Ballantine's Championship
The Ballantine's Championship was a European Tour golf tournament which was played from 2008 to 2014. It was the first European Tour event to be staged in South Korea.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | South Korea (2008–2013) Singapore (2014) |
| Established | 2008 |
| Tour(s) | European Tour Asian Tour Korean Tour (2008–2013) |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Final year | 2014 |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 264 Graeme McDowell (2008) 264 Jeev Milkha Singh (2008) |
| To par | −24 (as above) |
| Final champion | |
 | |
From 2008 to 2010, the tournament was played at Pinx Golf Club on the island of Jeju. From 2011 to 2013, the tournament was played at Blackstone Golf Club. In 2014, the event has moved to Laguna National Golf & CC in Singapore and titled as The Championship at Laguna National.[1]
The tournament was announced in July 2007 by the European Tour in partnership with the Korean PGA,[2] marking a continuation of the European Tour's expansion into Asia. The Asian Tour, which had not been offered the co-sanctioning rights to which it felt it was entitled, responded by calling the event an "invasive" action that "colonised" Asia in "blatant disregard" of the "principles of the International Federation of PGA Tours",[3] but six months later it agreed terms to co-sanction the event.[4] The prize fund in the first year was €2 million (circa US$2.9 million).
Winners
| Year | Winner | Country | Score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Championship at Laguna National | ||||||
| 2014 | Felipe Aguilar | | 266 | −22 | 1 stroke |   |
| Ballantine's Championship | ||||||
| 2013 | Brett Rumford | .svg.png){kind=small} | 277 | −11 | Playoff |  |
| 2012 | Bernd Wiesberger |  | 270 | −18 | 5 strokes | |
| 2011 | Lee Westwood |  | 276 | −12 | 1 stroke |  |
| 2010 | Marcus Fraser | | 204* | −12 | 4 strokes |  |
| 2009 | Thongchai Jaidee |  | 284 | −4 | Playoff |  |
| 2008 | Graeme McDowell | | 264 | −24 | Playoff |  |
*Shortened to 54 holes due to bad weather.
References
- "Laguna National to host 'The Championship'". PGA European Tour. 10 April 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- "Ballantine's brings first European Tour event to Korea". PGA European Tour. 3 July 2007. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 22 November 2008.
- Garrod, Mark (3 July 2007). "Asian Tour left fuming". Sporting Life. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2008.
- "Asian Tour co-sanctions Indian Masters". Calcutta Telegraph. 16 January 2008. Retrieved 22 November 2008.