Greg Norman, a winner of 14 tournaments on The European Tour International Schedule including two Open Golf Championships, is one of 12 past winners who will join defending champion, Darren Clarke, in the 25th Smurfit European Open at The K Club this week.
Gordon Brand Jnr, David Gilford, Mathias Grönberg, Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle, Andrew Murray, Manuel Piñero, Peter Senior, Paul Way, Lee Westwood and Ian Woosnam are also in a high class field for the Silver Anniversary edition of the tournament which began at Walton Heath in 1978.
Lyle, the second winner after American Bobby Wadkins at Turnberry in 1979, is one of six Major Champions who will tee up at The K Club, four of whom have also won the European Open in their careers. As well as Lyle, the others are Nick Faldo (1992), Langer (1995), Norman (1986) and Woosnam (1988) while Faldo and Norman won the title in the same year in which they also won the Open Golf Championship.
Norman said: “I am looking forward to competing again in Ireland. The golf courses there are among the best anywhere in the world and Irish golf fans are as knowledgeable as any I have encountered around the world. I am particularly looking forward to playing at The K Club.”
Last year, there were joyous scenes around the 18th green as Clarke ended a 19 year famine for Irish golf by becoming the first home winner on The European Tour International Schedule since John O’Leary captured the Irish Open in 1982.
Clarke rates that victory ahead of anything else he has achieved in his distinguished career and The K Club holds magical memories for the man from Dungannon, as he came agonisingly close to breaking the 60 barrier in 1999.
The popular Irishman is one of ten of the current European Ryder Cup Team in action in County Kildare. Also in the field are fellow Irishmen Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley along with Thomas Björn, Niclas Fasth, Pierre Fulke, Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Phillip Price and Lee Westwood.
Ken Schofield, Executive Director of The European Tour, said: “This year is very special in that it represents the 25th anniversary of the European Open and the seventh edition of the Smurfit sponsorship at The K Club.”
The players this week will be confronted by a number of changes made throughout the winter, the first phase in a renovation programme which will continue up until The 2006 Ryder Cup Matches at The K Club.
