Before 144 golfers from the PGA Tour of Australasia and European Tour step out onto the manicured greens of Lake Karrinyup Country Club for the second annual ISPS HANDA Perth International tomorrow, we’ve compiled a summary of who to keep a keen eye on.
Invited players:
Dustin Johnson (US)
Dustin has already secured seven PGA Tour wins since earning his tour card in 2008. It is just a matter of time before he wins a major. His latest win was the 2013 Tournament of Champions in January, which he won by four strokes. In July he tied for second in the Canadian Open. He has been a member of past US Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams. Dustin is known for his athleticism, long drives, and laid back nature. His last tournament in Australia was the 2011 Presidents Cup.
Bo Van Pelt (US)
Bo excited fans at the inaugural ISPS HANDA Perth International in his all-American battle with Jason Dufner that wasn't decided til the 18th hole on the final day of play when he took out the trophy. Earlier this year the 38-year-old Oklahoma resident secured a top ten finish at the Wells Fargo Championship, and had 12 top-ten finishes in 2012.
Brady Watt (Western Australia)
Hailing from Yanchep in WA, Brady has had a huge year on the amateur circuit enjoying a no.1 position on the world amateur rankings earlier this year. He finished runner-up to fellow amateur Oliver Goss after a five hole playoff at the 2012 WA Open Championship, and made it to the semi-finals at the US amateur where Goss once again beat him. He went on to caddy for Goss in the final round. Brady has won the Australian Amateur Stroke Play and spent the week before the ISPS HANDA Perth International at the Web.com Tour School Brady’s home club is Royal Perth.
European Tour:
Branden Grace (South Africa)
25-year-old Branden had a breathtaking 2012 season winning four times on the European Tour and once in South Africa and narrowly missed out on another victory at the Scottish Open where he lost in a sudden-death play-off to Phil Mickelson. He has followed it up with a consistent showing this year and is currently sitting in an impressive 7th in the Race to Dubai. Stand out achievements this year include 5th in Abu Dhabi; 6th in Qatar; and tied 3rd in World Matchplay in Bulgaria.
Brett Rumford (Western Australia)
West Australian Brett Rumord is enjoying the finest year of his career after back-to-back wins in Korea (Ballantine’s Championship) and China (Volvo China Open). He has also managed a 6th placing at the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles; and 8th in the Wales Open this year. Brett is known as one of the fittest men on tour with an dedicated fitness regime – working alongside trainer Kevin Duffy. He is also renowned on Tour for his incredible short game and putting ability.
Paul Casey (England)
A 12-time winner on the European Tour, Paul was back in the winner’s enclosure this year after his victory at the Irish Open, where he won in fine style holing a monster eagle putt on the 72nd hole. It’s been a big achievement for him to be back at his best. Over the past year and a half he was plagued by injuries having broken his collarbone snowboarding at the start of 2012. Paul was a member of the winning 2004 and 2006 Ryder Cup teams, and also a member of the 2008 team which lost. Paul is in good current form, shooting 63 round the old course during the Dunhill Links two weeks ago. Paul placed 4th in the 2012 ISPS HANDA Perth International.
Ross Fisher (England)
Ross returned to The European Tour in May this year and he is now focussing his game on Europe with his PGA Tour season coming to an end in August 2012. Ross was a member of the 2010 winning Ryder Cup team. His best finishes this season are: 8th in the Nordea Masters in Sweden in June and has been in fine form for the last month, finishing fifth at Omega European Masters in Switzerland and 3rd at the KLM Open in Holland. He remains one of the longest hitters on the tour.
PGA Tour of Australasia:
Nick O’Hern (Western Australia)
Nick has five professional titles to his name including the Australian PGA Championship. He played on the PGA Tour from 2005 to 2013 and will play on the Web.com tour in 2014. He was ranked first in driving accuracy on the PGA Tour this year and is the only player to have beaten Tiger Woods in matchplay more than once. It is great to see Nick back in Perth as he has not played here since 2006.
Craig Parry (New South Wales)
Craig is well-known to Australians with 23 international professional victories including two on the PGA Tour, six on the European Tour, and 14 on the PGA Tour of Australasia. He was a member of the International Team for the Presidents Cup in 1994, 1996 and 1998 and his best performance in a major was a T3 at the US Open in 1993.
Michael Sim (Western Australia)
In 2005 Michael was the World Number One Amateur. In 2009 he won on the Web.com tour an impressive three times and earned a battlefield promotion to the PGA Tour. He also won the PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit the same year. Although struggling with back injuries, Michael has now returned to full fitness. He was born in Scotland but his family moved to Perth when he was 5.
James Nitties (New South Wales)
James has been playing on the Web.com Tour in the US for the past few years. He is very comfortable in a world-class field, and on WA soil, winning the WA Open Championship in 2008, and having a strong finish two weeks ago at the WA Goldfields PGA Championship in Kalgoorlie.
QUOTES FROM TODAY’S PLAYER PRESS CONFERENCES
For full transcripts of today’s press conferences please visit the media page of perthinternational.com.
Rumford determined to win at home...
West Australian Brett Rumford has enjoyed an outstanding year on the European Tour with back-to-back wins at the Ballantine’s Championship and Volvo China Open.
“The reception back here was great after the wins, and still is. Celebrating the victories even six months down the road is still a nice feeling and it's a nice feeling to be home,” said Rumford.
Finishing in a tied for 36th at the ISPS HANDA Perth International in 2012, Rumford has high hopes for a win on home soil this week.
“There's quite a few West Aussies playing this week so it would be nice for a West Aussie to take out this tournament.” “I expect to perform well this week, no doubt about it.”
“The golf course is in perfect condition, so there's no excuse. You play well; you're going to get rewarded, simple as that.”
Johnson confident at Lake Karrinyup...
Big hitting American Dustin Johnson is a tournament favourite at the ISPS HANDA Perth International with many, including Johnson saying the course will suit his game style.
“It's a golf course that I think suits my eye pretty well. There's a lot of birdies to be made out there,” said Johnson who was second in driving distance on the PGA TOUR in 2013 averaging 279 metres off the tee.
With the longest hole at Lake Karrinyup Country Club being the par-5 560 metre 7th, distance won’t be an issue for Johnson who has identified the greens as the key to the course.
“The par-5s are pretty reachable and there's a few short holes where you can make a lot of birdies,” added Johnson.
“The greens are tough. They are really fast with a lot of undulations. So it's tough to get the ball close to the hole. They are really firm, too.”
“I think around here, if the putter is rolling good, then I'm going to have a good chance to win.”
Grace feels at home in Perth...
Arriving in Perth on Friday ahead of the ISPS HANDA Perth International, four time European Tour winner Branden Grace is feeling at home in the West Australian capital city.
“It's been great and the people are great, as well. It kind of feels a little bit like home here,” said the 25-year-old South African.
“They say there's a lot of South Africans in this area which is nice, and it's nice to see people speaking Afrikaans a little bit like home.”
Grace said he is ready to take on the challenging Lake Karrinyup Country Club layout.
“I think a big key on this golf course, what I've seen the last couple of days, is just going to be patience.”
“You're going to get some bounces that go your way and you're going to get some bounces that don’t.”
“But course management is also a big thing this week. There's a couple of sucker pins out there, especially with these greens being so elevated in certain parts of it.”
“You're really going to have to position yourself well the green where you can give yourself chances.”
The ISPS HANDA Perth International commences tomorrow (Thursday) at Lake Karrinyup Country Club, widely acknowledged as Western Australia’s premier golf club. It is the only Australian tournament to be co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia.
With US$2 million in prizemoney, the tournament is Australia’s richest tour event and is proudly supported by the International Sports Promotion Society (ISPS), and the Western Australian Government, through Eventscorp.
The ISPS HANDA Perth International is also partnered with premium brands including Volkswagen, Crown Perth, The West Australian, the Seven Network and TAG Heuer.
Tickets start at $44. Children under 16 are free when accompanied by a paying adult and there are single day, weekend and four-day pass options available. Tickets will be available on the gate on each day of the tournament.
For event information, news, live scores and tee times and updates visit perthinternational.com and follow the ISPS HANDA Perth International on Facebook www.facebook.com/PerthInternationalGolf and Twitter @PerthIntl
Marquee group tee off times for Thursday 17 October:
6.30am Bo Van Pelt (USA), Dustin Johnson (USA), Brett Rumford (AUS)
6.40am Nick O’Hern (AUS), Danny Willett (ENG), Craig Lee (SCO)
11.10am Mathew Goggin (AUS), Paul Casey (ENG), Branden Grace (RSA)
11.20am Marcus Fraser (AUS), Ross Fisher (ENG), Peter O’Malley (AUS)
To view all Round 1 Tee Times visit: https://perthinternational.com/Portals/21/Round%201%20Draw%20Final.pdf
Media contact: Janine Pittaway, ISPS HANDA Perth International Media Manager, 08 92601321 0418 911 796 or