Lee Westwood will not defend title at Ballantine's Championship
Lee Westwood is not in the field of the Ballantine's Championship, as he does not appear to be interested in defending his title in South Korea.
The 39-year-old English golf player is the defending champion of the European Tour event. However, the news that he is not going to defend his title this year at the Blackstone Golf Club, Icheon in Seoul, South Korea, has disappointed his fans.
He won the title in the 2011 edition of the tournament, after scoring a 12-under 276 on the leaderboard. He scored 19 impressive birdies and amazed the spectators by playing a bogey-free final round last year.
His performance was tremendous in South Korea. He added his 21st European Tour win to his career and defeated Spanish Miguel Angel Jimenez by one stroke.
His absence in the 2012 edition will be making the field less competitive. On the other hand, it will provide ample chances to other professionals, as they can benefit from this event and post amazing scores throughout the four days.
Recently, Westwood won the back-to-back title of the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters presented by PNTS, played from April 19 to 22, 2012.
He displayed an amazing performance in the four-day Asian Tour event, at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club. He scored a 16-under 272 and won by a two-stroke lead over Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant.
"Today was hard. It is never easy playing in these conditions and I had to play 32 holes," Westwood said after winning the title.
"I was really feeling it on the back nine. When you are in contention and under pressure, it seems to zap your energy faster".
He added, "You never know how to play with such a big lead ... It was a case of staying patient and calm and playing the holes correctly. It was exhausting".
The Ballantine's Championship is scheduled to start from April 26 to 29, 2012. All the players are heading to South Korea to claim their winning share out of the €2,205,000 purse.
Despite Westwood being out of the field, there are many other professionals, who can add value to the event. Some of the top contenders are Y.E. Yang, Ian Poulter and Paul Casey. Their presence is expected to make the event more appealing and competitive
for the fans and media.
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