Johnnie Walker Classic ready to go in Perth
IN: News | Australasian PGA | Johnnie Walker Classic (2003) | General | 11 Feb 2003
The Johnnie Walker Classic is set to commence this week at Lake Karrinyup Country Club in Perth. A stellar field has assembled in Western Australia to contest the AUD$2.8 million event from February 13-16 with world No. 2 Ernie Els, world No. 5 and defending champion Retief Goosen, and world No. 6 Sergio Garcia leading the billing.
Ernie Els is the reigning British Open champion and has been in sensational form in 2003 winning three of his first four events. The 33-year-old South African started off in January by winning the Mercedes Championship and Sony Open on the US PGA Tour. He was then runner-up in the Caltex Singapore Masters before successfully defending his Heineken Classic title at Royal Melbourne two weeks ago, finishing with rounds of 66 and 65. Els won the Johnnie Walker Classic at Hope Island, Queensland in 1997.
Retief Goosen, the 2001 US Open champion, will be looking forward to this week having shot a course-record 63 in an eight-shot win at last year's Johnnie Walker Classic at Lake Karrinyup. He clinched the European Tour's Volvo Order of Merit in 2001 and 2002. Garcia finished third to Goosen here last year. The 23-year-old Spaniard won in Europe, the US and Asia in 2002.
The 2003 Johnnie Walker Classic field boasts other big names. Nick Faldo, a six-time major winner, who shared second place at the recent Heineken Classic, won the Johnnie Walker Classic in 1990 and 1993. Ian Woosnam, eight-time Ryder Cup star and vice Captain of last year's victorious European team, the 1991 US Masters Champion and winner of the 1996 Johnnie Walker Classic. And Lee Westwood, winner of 14 tournaments around the world, and Europe's leading money winner in 2000.
Robert Allenby, Craig Parry and Adam Scott will head a strong Australian contingent. Allenby's ranking recently rose into the top 15 in the world, Parry won the WGC-NEC Invitational last year while Scott won twice on the European Tour in 2002.
Scott and Garcia are just two of a large crop of young stars on show this week. Justin Rose, Paul Casey and Nick Dougherty are three English talents who should do well at Lake Karrinyup together with Australians Andrew Buckle and South Korea's Kevin Na.
The Asian Tour's best will join Na here in Perth and will include 2002 Order of Merit winner Jyoti Randhawa, India's Arjun Atwal and Prayad Marksaeng from Thailand.
Two of the world's finest young amateurs - Thailand's Prom Meesawat and Australia's Michael Sim - have also been invited to compete. Meesawat, 18, won the 2002 Junior World Championship in San Diego. Sim, also 18, was runner-up in the 2002 Australian Amateur Championship.
The Johnnie Walker Classic, now in its 12th year, is sanctioned by the European, Australasian and Asian Tours. It is the richest event on the Australasian Tour and will be screened live around the world. In Australia on Thursday and Friday action can be seen on Fox Sports with the final two days, Saturday February 15 and Sunday February 16 can be seen on Channel 7.
