Stephen Leaney gets a place in HSBC World Match Play
BY Bruce Young | European PGA Tour | 2003 HSBC World Match Play Championship | General | 30 Sep 2003
Stephen Leaney has gained one of the last few spots at the HSBC World Match Play from October 16th to 19th, when the final field was released yesterday.
Under a qualifying system introduced this season, the field for the time honoured event now targets players who have performed well in the four majors. Leaney, as runner up at the US Open, therefore gains a spot.
Of the 12 players who qualified automatically for Wentworth under the HSBC Major Championships Ranking system, nine will take part in the tournament. World number one Tiger Woods, US Open champion Jim Furyk and Kenny Perry are unable to compete due to prior commitments.
The field is Mike Weir, Ben Curtis, Shaun Micheel, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Len Mattiace, Chad Campbell, Frederik Jacobsen, Alex Cejka, Thomas Bjorn, Tim Clark, and Leaney.
The event carries a purse of 2.3 million pounds or $A5.6 million Australian dollars with the winner receiving $A2.45 million and the first round losers guaranteed $A185,000.
The matches are played over 36 holes with the top four seeds having a bye in round one and meeting the winners of that round in round two.
While the organisers can be a little disappointed that several leading players were unavailable this year, it is hoped the revised format which establishes a field based on a qualifying criteria rather than an invitation basis, will eventually return to the event to its former glory.
