THREE SCOTS IN FIELD FOR 2013 VOLVO CHAMPIONS
NEWS RELEASE FROM IMG
Three-time Major winner, Pádraig Harrington,
confirmed his entry yesterday afternoon as entries closed for the 2013
Volvo Golf Champions. The European Tour’s elite year-opening ‘tournament
of champions’ for European Tour winners only will have a field of 35
players who have won 234 European Tour titles between them including 14
Major titles.
Harrington qualifies along with along with Darren Clarke, Retief Goosen, Colin Montgomerie, José María Olazábal and Thomas Björn
as a current Tour Member with more than ten European Tour victories.
They will compete against 28 European Tour champions from 2012 in the
year-opening Volvo Golf Champions at the Durban Country Club from the
10th to the 13th January 2013 where players will compete for a prize
fund of €2 million (approx. R22.5 million).
Five South African’s have qualified for the Volvo Golf Champions this year with 27-time winner on the European Tour, Ernie Els, heading the strong home challenge along with defending Champion, Branden Grace, the afore-mentioned, Retief Goosen, 2010 Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen and first time winner on the European Tour, Jbe Kruger.
They will face a tough challenge from a field that is represented by a total of 16 nationalities including Matteo Manassero, Miguel Ángel Jiménez,Jeev Milkha Singh, Nicolas Colsaerts, Paul Casey, Peter Hanson, Paul Lawrie, Francesco Molinari and Henrik Stenson,
Harrington,
who won the 2012 PGA Grand Slam of Golf, explained:
“I was playing
really well towards the end of 2012 and now that I am part-way through
my winter training programme, I am looking forward to getting out on
Tour and competing.
"I think this is an ideal tournament to start my year
off where there is a limited elite field to test myself against, no cut
and beautiful weather. It is a great event and I am very much looking
forward to returning to South Africa in January.”
As Christmas approaches, two-time US Open winner Retief Goosen
also shared some positive news as he continues his recovery from the
back operation he had in August. He explained:
“Everything has been
going really well with my rehabilitation and I am back out on the course
enjoying playing golf with my family and friends. I am confident I will
be ready to compete come the Volvo Champions and I am very excited to
play my first tournament back at the Durban Country Club in front of my
home fans.”
The
renowned Durban Country Club was recently voted one of the Top 100 golf
courses in the world by Golf Magazine USA and boasts an impressive
résumé having hosted the South African Open on no less than 17
occasions.
2013 Volvo Golf Champions Qualification Update
Category (a):
| ||||
Winners of all the fully sanctioned and co-sanctioned tournaments listed below:
| ||||
1
|
Volvo Golf Champions
|
Branden Grace
| ||
2
|
Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship
|
Robert Rock
| ||
3
|
Commercialbank Qatar Masters
|
Paul Lawrie
| ||
4
|
Omega Dubai Desert Classic
|
Rafael Cabrera-Bello
| ||
5
|
Avantha Masters
|
Jbe Kruger
| ||
6
|
Open de Andalucia de Golf
|
Julien Quesne
| ||
7
|
Trophee Hassan II
|
Michael Hoey
| ||
8
|
Sicilian Open
|
Thorbjorn Olesen
| ||
9
|
Maybank Malaysian Open
|
Louis Oosthuizen
| ||
10
|
Ballantine's Championship
|
Bernd Wiesberger
| ||
11
|
Reale Seguros Open de Espana
|
Francesco Molinari
| ||
12
|
Madeira Islands Open
|
Ricardo Santos
| ||
13
|
Volvo World Match Play Championship
|
Nicolas Colsaerts
| ||
14
|
ISPS Handa Wales Open
|
Thongchai Jaidee
| ||
15
|
Saint-Omer Open presented by Neuflize OBC
|
Darren Fichardt
| ||
16
|
BMW International Open
|
Danny Willett
| ||
17
|
Irish Open
|
Jamie Donaldson
| ||
18
|
Alstom Open de France
|
Marcel Siem
| ||
19
|
Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open
|
Jeev Milkha Singh
| ||
20
|
The Open
|
Ernie Els
| ||
21
|
Omega European Masters
|
Richie Ramsay
| ||
22
|
KLM Open
|
Peter Hanson
| ||
23
|
Italian Open
|
Gonzalo Fdez-Castano
| ||
24
|
Portugal Masters
|
Shane Lowry
| ||
25
|
Barclays Singapore Open
|
Matteo Manassero
| ||
26
|
Hong Kong Open
|
Miguel Angel Jimenez
| ||
27
|
South African Open
|
Henrik Stenson
| ||
28
|
Nelson Mandela Invitational
|
Scott Jamieson
| ||
Category (b):
| ||||
Past winners of the Volvo Golf Champions under 50 years of age on the first day of the tournament.
| ||||
29
|
Paul Casey
| |||
Category (c):
| ||||
PlPlayers
with 10 or more official Race to Dubai/European Tour Order of Merit
tournament wins under 50* years of age on the first day of the
tournament.
| ||||
30
|
Colin Montgomerie
| |||
31
|
Padraig Harrington
| |||
32
|
Retief Goosen
| |||
33
|
Darren Clarke
| |||
34
|
Thomas Bjorn
| |||
35
|
José Maria Olazabal
|
Labels: EUROPEAN TOUR
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