Youth Takes on Experience at 2014 Volvo Golf Champions

South African star and four-time Major winner Ernie Els will headline the field at the Volvo Golf Champions along with a host of Europe’s most established stars at the Volvo Golf Champions, The European Tour’s  ‘Tournament of Champions.’ Record-breaking 20 year old Matteo Manassero will head up the challenge of the next generation competing for an increased prize fund of USD 4 million at the Durban Country Club from the 9th to 12th January 2014 with more star players to be announced next week.

Els, a 26-time winner on the European Tour is joined by European Ryder Cup stalwarts, Miguel Ángel Jiménez, three-time Major winner Pádraig Harrington, 2010 Open Champion Darren Clarke , eight-time Order of Merit winner Colin Montgomerie,  17-time European Tour winner Thomas Björn  and two time Major winner José María Olazábal. Between them, they have won 142 European Tour titles and have 170 years of experience playing on the European Tour.

By contrast, Italian star Matteo Manassero, a four-time winner on the European Tour before his  twentieth birthday, is one of a talented group of young twenty somethings looking to emulate the successes of their elders by adding the 2014 Volvo Golf Champions to their CV. Peter Uihlein , a 24 year old American, is the newly crowned winner of the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year having won his maiden title at the 2013 Madeira Islands Open and finished 14th in the Race to Dubai. Also qualified is Victor Dubuisson, the 23 year old from France, after his stunning win at the Turkish Airlines Open last month along with Korea’s 23 year old Jin Jeong who won the 2013 Perth International and Asia’s newest  superstar, 24 year old Kiradech Aphibarnrat, qualified with a win at the Maybank Malaysian Open and leads the 2013 Asian Tour Order of Merit by an unassailable margin.

This exclusive, limited-field event of European winners will also enjoy a substantial head start over their peers at the beginning of the year. The elite group of players will battle it out for their share of the USD 4 million prize fund at the start of the season when so many players are looking to secure their entry into the other big events such as The Masters and stake their claim to a place on the 2014 European Ryder Cup team.

Els will be looking for his first Volvo Golf Champions title, having lost out the last two years to his talented young countrymen, Branden Grace (2012) and Louis Oosthuizen (2013) who are both confirmed in the field. Els explained, “I am really looking forward to starting my year at the Volvo Golf Champions at the Durban Country Club. I have had some great wins there and I really enjoy the course and it is always extra special to play in front of my home fans. It is going to be a very tough week with so many excellent players in the field but hopefully we will have another fantastic tournament and I will be able to give the crowds something to cheer about come Sunday afternoon.”

Manassero added, “Hopefully I will get off to a better start than I did in the 2013 tournament! I opened with a 75 before playing three great rounds in the 60s and finished top 10. It is the perfect way for me to open my season, playing against such an elite field full of so many amazing champions on a course really suits my game.  I hope I can continue how I left off last year and have a great week to kick start my season and give myself the chance to win this very prestigious title.”

The Championship is returning for the second consecutive year to the Province of KwaZulu-Natal and to the magnificent Durban Country Club. The Championship is being supported by the Provincial Government’s Department for Economic Develop and Tourism, who began a relationship with the Event in 2013 having understood the tourism and business benefits of hosting the Tournament in the Province.

Only European Tour players who have won an event on the previous year’s International Schedule and current Tour Members with more than ten European Tour victories qualify and Tournament organisers IMG and Volvo will announce more of these players next week.

For more information visit www.volvoingolf.com

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