Open Champion Padraig Harrington, Korea’s most successful player, KJ Choi and American Chris DiMarco provide a potent international flavour to the inaugural Ballantine’s Championship at Pinx Golf Club on the picturesque Korean island of Jeju this week.
Harrington, who joined golf’s elite with his victory at Carnoustie last July, makes his third start of 2008 in the €2,000,000 tournament, sanctioned by The European Tour, Asian Tour and Korean PGA, bringing to 38 the number of destinations to have hosted events on The European Tour International Schedule.
Choi will carry the principal hopes of his countrymen as the fifth ranked player in the world – five places above Harrington – and he arrives in his homeland with a seventh US PGA Tour victory under his belt after winning the Sony Open in Hawaii earlier this year.
Harrington, who enjoyed a lengthy winter break following the birth of his second child in November, finished fifth in the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship and went out of the WGC-Accenture Match Play in the second round. This will be his third start on The European Tour in 2008 and the Irishman will be looking for signs that he is running into form in time for the Masters Tournament next month.
“I'm delighted to be taking part in this historic tournament," said the Irishman. “As players, we always look forward to new challenges and the Ballantine's Championship will be a tremendous opportunity to play in a different environment and meet new fans. It promises to be a fantastic event.”
Choi’s most recent win in Hawaii in January continues an impressive sequence which has seen him win at least one title in each of the last four years, a feat which puts him alongside Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh and Tiger Woods in America.
He is also no stranger to The European Tour, having made history in the 2003 German Masters by becoming the first Korean to win on The European Tour International Schedule.
"As someone who cares passionately about Korean golf I'm delighted that The European Tour is coming to my country for the first time," said Choi. "The Ballantine's Championship will be a huge boost to golf in Korea and I'm very happy to be playing in the inaugural tournament. It will be an emotional experience for me to be teeing off in front of the Korean fans and they can rest assured I'll be doing my very best to produce a home win.”
Korean golf’s explosive emergence in recent years can be witnessed by the strength of the home challenge with Choi being joined in the line-up by SK Ho and YE Yang. The latter has a particularly strong desire to perform well at Pinx Golf Club, as he was born on Jeju Island.
Yang joined Choi in the exclusive club of Korean champions on The European Tour when he won the HSBC Champions tournament at the start of the 2007 season, holding off the challenges of Major Champions Michael Campbell, Retief Goosen and Woods to become a national hero in Korea. He has also won four times on the Japan Golf Tour and has a notable victory on home soil to his name having won the Asian Tour's Korea Open in 2006.
DiMarco, a three time runner-up in Major Championships, will be competing in only his fifth European Tour event outside the Majors and the World Golf Championships. The combative US Ryder Cup player will be keen to make a similar impression to that of his first appearance on The European Tour, when he won the 2006 Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.
American-born Anthony Kim is another player who can expect plenty of support as he competes in his first tournament in the homeland of his parents, Paul and Miryoung, who emigrated to the United States in 1971. At 22 years old, he is one of the brightest talents on the US PGA Tour who enjoyed an impressive rookie season in 2007 with four top tens and has since finished third in his first event of 2008.
The course, set amongst lava outcrops, offers spectacular views of the Halla Mountains and the Yellow Sea. Jeju Island, located just south of the Korean mainland, is also known as ‘Island of the Gods’, and is dominated by Halla-san, South Korea’s highest peak.
Major renovations have been made to the course ahead of the Ballantine’s Championship, with the course lengthened by 342 yards and significant alterations made to bunkers on 16 holes, six of which have been given added protection with new trees.
SK Ho recently played the modified 7,345 yards, par 72 course for the first time, and was impressed with what he saw. He said: “I think it’s terrific. I’ve played a lot of international golf, and Pinx Golf Club compares with some of the best courses I’ve seen. It will provide a fantastic setting for an international competition.
“It’s certainly much more difficult now, and the additional obstacles mean players are going to have to think more before playing their shots. There are a lot more bunkers than before, especially around the greens. Approach shots are much tougher now.”
Adding to the challenge is the club’s geographical location, meaning the players may have to contend with cold, blustery conditions. Ho, a winner of nine titles on the Japan Golf Tour, believes the wind could play a major part in determining the eventual winner.
He said: “Players from The European Tour are familiar with windy conditions, and I think one of them will have a good chance if it is blowing.”
Two-time Major Champion Sandy Lyle, who this season will compete on the European Seniors Tour for the first time after turning 50 in February, will appear as the tournament’s Official Ambassador.
