Germany’s Martin Kaymer and former champion Miguel Angel Jiménez are the latest proven European Tour winners to add their names to a star-studded field for The Celtic Manor Wales Open from June 3-6.
Kaymer, the World Number 11, has won five times on The European Tour in the past three seasons including back-to-back victories in last summer’s Open de France ALSTOM and Barclays Scottish Open.
His challenge for the inaugural Race To Dubai title in 2009 was thwarted by a broken foot sustained in a go-karting accident which ruled him out of action for two months but the 25-year-old German is back on track for a Ryder Cup debut at Celtic Manor in October after winning the Abu Dhabi Championship for the second time in January.
Kaymer is currently fifth on the European Points List and occupying one of the qualifying places for The Ryder Cup Team.
Established Ryder Cup star Jiménez will both hope to press his claim to retain his place in the European Team with strong Wales Open showings on The Twenty Ten Course which will stage the match against the United States in the autumn.
Jiménez won the event when it was staged on Celtic Manor’s Roman Road course in 2006.
The Spaniard counts the BMW PGA Championship as the biggest of his 16 titles on The European Tour and his 2008 success helped propel him to a third Ryder Cup appearance in the last match at Valhalla.
Meanwhile, the latest winner at Wentworth Club, Sunday’s hero Simon Khan, is another former Celtic Manor Wales Open champion who will be teeing it up once again in South Wales next week. Khan secured his only previous European Tour victory before Wentworth at The Celtic Manor Resort in 2004 when he overcame Paul Casey in a thrilling play-off.
Khan pipped another more heralded Englishman to gain his second title on Sunday when he pushed Luke Donald back into a share of second place by a single stroke. Donald’s reward was a jump of six places to Number 13 on the Official World Golf Ranking and he will set his sights on going one better when he tees up at Celtic Manor for the first time next week.
Celtic Manor Resort Chief Executive Dylan Matthews said: “It’s great to have two more champion golfers of the calibre of Martin Kaymer and Miguel Angel Jiménez in the starting field for The Celtic Manor Wales Open.
“It is particularly pleasing to see so many of our former winners here at Celtic Manor performing so well on The European Tour and, who knows, we may see the first person lift the trophy for a second time next week.
“This is a great opportunity not only for the players to show Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie exactly what they can do on the tournament course, but also for sports fans to watch top class golfing action on a course which has been purpose built for fantastic spectator viewing.”
Ryder Cup skipper Montgomerie is also in the field, running the rule over fellow Ryder Cup stars Graeme McDowell, Oliver Wilson, Søren Hansen, David Howell, Paul McGinley and Niclas Fasth, the runner-up to Denmark’s Jeppe Huldahl last year.
Other leading contenders for this year’s European Team include Spain’s Alvaro Quiros, Italian brothers Edoardo and Francesco Molinari, and English quartet Ross Fisher, Ross McGowan, Chris Wood and Simon Dyson.
As well as top class sporting action at one of The European Tour’s leading events, The Celtic Manor Wales Open also offers spectators the chance to enjoy family attractions in the tented village and provides a great value, full day out. Children Under-16 enjoy free entry if accompanied by an adult.
Log on to wales-open.com or contact Special Events on +44 1633 410318 to pre-book tickets by Wednesday May 26. Tickets for all four days will be available for cash purchase on the gate.
