Golf news: Ballantine’s Championship 2011 venue Seoul
The Ballantine’s championship will be played in Blackstone Resort in 2011. The Blackstone resort in Seoul just opened last year and only has 300 members and this will be the first time it’s holding a professional event. Previously, for three years, the Pinx
Golf club on the holiday island of Jeju has been home to the championship.
David Ciclitira, who is the chairman of the event promoter Parallel Media Group, thinks that this is an exciting step in the tournament’s development. It is an opportunity to make more people aware about it and make them realise its potential. He said that
promoter wanted to make something great out of this golf tournament. Having said that their time in Pinx was wonderful, he said that the committee decided to move it to Seoul. He acknowledged that the people at Pinx were amazing hosts, and their dedication
in establishing Ballantine’s Championship as an important golf tournament can never be forgotten.
The Ballantine’s championship is part of the European Tour. It was played for the first time in March 2008. It initiated in Korea at the Pinx Golf Club. This was the first time a European Tour event was staged in Korea.
The tournament was announced in July 2007 by the European Tour. In partnership with Korean PGA, this was yet another attempt to expand the European Tour into Asia. At that time, the Asian Tour didn’t receive the co-sanctioning rights that it thought it deserved,
and accused this championship of being an intruding action that colonised Asia in offensive disregard of the principles of the International Federation of PGA Tours. Six months later, however, they agreed to authorize the event.
The first year the prize money for the championship was €2 million and was taken home by Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland. Following that year, the tournament was won by Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand. This year, the winner was the Australian Marcus Fraser.
The game was disturbed due to bad weather and was shortened to fifty-four holes.
Next year, the championship is set to place from 28th April up till 1st May. This time again, the championship will be co-sponsored by Asian Tour, European Tour and Korea PGA. The Blackstone Resort will host the event for at least the
next three years.
The Chief Operating officer of the European Tour, Keith Waters, said that this change of venue will result in elevating the tournament’s profile.
"The Ballantine's Championship over the last three years has become firmly established as one of the premier events in the Asian region, and this move to Blackstone, a world-class venue close to the capital Seoul, will further enhance the tournament's credentials,"
he said. "We thank Ballantine's for their vision and continued commitment to developing the Championship, the Korea PGA and the event-promoter PMG for their support."
One of the most prestigious resorts in Korea, Blackstone resort will surely captivate the golfers and the audience alike. The golf course is designed by the highly reputed JMP Golf Design Group. The resort has breathtaking scenic ridgeline views, quiet forest
glens, creeks and lakes. It has three nine hole courses, East, West and North. The Ballantine’s tournament will be played on 7,314 yard, par-72 West and North layout.
The Blackstone Resort Chief officer, Greg Won, said that they are very enthusiastic about hosting the championship, and are looking forward to having a variety of world-class players to the club. He stated that Tom Watson had been to the resort some time
ago and was very impressed. He thinks that Blackstone is a perfect location, and he hopes for some exciting action and an unforgettable week.
The global brand director said that Ballantine’s and golf have a long history. Being a whisky, Ballantine’s is sure to be popular in the market. He quoted that there are five million golfers in Korea and most of them drink Whisky. This tournament, therefore,
is very significant market for Ballantine’s.
With McDowell beating India’s Jeev Milkha Singh in 2008 and Fraser’s remarkable victory this year, the tournament has very special moments attached to it. We sure hope that it sets in well at the new location and is even more memorable at the Blackstone
Resort.
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