Client News
Korea-bound quartet make strong showing in US
Seoul, Korea, 6 April 2009 - Four of the top contenders for this month’s Ballantine’s Championship in Korea have underlined their good form in the run-up to the €2.1 million showpiece.
Fred Couples, Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood and Ernie Els all put in strong performances at the PGA Tour’s Shell Houston Open on Sunday.
Smooth-swinging former Masters champion Couples – a golfing icon in Korea – and world No.8 Stenson tied for third at Redstone Golf Club in Texas behind winner Paul Casey.
World No.13 Westwood finished joint 11th and three-time Major winner Els was tied 14th.
The quartet will be showcasing their skills to Korean fans when the second Ballantine’s Championship is staged at Pinx Golf Club on the picturesque holiday island of Jeju from April 23-26.
“We’ve got a tremendous field for the Ballantine’s Championship and the latest results from the United States clearly show the top contenders are in good form,” said Martin Capstick of event promoter Parallel Media Group.
“This is great news for the tournament and for Korean fans who can look forward to seeing some fantastic action at Pinx Golf Club later this month.”
American superstar Couples won the Masters in 1992, one of 15 career victories on the PGA Tour, while he also has two European Tour successes.
Swedish ace Stenson is a six-time winner on the European Tour and ended the 2008 season in style when he partnered Robert Karlsson to victory for Sweden at the World Cup in China.
In addition to the Houston Open, he has three top 10 finishes already on the European Tour this season.
England’s Westwood has an impressive 18 European Tour victories to his name. He has two top 10 finishes on the European Tour this season.
Els won the US Open in 1994 and 1997 and the British Open in 2002. The South African has more than 50 victories worldwide to his name, including an astonishing seven World Match Play Championship titles.
Also in the field at Pinx will be Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell, winner of last year’s inaugural Ballantine’s Championship, while Europe’s next Ryder Cup captain, Scottish legend Colin Montgomerie, has also been confirmed.
The tournament will once again be co-sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours and Korea PGA.
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Released on behalf of the Ballantine’s Championship by Two Up Front - Asia’s sports PR specialists.