Client News
Comeback king Fraser leaves an impression
Seoul, Korea, 28 April 2010 - For the first time, there was no playoff at the Ballantine’s Championship, but the €2.2 million showpiece still produced an unforgettable finale.
Marcus Fraser, a player who almost gave up the game three years ago because he was in such a slump, surprised everyone – including himself – with an incredible wire-to-wire victory.
The unheralded Australian, 31, left a world-class field, including household names such as Ernie Els, Anthony Kim and Henrik Stenson, in his wake with a stunning display at Pinx Golf Club on the Korean holiday island of Jeju.
Fraser’s victory last Sunday was all the more poignant given the difficulties he had endured since his only previous European Tour win at the BMW Russian Open seven years before.
“Probably three years ago, I thought about giving it away, just because I was playing terrible,” he admitted. “My golf swing wasn’t improving and nothing was getting any better. I thought I was wasting my time and you really start to question yourself, whether you think that you should be out here or whether you deserve to be out here.
“Luckily, I went back and saw my old coach who I used to see when I was an amateur, and we got things moving in the right direction. So it’s been a lot of hard work over the last couple of years to get back to this position.”
The inaugural Ballantine’s Championship in 2008 saw Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell edge out Jeev Milkha Singh of India on the third extra hole. Last year it was Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee who emerged triumphant when he birdied the first hole of a three-way playoff.
In contrast, Fraser’s victory was all but assured as he cruised down the back nine with a comfortable lead and wound up winning by four strokes – but it was no less dramatic.
“That’s the beauty of golf, every tournament invariably produces a great story,” said Martin Capstick, managing director of tournament promoter Parallel Media Group. “This year, the Ballantine’s Championship was about a player making an incredible comeback from the depths of despair and landing the biggest title of his career.
“Marcus was a deserving and popular winner in what was a hugely successful tournament. We saw some spectacular golf, fans attended in record numbers and, after the fog delay on the first day, the weather for the most part was glorious.
“The task, as always, will be to build on this and make the 2011 Ballantine’s Championship even bigger and better.”
The suspension of play for six hours on the first day led organisers to reduce the tournament to 54 holes. They thought it unlikely that four rounds could be completed by Sunday evening, while extending the tournament to Monday was not a viable option because of the air travel logjam caused by the volcanic dust cloud over Europe.
World No.7 Els said they made the right decision. “We’re a long way from our next event [the Open de España in Spain] so if they did push it [try to fit in four rounds] and we did get bad weather it would have been a real mess,” he said. “As we know, the volcanic ash didn’t help. They did the right thing.”
Ballantine’s, which has already announced it is extending its title sponsorship of the event by three years through to 2013, hailed another memorable tournament.
“Ballantine’s is absolutely delighted with the success of the third Ballantine’s Championship at the stunning Pinx Golf Club in Jeju,” said Peter Moore, Global Brand Director, Ballantine’s.
“We’d like to congratulate Marcus Fraser, whose style and flair left a real impression and led him to a well deserved victory. He stood out among some of the top players in the world and fought off some exciting Korean stars – a talent pool that just keeps getting stronger and stronger.
“Ballantine’s is now firmly established as a world class golf sponsor and we are proud to continue our long-term investment in the sport. Thank you to the European Tour, Asian Tour, KPGA and the players, partners and friends who made the 2010 Ballantine’s Championship our best yet.”
About Ballantine’s
Korea’s favourite Scotch, Ballantine’s, is also the No.1 Scotch whisky range across the Asia Pacific region (17 years old and above – IWSR) and the No.2 Scotch whisky brand in the world. Ballantine’s has won over 60 trophies and medals at international competitions in the past 10 years for quality, as a result of its unique richness of character and perfect balance. The range, from Ballantine’s Finest to the iconic 30 Year Old, is the most extensive in the world and is maintained by the latest in a tradition of master blenders that dates back to 1827.
Ballantine’s is the title sponsor of the Ballantine’s Championship and an official sponsor of both the Omega Mission Hills World Cup in China and the Barclay’s Scottish Open held in Loch Lomond, Scotland.
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Released on behalf of the Ballantine’s Championship by Two Up Front – Asia’s sports PR specialists.