Els favourite at Dunlop Phoenix
BY Bruce Young | Japan Tour | 2008 Dunlop Phoenix Tournament | Preview | 19 Nov 2008
The Japan Golf Tour is in Miyazaki in southern Japan for this week’s Dunlop Phoenix tournament where Ernie Els will start as the favourite and as major tournament drawcard.
Following his runner up finish at the Singapore Open last week, Els arrives in good form to play his first event in Japan in ten years. He won the Dunlop Phoenix in 1993 and has played the event on two other occasions but this is the first time his schedule has allowed him to play since 1998.
Henrik Stenson, Brandt Snedeker, Martin Kaymer and defending champion Ian Poulter join Els as the international headliners but there are many in this field who regularly play the Japan Golf Tour who probably feel they have a very good chance of becoming the first Japan Golf Tour member to win here since Kaname Yokoo in 2002.
Certainly previous winner, Shingo Katayama, who has a significant lead on this year’s Japan Golf Tour money list, must be respected but Brendan Jones and Asuma Yano are both having good seasons and could easily contend.
Other Australasians in the field are David Smail, Steve Conran, Paul Sheehan and Wayne Perske.
The tournament carries prizemoney of A$2,950,000.
