A talented quartet of 'Young Guns' are heading for a classic showdown at the Johnnie Walker Classic at Alpine Golf and Sports Club in Bangkok, Thailand from January 29-February 1, 2004.
Trevor Immelman of South Africa, England's Ian Poulter and Justin Rose and Australian Adam Scott will be hoping to eclipse some of the established stars of the game including World Number Three and defending champion, Ernie Els.
"Setting goals, testing themselves against the best and a determination to achieve their dreams are the things that inspire these young golfers to become the future greats of the game,” commented Stephen Morley, Johnnie Walker Global Brand Director.
"These same qualities lie at the very heart of the Johnnie Walker brand, so - as in previous years - we are delighted to include and welcome these 'Young Guns'".
The 27-year-old Poulter enjoyed a tremendous start to his European Tour career, winning a title in each of his first three seasons; the Italian Open in 2000, the Moroccan Open in 2001 and the Italian Open again in 2002. In 2003 the spiky-haired professional went one better, winning The Celtic Manor Resort Wales Open and the Nordic Open to finish in fifth spot on the Volvo Order of Merit.
Rose, 23, delivered the huge potential which was so apparent in the 1998 Open Golf Championship by winning the dunhill championship in South Africa on The 2002 European Tour International Schedule before going on to win three more events, the British Masters, the Nashua Masters and The Crowns Tournament in Japan.
In recognition of his growing success and talent, Rose was awarded the Johnnie Walker Young Golfer of the Year at the 2003 Johnnie Walker Classic in Perth, Australia, last January.
With six top-ten finishes in the first six months of 2003, including fifth place in the US Open Championship, and second place in the World Golf Championships – World Cup alongside Paul Casey ensured 2003 was another impressive season.
Scott, also 23, won the Scandic Carlsberg Scandinavian Masters on The 2003 European Tour International Schedule in addition to the Deutsche Bank Championship on the US PGA Tour.
Immelman, now 24, started the year in spectacular fashion. In four consecutive weeks he won the South African Open, tied for second in the dunhill championship, won the Dimension Data Tournament and finished runner-up in the South African Tour Championship.
He also finished second in the European Tour's flagship event, the Volvo PGA Championship and climaxed his year by winning the WGC - World Cup for South Africa with compatriot Rory Sabatini.
The Johnnie Walker Classic will be tri-sanctioned once again by The European Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia and Asian PGA Tour.
