The Celtic Manor Wales Open 2008 - Rookies tee up with the stars
WENTWORTH HEROES ENTERED FOR CELTIC MANOR WALES OPEN
Jimenez and Wilson seek to maintain rich form
All the main protagonists from Sunday’s dramatic finish at the BMW PGA Championship will be back in action, hoping to capitalise on their good form at The Celtic Manor Wales Open this week.
Wentworth winner Miguel Angel Jiménez is entered for the £1.8m event in South Wales and will now tee up as the second highest ranked player in the field – behind Open champion Padraig Harrington – after leaping 20 places up the official world rankings to Number 21.
Spaniard Jiménez, the 2005 champion at Celtic Manor, is also the new leader of The European Tour order of merit and Ryder Cup points list following the biggest victory of his 20-year tour career.
The man he beat in a tense play-off for the title on Sunday – England’s Oliver Wilson – completes an impressive group of eight players from the world’s top 50 now playing at The Celtic Manor Wales Open, following his own jump of 30 places to World Number 45.
Robert Karlsson, who missed a five-foot putt to join the play-off at Wentworth, moves up to 30th in the world rankings and will join Jiménez in the quest to become the first repeat winner of The Celtic Manor Wales Open following the Swede’s impressive triumph over the Roman Road course in 2006.
The tournament moves onto the new Twenty Ten course, built for staging The Ryder Cup in 2010, and many more of Europe’s leading stars are anxious to take a first look at the spectacular layout in the event which runs from Thursday to Sunday (May 29-June 1).
Niclas Fasth, Martin Kaymer, Soren Hansen and defending champion Richard Sterne are the other competitors from the all-important world’s top 50, the standard for qualifying for Major championships.
There are also six players from the last European Ryder Cup team in action at Celtic Manor with Colin Montgomerie, Darren Clarke, David Howell and Paul McGinley joining Harrington and Karlsson to compete for a record first prize of £300,000.
Joining the chase in Wales for substantial qualifying points on offer towards this year’s Ryder Cup team at Valhalla are Nick Dougherty and Graeme McDowell, two of Britain’s brightest young prospects who are currently holding down qualifying places for Nick Faldo’s European side.
Dylan Matthews, Tournament Director of The Celtic Manor Wales Open, said: “It’s great to see so many in-form players teeing up at this year’s tournament.
“This is the strongest field we’ve ever assembled for The Celtic Manor Wales Open and I look forward to seeing these very talented golfers showing all their skills.
“It should make for a very exciting event as we move on to the spectacular Twenty Ten course for the first time, and I’m sure we’ll have some great crowds turning out to see a wonderful sporting occasion.”
Tickets for all four days of The Celtic Manor Wales Open are available for purchase on the gate.