India's Crown Jewel of Golf

Delhi, India; Tuesday, 13 November, 2007; Adam Scott, the Australian superstar, ranked six in the World and winner of the 2005 Johnnie Walker Classic in Beijing, China, together with European Ryder Cup stars Ian Poulter and Colin Montgomerie, have confirmed they will play in the prestigious JOHNNIE WALKER CLASSIC at the DLF Golf & Country Club in Gurgaon, Delhi, February 28 to March 2, 2008. The trio of top international players will join Vijay Singh, the world number nine, when Asia’s premier luxury golf event makes its debut in India since its establishment 17 years ago during which time it has been held in seven different countries in Asia Pacific. “JOHNNIE WALKER always puts on a great tournament, both on and off the course, so I am looking forward to playing the event,” commented Scott, currently considered one of golf’s most talented young players. “I have heard so much about India and how golf is growing there but I’ve never been there, so it will be exciting to be in Delhi for the JOHNNIE WALKER CLASSIC next year.” In a relatively short career, Scott now 27 has already established himself as a truly international player with wins around the world. In 2004, at just 23 years old, he became the youngest winner of The Players’ Championship on the US PGA Tour, an event considered by many to be the games fifth ‘major’. Born in Adelaide, Scott enjoyed a good start to 2007 with a second-place finish at the Mercedes-Benz Championship and a win at the Shell Houston Classic on the US Tour, giving him a total of 13 victories worldwide. Englishman Poulter is one of golf’s most flamboyant characters which he proved at the 2006 JOHNNIE WALKER CLASSIC in Australia when he played the tournament in four different coloured outfits that represented the four blends of JOHNNIE WALKER; Gold Label, Blue Label, Green Label and Black Label. Whilst renowned for his extravagant dress sense, Poulter has also gained recognition for his achievements on The European Tour where he has won five times since turning pro in 1994. Though he has not secured a victory in 2007, a second place in the British Masters and a number of solid performances on the US Tour, where he has spent a good part of the year, has seen the 31-year-old rise to 29 in the world ranking. Montgomerie, a stalwart of numerous JOHNNIE WALKER events, is Scotland’s most successful golfer. In a prolific career spanning 20 years, Glasgow-born Monty has topped The European Tour Order of Merit a record eight times and won 40 tournaments around the world. This year he secured the European Open at the K Club in Ireland, his first win since the UBS Hong Kong Open in December 2005 and came the week after he finished third in the French Open. “In keeping with the tradition and heritage of the JOHNNIE WALKER CLASSIC, the confirmation of Singh and now Scott, Poulter and Montgomerie means that we are building up yet another stellar field for Asia Pacific’s premier luxury golf event,” said Ben Anderson, Global Brand Director for JOHNNIE WALKER. “All four players have participated in the tournament on numerous occasions – in fact Vijay competed at the inaugural JOHNNIE WALKER CLASSIC in Hong Kong – so it’s fantastic to be able welcome them back to the event as old friends.“I am confident that the JOHNNIE WALKER CLASSIC will boast the strongest field ever seen at a golf tournament in India and that JOHNNIE WALKER’s reputation for putting on fabulous entertainment both on and off the course will be further enhanced against the richness and colour of India.” First played in Hong Kong in 1990, the JOHNNIE WALKER CLASSIC broke new ground by not only being the first tournament to be jointly sanctioned by the European, Asian and Australasian golf Tours, but also by being unique in that the event has been played in seven countries and at 12 golf clubs over the past 17 years. The 2008 JOHNNIE WALKER CLASSIC has also gained the all-important support of the PGTI, the Professional Golfers Tour India. The JOHNNIE WALKER CLASSIC, presented by the world's number-one selling Scotch whisky, offers prize money of £1.25m (US$2.5m), and will be televised live around the world. Past winners include a host of golfing legends such as Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo, Greg Norman, Fred Couples, Ernie Els, Ian Woosnam, Retief Goosen and Scott.