audi, sought totie its rich history into a competitivesport, golf made for the perfect venue.

Formed from the combination of fourleading German automotive manufactur-ers in 1932, the “four ringed company”has built its reputation on engineeringsolid, precise high-performance sedans,coupes, wagons and two-seaters that haveestablished a unique niche across theglobe. In some areas like all-wheel drive,Audi’s Quattro series vehicles have set thestandard for delivering high performancetraction and horsepower wrapped in asporty, sexy and solid package.

In many ways, today’s Audi is theautomotive equivalent of the “white-col-lar athlete”, which also happens to bethe majority of golf enthusiasts andplayers. Since golf is a sport of finesseand power, played through an expres-sion of style and beauty, its playersappreciate the engineering and refine-ment evident in high-tech clubs, ballsand course designs. So, too, do theyappreciate the same qualities of high-tech engineering, sophisticated engine,suspension, interior offerings, and time-less style offered by the Audi lineup. Itonly made sense, then, to combinethese two markets on a “green” playingfield through the development of theAudi Quattro Cup.

Founded in 1991, the Audi Quattro Cupwas started in Germany by local Audidealers. It featured 51 golf tournamentsthroughout Germany, and attracted over6,000 participants. Fast forward 17 years,and the tournament has skyrocketed inprominence, as the golfing world in gen-eral exploded in popularity. How muchprominence, you might ask? Considerthat in 2007 more than 42 countries par-ticipated, with over 700 tournaments and

Story by JP MolnarPhotos by Randall Bohl Photographywww.randallbohl.com

ARIZONADRIVER • July-August 2008 • 2120 • July-August 2008 • ARIZONADRIVER

SPECIAL EVENT : AUDI QUATTRO CUP GOLF TOURNAMENT

Audi RS4, A6 and S6

Audi Q7

Audi TT Cabriolet

Audi’s legendary Quattro all-wheel drivesystem. The A5 comes with a myriad ofstandard features, one of which is theintrinsic road feel that only the Germansseem to know how to deliver across all oftheir offerings. The A5 is also the basecar for its feisty cousin, the S5, whichemploys a larger 4.2 liter engine thatsends a stout 354 horsepower to all fourcorners, in search of a road to carve up.

For those seeking something largerwithout being lumped into the SUV ordreaded minivan mold, the Q7 is Audi’sanswer to having style, function and funwhile still being able to transport littleJohnny and six of his closest friends. Italso comes with the same standard andsuper-size engine options à la the A5 andS5, but also features cool features like apower tailgate, multiple power outletsand a unique “kneeling feature” that uti-lizes the Q7’s rear air suspension setup tolower the rear floor area temporarily forloading cargo. Of course, the most strik-ing aspects of the Q7 are its aggressive,sporting lines, coupled with Audi’s signa-ture four rings emblazoned across a waf-fled nose that makes for no mistake as towhat you are driving.

Speaking of which, none of the 144participants in the Scottsdale event drovetheir golf ball well enough to take homeeither one of these Teutonic beauties, butit’s a sure thing they left behind morethan a few fingerprints, and a lot of envyfor those fortunate to have either oneparked squarely in the driveway at home.

The 2008 Audi Quattro Cup presentedby Audi North Scottsdale and AudiChandler at the Westin Kierland Spa andResort is one of hundreds of Audi eventsheld worldwide in 2008. If the attendanceat this event is any indication, Audi’s beliefthat business and pleasure on the linkstranslates to sales in the showroommakes for a definite hole-in-one. For moreinformation about the 2008 tournament,visit www.audiquattrocup.com, and visitwww.audiusa.com for more informationon the beautiful Audi A5 and Q7. ■

more than 80,000 amateur golfers swing-ing the irons in hopes of victory. Winnersof each of these tournaments moved onto regional competition, where winnersmoved to national championships. Ulti-mately, the national winners faced offagainst the best of the rest of the world todetermine the best Audi Quattro Cupgolfers on the planet.

2008 is no different, as Audi continuesto support the relationship between per-formance on the road and performanceon the greens. The 2008 Quattro Cuptournament visits numerous cities aroundthe country, one being Scottsdale this pastMay. As the event sponsor, the good folksat Audi North Scottsdale and AudiChandler invited us to the fantastic fair-ways of the Westin Kierland Resort & Spato experience the Quattro Cup firsthand.Located at 6902 East Greenway Parkway,the resort offers 27 holes of beautifullymanicured golf designed by Scott Miller, aformer senior designer for Jack Nicklaus.This allows for three different configura-tions, which allows for more flavors andchallenges to choose from.

This year’s Scottsdale event featured144 golfers, making for 72 teams vyingfor the chance to compete in the USNational Finals to be held this Septemberat both the Pelican Hill Golf Club and TheIsland Hotel Newport Beach in NewportBeach, California. The winner of thattournament will go on to compete in theWorld Finals, which will be held October17-21, 2008, at the Abama Resort inTenerife, Spain, in the Canary Islands.

Closer to home, competitors at thisyear’s Scottsdale event were also treatedto the opportunity to employ their golfskills to win a new Audi A5 Coupe or Q7sport wagon, simply by getting a hole-in-one. For those not familiar with either,the A5 Coupe is the gorgeously sculp-tured two-door platform that features a3.2-liter engine that smoothly delivers265 horsepower to the ground througheither a 6-speed manual transmission ora Tiptronic automatic gearbox, mated to

22 • July-August 2008 • ARIZONADRIVER

Golfers enthusiastically teed off in hopes ofachieving a hole-in-one that would put thembehind the wheel of either their own new Audi Q7(top left) or A5 coupe (bottom left). There’s noquestion the R8 supercar (center) drew ravereviews, too, but it wasn’t on the prize list. Back atthe Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, however, Audiwas doing a promotion for the just-released filmIron Man, with a chance to win an R8 test drive.

Scores continued to be tallied as the golfersreturned to the hotel for a Southwestern buffetlunch and silent auction, while awaiting their finaltournament results. Audi North Scottsdale GeneralManager Mark Reicks (top right) and MichaelErne, Valley-based General Manager of the PacificSouthwest for Audi of America, presented awards.Despite no-one getting a hole-in-one and winningone of the cars, dozens of prizes were awarded.

ARIZONADRIVER • July-August 2008 • 23

Audi Q7

Audi R8

Audi A5

Westin Kierland Resort & Spa