July3 Koreamove
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The European Tour is on its way to…Korea.
Once again the Euro Topur will tread new ground with the historic staging of The Ballantine’s Championship at the Pinx Golf Club on the picturesque island of Jeju, South Korea, on March 13-16, 2008.
Main sponsor Ballantine’s is the world’s number three Scotch whisky and will ensure that a prize fund of €2,000,000 will be up for grabs.
Ballantine’s have agreed an initial three year arrangement for the Championship which will be promoted by the Parallel Media Group.
Christian Porta, Chairman and CEO of Chivas Brothers, which owns Ballantine’s, said: “The European Tour brings a global stage for this tournament, for Ballantine’s and for Korean golf. It is our privilege to help bring for the first time such a prestigious event to Korea which is already world famous for its golfers and its love of golf.
European Tour chief George O’Grady said: “This is an exciting new territory for the European Tour which meets with our policy to grow the game worldwide and Pinx Golf Club will provide a spectacular venue for the players and fans alike.”
The Ballantine’s Championship marks the first time that the European Tour has visited Korea and brings to 38 the number of destinations to have hosted Tour competition.
Korea’s influence on The European Tour is already well established with KJ Choi becoming the first Korean to win on The European Tour when he captured the 2003 German Masters while compatriot YE Yang held off a world class field, including Tiger Woods, to capture the HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai last November.
