The international field for this year’s Iskandar Johor Open was further boosted this week with the additions of Colin Montgomerie, Henrik Stenson and Thongchai Jaidee to the field.
European Tour stalwart Montgomerie, who has been crowned the European Tour’s number one player for eight times in his career, seven of which were from 1993 to 1999, will be competing in the Asian and European Tours co-sanctioned championship for the second time.
With 31 professional victories in a career spanning over 20 years, Monty is easily one of the world’s most successful golfers.
His competitiveness also made him a Ryder Cup legend, where he is undefeated in eight singles matches and his record of seven points from singles after six wins and two halves, equals the Ryder Cup record, as does his tally of six wins.
Last year, the Scot arrived to the Iskandar Johor Open on the back of a successful week as captain of the victorious Europe’s Ryder Cup team and he went on to finish joint 11th, ten strokes behind the champion, Padraig Harrington.
“I had a good week at the Iskandar Johor Open last year. I enjoyed the place, the golf course and the competition,” said Montgomerie.
“It will be great to come back to Johor again this year. I believe this time around the competition will be even tougher but I’m looking forward to it and hopefully I will have a better week this November.”
Like Montgomerie, Sweden’s Henrik Stenson is also looking forward to the Iskandar Johor Open.
The Swede has a knack of pulling off surprises as evident with his victory at THE PLAYERS Championship in 2009.
At the TPC Sawgrass, Stenson started the final day five strokes in deficit but fired a flawless six-under-par 66 final round, where he only missed one fairway to claim a remarkable four-stroke victory over Ian Poulter.
“I’ve never been to Johor but I’ve only heard good things about the place, as well as the championship. I’m sure it will be fun and I’m looking forward to teeing-up against a strong field at the Iskandar Johor Open next month,” Stenson said.
Rounding up the star players for the fifth edition of the Iskandar Johor Open is Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee.
The former paratrooper turned professional golfer has 13 Asian Tour wins and is no stranger to local golf fans. Thongchai has won twice in Malaysia since turning professional in 1999.
When Thongchai won the first of his two Malaysian Open titles in 2004, he became the first Thai player to win a co-sanctioned event, earning him a card on the European Tour where he primarily plies his trade nowadays.
“I’ve only played in the Iskandar Johor Open once in 2008 (where he finished tied ninth) and I would love to compete again this year. The championship has truly grown over the years to become a leading event both on the Asian and European Tours,” said Thongchai.
“I’ve good memories playing in Kuala Lumpur, winning twice, and it will be nice if I can also win in Johor. It won’t be easy as there are many good players at the Iskandar Johor Open but I’ll give my best shot this November,” he added.
The fifth edition of the prestigious Iskandar Johor Open will be played from November 17 to 20 at Horizon Hills Golf & Country club.
Apart from Montgomerie, Stenson and Thongchai, a number of top players, including defending champion Padraig Harrington from Ireland, Colombia’s Camilo Villegas and American, Anthony Kim, will headline the world-class field.
The Iskandar Johor Open 2011 will boast a field of 156 players consisting of 67 players each from the Asian and European Tours, eight invites, eight national qualifiers and six international qualifiers, all vying for the top purse of US$317,000 (approximately RM954, 000).
