DID YOU KNOW - ISPS HANDA PERTH INTERNATIONAL
• ISPS Handa will be the title sponsor for the second time on The European Tour in 2013, following the ISPS Handa Wales Open.
• For the second consecutive season the ISPS Handa Perth International will be played at Lake Karrinyup Country Club. The first time the Perth venue staged a European Tour event was the 2002 Johnnie Walker Classic. The course played host to that event in 2003 as well.
• For the first time in European Tour history a European Tour event in Australia will be the final counting event for players to keep their European Tour card.
• When this tournament was played for the first time in 2012 it became the seventh different European Tour event to be played in Australia. The other six were: the Heineken Classic (1996-2005), Johnnie Walker Classic (1997, 2002-03, 06, 09), Greg Norman Holden International (2000-01), WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship (2001), ANZ Championship (2002-04) and Australian Masters (2007-09. The event was played twice on the 2009 European Tour Schedule).
• Should American Bo Van Pelt make a successful defence of his crown he won 12 months ago, he would become only the fourth player from the United States to win the same European Tour event in back-to-back years. The other three are: Bob Byman (1977-78 Dutch Open), Tom Watson (1982-83 Open Championship) and Tiger Woods (made 12 successful defences).
• History was made at Lake Karrinyup Country Club in the 2003 Johnnie Walker Classic where Ernie Els broke the European Tour record for the lowest winning 72 hole total in relation to par of 259 (-29). The other new mark established by the four-time Major Champion was the lowest first 54 holes in relation to par of 193 (-23). His 72 hole total of 259 was only one shot behind the lowest winning total in European Tour history.
• Els’ fellow South African Major Champion, Retief Goosen also put in name in the European Tour record books. In the 2002 Johnnie Walker Classic, also at Lake Karrinyup Country Club he established the largest the 54 hole lead of 13 shots, on his way to victory.
• Large winning margins were the order of the day in both Johnnie Walker Classics staged at Lake Karrinyup Country Club. In 2002 Goosen won by eight shots and 12 months later Els won by ten.
• Five different Australians have won European Tour events on home soil. They are: Jarrod Moseley (1999 Heineken Classic), Lucas Parsons (2000 Greg Norman Holden International), Aaron Baddeley (2001 Greg Norman Holden International and 2008 Australian Masters), Craig Parry (2005 Heineken Classic) and Rod Pampling (2009 Australian Masters (played in November 2008).
