World number nine Adam Scott, eight-time Major champion Tom Watson, defending champion Greg Chalmers and former U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy are the first big names to confirm they will be part of the action at this year’s Emirates Australian Open at The Lakes Golf Club from 6-9 December.
The 2009 champion and Australia’s highest ranked player, Scott will play the Open after an outstanding year capped by his heart-stopping runner-up finish to Ernie Els at The Open Championship at Royal Lytham and St Annes.
Watson returns to the Australian Open for the first time in nearly 30 years. He won the Australian Open in 1984 and holds five Open Championships, two U.S. Masters and the U.S. Open titles in an illustrious Major collection.
Chalmers and Ogilvy return to The Lakes looking to repeat their recent successes, with Chalmers hunting a third Stonehaven Cup following his thrilling one stroke win over John Senden in 2011.
Golf Australia CEO Stephen Pitt said the field was coming together very well and would have some real attractions for golf fans.
“It’s fantastic to welcome back these four past winners of the Stonehaven Cup to the Emirates Australian Open. Tom is one of the household names in world golf and we can’t wait to have he, Adam, Geoff and defending champion Greg back in action at The Lakes,” Pitt said.
“It’s the pinnacle week in Australian golf and things are continuing to shape up really well for the Championship.”
Pitt said there would be further player announcements as the countdown to the Championship continued.
NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events George Souris welcomed the news of the champions playing in Sydney.
“The NSW Government through Destination NSW is pleased to support the Emirates Australian Open which is a key international sports event on the NSW Events Calendar,” he said.”
“Our city is synonymous with the Australian Open, having hosted the inaugural championship in 1904, on 36 occasions overall and continuously since 2006.
The Emirates Australian Open is again co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia and OneAsia, with the PGA of Australia’s Chief Executive Officer Brian Thorburn again welcoming the opportunity for the tournament to showcase the Asian region.
“The Emirates Australian Open is a significant tournament for both the PGA Tour of Australasia and OneAsia, and will be broadcast to over 400 million homes internationally. We look forward to welcoming not only our own players, but also Asia’s best to The Lakes in December for yet another memorable tournament.”
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