BEIJING, March 9 --Xinhua-PRNewswire-AsiaNet/Infoquest
RETIEF GOOSEN, the two-time US Open Champion ranked #5 in the world, has
confirmed his entry for the 2005 JOHNNIE WALKER CLASSIC. Joining him in the
star-studded event will be three "young guns" of golf; world #9 ADAM SCOTT, #18
LUKE DONALD and his Ryder Cup team mate, PAUL CASEY.
Photos
-- Retief Goosen
http://xprnnews.xfn.info/jwgc/goosen/goosen-1.htm
http://xprnnews.xfn.info/jwgc/goosen/goosen-2.htm
http://xprnnews.xfn.info/jwgc/goosen/goosen-3.htm
-- Luke Donald
http://xprnnews.xfn.info/jwgc/donald/donald.htm
-- Paul Casey
http://xprnnews.xfn.info/jwgc/casey/casey.htm
-- Adam Scott
http://xprnnews.xfn.info/jwgc/scott/scott-1.htm
http://xprnnews.xfn.info/jwgc/scott/scott-2.htm
http://xprnnews.xfn.info/jwgc/scott/scott-3.htm
Presented by JOHNNIE WALKER, the world's leading Scotch whisky, the GBP1.25
million (US$2.35m) JOHNNIE WALKER CLASSIC is Asia's premier golf event and is
being played in mainland China for the first time in the event's history. It
will take place at Pine Valley Golf Resort and Country Club in Beijing, April
21-24.
World #5 RETIEF GOOSEN, from South Africa, turned pro in 1990 and went on
to achieve 24 victories worldwide including the US Open Championship in 2001
and 2004. In 2004 Retief finished 6th on the US PGA Money List with prize
money of nearly US$4 million. This will be Retief's sixth JOHNNIE WALKER
CLASSIC having won in Australia in 2002.
24-year old ADAM SCOTT from Australia turned pro in 2000 and ended up his
first year in remarkable 13th spot on the European Money List. Now
concentrating more on the USPGA Tour, Adam has won four events and has a
current world ranking of 9.
LUKE DONALD was born in England 27 years ago, but now lives in Chicago,
USA. He turned pro four years ago, after an outstanding amateur career. In
the short time he has been a pro he has won three times. He played a key role
in Europe's victory in the 2004 Ryder Cup and clearly established himself as a
star of the future, currently ranked 18 in the world.
England's PAUL CASEY, also 27, turned pro in 2000. As an amateur, he is
one of only three players in 77 years to record four victories without a defeat
in the Walker Cup and in the US, won back-to-back PAC-10 Championships,
breaking the scoring record held by Tiger Woods. In his first year as a pro,
he won the Gleneagles Scottish PGA Championship. Since then, he has won two
further European Tour events. Paul is currently ranked 43 in the world.
These four join a field that features, to date, four of the world's top
nine players and is already shaping up to be the strongest ever played in
China: world #3 ERNIE ELS; #6 SERGIO GARCIA; defending champion MIGUEL ANGEL
JIMENEZ; six-time major winner NICK FALDO; and world #29 Korean K.J. CHOI.
Commenting on the outstanding field for the 2005 event, the Global Brand
Director for JOHNNIE WALKER, Ben Anderson said: "We warmly welcome back our
2002 Champion, Retief Goosen and three "young guns" to our tournament. I'm
confident the 2005 JOHNNIE WALKER CLASSIC will fuel the fast growth of golf in
China."
The JOHNNIE WALKER CLASSIC is jointly owned by JOHNNIE WALKER and IMG and
is sanctioned by the European, Asian and Australasian Tours and by the China
Golf Association. JOHNNIE WALKER is the world's leading deluxe Scotch whisky
and IMG is the world's premier sports, lifestyle management and marketing firm.
All four days action from Pine Valley will be broadcast live on CCTV5 in
China, and in major markets around the world. More information is available on
http://www.johnniewalkerclassic.com .
For further enquiries, please contact Burson-Marsteller at:
Polka Yu - Beijing
Tel: +86-10-6505-6363 ext. 224
Fax: +86-10-6505-6380
Mobile: +86-13552481824
Email: [email protected]
Holly Hu - Shanghai
Tel: +86-21-5403-2121 ext. 171
Fax: +86-21-5403-8589
Mobile: +86-13761683747
Email: [email protected]
SOURCE: JOHNNIE WALKER
--Distributed by AsiaNet (www.asianetnews.net)--