South African Retief Goosen, the two-time US Open Champion currently ranked Number Five in the world, has confirmed his entry for the 2005 Johnnie Walker Classic alongside three of golf’’s most progressive golfers – European Ryder Cup players, Paul Casey and Luke Donald of England, and Australian Adam Scott.
Presented by Johnnie Walker, the world’’s leading Scotch whisky, the £1.25 million (US$2.35m) Johnnie Walker Classic is Asia Pacific’’s premier golf event and is being played in mainland China for the very first time in the event’’s 14 year history at the prestigious Pine Valley Golf Resort and Country Club in Beijing from April 21-24.
The field also includes South African Ernie Els, the World Number Three and newly crowned Dubai Desert Classic champion; Spain’’s Sergio Garcia, currently ranked sixth; Miguel Angel Jiménez, the defending champion and Nick Faldo, a six time Major winner, with two victories in the Johnnie Walker Classic. Lian-wei Zhang of China, a multiple winner on the Asian Tour, will lead the local challenge.
Commenting on the quality of the 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 we are thrilled to welcome the three “young guns” to our tournament. I’’m confident that the 2005 Johnnie Walker Classic will fuel the already dynamic and fast growing appeal of golf in Asia, especially in China.”
The Johnnie Walker Classic is jointly owned and proudly presented by Johnnie Walker and IMG and is jointly sanctioned by the European, Asian and Australasian Tours and by the China Golf Association.
Johnnie Walker is the world’’s leading deluxe Scotch whisky with annual sales of approximately 11.7 million nine-litre cases and the brand has a long association with golf. Golf and Scotch whisky are arguably two of Scotland’’s greatest gifts to the world, which may explain why the world’’s leading Scotch whisky brand, Johnnie Walker, sponsors Asia Pacific’’s premier golf event, the Johnnie Walker Classic. IMG is the world’’s premier sports and lifestyle management and marketing firm with an international staff of more than 2,200 people in 70 offices in 30 countries.
All four days action from Pine Valley will be broadcast live on CCTV5 in China, and in major markets around the world including the USA, UK and Europe, Japan, Australia and South Africa. More information is available on www.johnniewalkerclassic.com
