Ogilvy, Garcia, Villegas in Aus Masters
Australasian PGA Tour | 2010 Australian Masters | General | 09 Apr 2010
Australian Masters event owner and promoter, IMG, today announced that Australian wealth management company, JBWere, has re-signed as the tournament’s major partner which will see the event staged as the JBWere Masters through 2011.
The tournament also announced the participation of leading international players Sergio Garcia (Spain) and Camilo Villegas (Colombia) along with Australia’s number one ranked player, Geoff Ogilvy.
Geoff Ogilvy, winner of seven PGA TOUR events including three World Golf Championships and the 2006 US Open, is enjoying another strong season on the PGA TOUR and successfully defended the SBS Championship in January. He is currently 13th in the Official World Golf Rankings. A long time member of The Victoria Golf Club, Ogilvy is looking forward to this year’s Masters.
“My family and I always look forward to returning to Melbourne at the end of the year. It is always enjoyable to play some of our great sandbelt courses and this year’s JBWere Masters will be all the more special for me playing on my home course at Victoria Golf Club.”
Garcia, one of the most popular and proficient players in golf, first captured the imagination of fans around the world at the 1999 PGA Championship where the 19-year old Spaniard dueled with Tiger Woods down the stretch, eventually finishing second in his first major championship as a pro. A seven-time winner on the PGA TOUR with an additional 11 victories internationally, Garcia’s most recent victories came at the 2008 PLAYERS Championship and later that same year at the HSBC Champions on the European Tour. Garcia has also established himself as one of the top players in Ryder Cup play, boasting a 14-3-3 record in five appearances for the European team.
“It’s been a number of years since I’ve played in Australia, so I’m thrilled about the chance to come to Melbourne later this year to play in the JBWere Masters,” said Garcia. “Australia obviously has a tremendous golf following, and as I watched the success of the Masters last year, I knew that it was something that I wanted to be a part of. I’m looking forward to it.”
Camilo Villegas of Colombia is another of golf’s most popular young superstars. He enjoyed a breakout season in 2008, winning the final two FedEx Cup tournaments to finish second in the standings and earn 7th place in the Official World Golf Rankings. Villegas is off to another strong start in 2010, winning the Honda Classic by five strokes last month.
“I have great memories of visiting Melbourne and playing in the Australian Masters in 2005, so I’m looking forward to returning in November,” said Villegas. “My brother, Manny, has played in the event the past three years and each year comes back saying what a great event it was, so this year I told him I was going to join him!”
Villegas and Garcia are ranked 12th and 18th in the world respectively.
Paul Heath, Managing Director and CEO of JBWere said:-
“I am delighted to announce that JBWere will again partner with the JBWere Masters.”
“We see a natural synergy between this exciting event and JBWere – we both share long standing traditions, strong reputations, are considered world class in our respective fields, attract the best talent and maintain a commitment to excellence.
Commenting on the announcements, David Rollo, Vice President-Director of Golf, IMG Australia said:-
“The 2009 JBWere Masters set a new benchmark for Australian golf. The tournament attracted record crowds and television audiences and delivered in excess of $34 million to the Victorian economy.”
“Our partnership with JBWere, the Victorian Government and broadcast partners Channel Nine and FOX SPORTS was fundamental to achieving our goals. We would like to record our sincere thanks for their invaluable support and we look forward to delivering an event that supersedes all expectations again this year.”
“We are delighted to welcome Geoff back to Melbourne and are also thrilled that Sergio and Camilo have chosen to include the JBWere Masters in their 2010 schedules. These players have a passion, determination, style and charisma that have endeared them to fans all over the world and they will enjoy great support here in November.”
The JBWere Masters has already attracted a strong commercial programme with Cussons Imperial Leather elevating their commitment to become an Associate Partner alongside News Limited.
Additional members of the JBWere Masters sponsor family include Nikon, Strategic Aviation, Telstra BigPond, Tag Heuer, The Langham Melbourne, Coopers 62, Drummond Golf, Amadio Wines and Titleist.
The 2010 JBWere Masters will again be broadcast on Channel Nine and FOX SPORTS and will be played at The Victoria Golf Club from 11 – 14 November.
