Golf
McIlroy signs up for Singapore
2012-09-11 07:56
Singapore - World number one Rory McIlroy will
headline this year's Barclays Singapore Open along with three-time
winner Adam Scott and American star Phil Mickelson, organisers said on
Tuesday.
McIlroy, who won his second major title at the PGA
Championship last month, adds significant celebrity power to the US$6
million event which is yet to announce next year's title sponsor.
The
Northern Irishman, as well as four-time major champion Mickelson, will
also play a prominent role in the famous Ryder Cup team tournament
taking place in Chicago later this month.
The November 8-11
Singapore Open, touted as "Asia's major", started in 1961 but is
competing in an increasingly crowded market. In May, British bank
Barclays decided not to extend its current contract, which expires this
year.
Last month, Asian Tour chief executive Mike Kerr said he
was in talks to bring an "iconic" tournament at a "similar level" to
the majors to Asia within three to five years, but did not reveal in
which country.
McIlroy underlined his top ranking on Sunday when
held off an elite field to claim his second consecutive win on the US
PGA Tour play-off series, putting him in pole position for the series
champion's $10 million bonus.
The 23-year-old will play in
Singapore as part of an Asian swing that will also take him to the BMW
Masters in Shanghai and a one-day matchplay face-off against Tiger Woods
elsewhere in China.
Australia's Scott, the world number five, can
burnish his season after a heart-breaking outing at the British Open,
where he threw away a four-shot lead with four holes to play to hand
victory to Ernie Els.
He will feel at home in Singapore after
winning a record three titles in 2005, 2006 and 2010, and finishing
third in 2007 and equal third in 2009.
Left-hander Mickelson is
seeking his first win at Sentosa Golf Club after competing in the last
five Singapore Opens. His best finish was in 2008, when he placed ninth.
A field of 156 will compete for the $1 million winner's cheque at an event which is also known for its weather delays.
Last
year, Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano beat Filipino Juvic Pagunsan in
a play-off which had to be completed early on the Monday morning after a
series of tropical storms.