World No. 1 Westwood to play in Ballantines Championship in Korea

By Yoon Chul

The new World No. 1 golfer Lee Westwood will play in front of Korean fans in the Ballantine’s Championship, one of EPGA Tour matches.

Organizers of the competition announced Monday that four top golfers ― Westwood of England, Ernie Els of South Africa, Ian Poulter of England and Yang Yong-eun of Korea ― will compete in the four-day tournament to be held from April 28.

Westwood finished second in the Masters and British Open, grabbing the St. Jude Classic title ― his second career PGA title last season. He also forced Tiger Woods to step down from the top spot for the first time in 281 weeks in November.

“I’m very keen to maintain momentum in 2011 so I’m aiming to put on a great display for the Korean fans,” Westwood said in a statement.

“I thoroughly enjoyed playing in the Ballantine’s Championship in 2009 and I’m very much looking forward to returning to the tournament this year,” added Westwood.

It is his second appearance since he stumbled in 2009 sharing 34th.

Yang, the lone Asian to win one of the four major tournaments, seems also excited to see his domestic fans.

“It’s always a thrill to play in front of my home fans so I’m full of anticipation for this year’s Ballantine’s Championship,” Yang said.

“The Korean galleries are always so supportive and knowledgeable and they love seeing home players mix it with some of the world’s best,” added Yang.

The championship, the only EPGA event held in Asia, has been hosted since 2008 on Jeju Island. But the organization changed the venue to Blackstone Resort in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province to allow more fans access to the venue.

The Ballantine’s Championship will be held there until 2013.