The Chinese capital of Beijing has been named as the host city for the 2005 Johnnie Walker Classic on the European Tour International Schedule. This will be the first time the Johnnie Walker Classic has been played in mainland China, and marks an important milestone for the 14-year-old tournament and the development of golf in China.
We are thrilled to bring our prestigious event to the great nation of China," said Ben Anderson, Johnnie Walker global brand director. "We hope that by bringing the Johnnie Walker Classic to China that we can help to build appeal and prestige for golf and recognition of Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky, both of which are undisputedly Scotlands greatest gifts to the world.
The 2005 Johnnie Walker Classic, a tri-sanctioned event between the Asian Tour, Australasia Tour and Europe Tour, will be played at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Pine Valley Golf Resort and Country Club in Beijing from April 21-24.
With record prize money of £1,250,000 -- an increase of 25 percent from last year -- the Johnnie Walker Classic is one of the richest events in Asia and will be the biggest and richest tournament held in Beijing.
Hu Jian Guo, vice chairman of the China Golf Association, which has officially sanctioned the tournament, echoed Ben Andersons enthusiasm for staging the event in China.
The Johnnie Walker Classic is one of Asias great tournaments and we are very proud to host this event here in China in 2005," he said. "The Johnnie Walker Classic will give Chinese professional golfers the chance to compete alongside some of the best golfers in the world, and will showcase our strength in attracting and hosting world class events leading up to the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
The Johnnie Walker Classic, jointly owned by Johnnie Walker and IMG, was first staged in Hong Kong in 1990. Over the past 14 years, the event has been played in eight different Asian cities over 10 different golf courses.
