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Els hits form ahead of Korean trip
Seoul, 16 March 2010 - Korean golf fans will see one of the sport’s true superstars back at the very top of his game when the Ballantine’s Championship is staged next month.
Ernie Els will tee off in the €2.2 million showpiece on a high following his brilliant display in the United States at the weekend.
The three-time Major winner ended a two-year victory drought with a stunning four-shot success at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship in Miami.
“I just want to enjoy this one,” said the South African ace. “This took so much work. A lot of people have said that the older you get, the tougher it becomes to win, and that’s very true.
“I’m 40 years old and it feels like in my 20s I had so many chances and I didn’t quite take them. Now that you’re older, you don’t get as many chances. So this is nice. I’ll have a bit more confidence now, I’m sure. But I just want to keep working hard.
“Just to be back in that group of players who are really performing well: I feel honoured to be back in there.”
Els tamed the infamous TPC Blue Monster at Doral to finish four shots ahead of compatriot Charl Schwartzel and claim his 63rd professional title.
It also vaulted him back into the world’s top 10, a place where he has spent more weeks – 759 now – than any other player since the Official World Golf Ranking was introduced in 1986. Els is now No.8, a jump of 12 positions.
The third edition of the Ballantine’s Championship will be held from 22-25 April, once again at Pinx Golf Club on the holiday island of Jeju.
Els will be joined in the tournament by Korean hero Yang Yong Eun, who became Asia’s first ever Major winner when he captured the PGA Championship last year.
Also confirmed for the event are PGA Tour star Anthony Kim, world No.14 Henrik Stenson, European Tour legend Miguel Angel Jiménez and the tournament’s 2008 champion, Graeme McDowell.
Els made his debut in the Ballantine’s Championship last year and contended strongly throughout, eventually finishing equal fourth, two shots behind playoff winner Thongchai Jaidee.
He will return to Jeju with a spring in his step after his momentous victory at Doral – his first title since winning the Honda Classic in March 2008.
“There’s no better day to really test yourself than the fourth round of a golf tournament, everything on the line,” he said.
“Nobody had to put any more pressure on myself because I knew how big it was. But I didn’t want to get ahead of myself either. I really wanted to play every hole for what it was, every shot for what it gave me. And basically that’s what I did when I won a lot of golf tournaments.”
Northern Ireland’s McDowell also impressed at Doral, finishing joint sixth. “I never thought for one second I could get into the hunt, but this is a great boost for me,” he said.
The Ballantine’s Championship, the first European Tour event to be played in Korea, will once again be co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Korea PGA.
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.