Garcia, Scott and Rose lead "Young Guns" at Johnnie Walker

BY iseekgolf.com | Australasian PGA Tour | 2003 Johnnie Walker Classic | General | 06 Jan 2003

Could 2003 be the year the “Young Guns” shoot it out with the established stars and win?

The 2003 Johnnie Walker Classic at Perth’s Lake Karrinyup Country Club, February 13 – 16, will be the first opportunity for such a showdown. Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott, Justin Rose, Paul Casey, Nick Dougherty, and Andrew Buckle will contest the AUD$2.85 million event alongside established stars Ernie Els, the World No. 3, Retief Goosen, the defending champion and World No.5, the six-time Major winner Nick Faldo, the long hitting American John Daly the winner of two Majors and the Australian No.1 Robert Allenby.

Commenting on the field, Stephen Morley, Johnnie Walker Global Brand Director, said, “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. 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 so many ‘young guns’ in the field.”

Sergio Garcia turned professional in 1999 and went on to win the Irish Open, the German Masters and was part of the three-man Spanish team that won that year’s Alfred Dunhill Cup. As well as the three victories in his first year as a pro, Sergio finished runner-up to Tiger Woods in the US PGA Championship and collected three and a half points out of five in a brilliant Ryder Cup debut at Brookline, Massachusetts.

The 22-year old won twice on the US PGA Tour in 2001. He started the 2002 season in a blaze of glory by winning the Mercedes Championship in Hawaii, and went on to demonstrate a remarkable consistency in the Majors: eighth in the US Masters; fourth in the US Open; tied eighth in the Open Championship and equal tenth in the US PGA Championship. A performance that demonstrated his growing maturity and resulted in Sergio finishing the year ranked No. 4 in the World.

Adam Scott, 22, continued his rise in 2002 winning two European titles and finishing seventh on the European money list, the Volvo Order of Merit. The Australian won the Qatar Masters in March by six shots and clinched the Diageo Scottish PGA Championship in August by a record ten strokes. He also impressed in his first visit to the US Masters tying for ninth at Augusta National. Scott, who now has three European titles to his name, ended the year ranked 41 in the World.

Justin Rose had a magnificent year in 2002, winning four events and surging to a world ranking of 39. The 22-year-old Englishman won twice on the European Tour – at the Dunhill Championship and British Masters. In between those two victories, he won the Nashua Masters in South Africa and the Chunichi Crowns in Japan.

Rose will be joined by two of his compatriots in Perth: Paul Casey and Nick Dougherty. Casey, 25, won the Scottish PGA Championship during his debut year in Europe in 2001 and recorded nine top-15 finishes last year. In a distinguished amateur career, he won the English Amateur twice and represented Great Britain with distinction in international competition.

Dougherty, a protege of Nick Faldo, made great strides in 2002, his first full year on the European Tour. The 20-year-old finished 36th on the Volvo Order of Merit having tied for second at the Qatar Masters, for third at the Linde German Masters and for eighth at the Johnnie Walker Classic. Dougherty won a host of amateur events in Europe, Australia and the United States in his teenage years.

Andrew Buckle, a 20-year-old Australian, won his maiden pro tournament – the Queensland Open – at his very first try in November just days after joining the pro ranks. During his impressive amateur career, Buckle won the 1999 and 2000 Junior World Championship, the 2001 Australian Amateur title and represented Australia in the 2002 World Amateur Team Championship.

Kevin Na although born in South Korea in 1983 moved with his parents to the USA when he was eight. There he discovered golf and quickly developed not only a passion for the game but an ability that saw him rise to be ranked the no. 1 junior in the US. Coached by Tiger Woods’ coach Butch Harmon, Kevin at 19 years of age is widely regarded as the best young prospect in Asia a view clearly reinforced by his victory in the 2002 year-end Volvo Masters in Malaysia.

The Johnnie Walker Classic is jointly sanctioned by the Australasian, European and Asian PGA Tours and will be played in Australia for the third time in the event’s 12-year history.

Prize money will be AUD$2.85 million and the event will be screened live in Australia on Foxtel on Thursday and Friday, February 13 and 14 and on Channel 7 on the final two days, Saturday and Sunday, February 15 and 16. Coverage of the 2003 Johnnie Walker Classic will also be seen in over 60 countries world wide including Canada, USA, UK, Japan, South Africa, Sweden, Spain, Thailand, Taiwan and Korea.