Choi, Goosen to renew rivalry at Iskandar

13 August 2010 , By The Star

Reigning champion K.J. Choi of South Korea has confirmed his participation in the Iskandar Johor Open, which will be held at the Horizon Hills Golf and Country Club from Oct 14-17.

He is now set to renew his rivalry with South African Retief Goosen, the 2008 winner, in the championship, which offers a total purse of US$1.25mil (about RM4mil) – up from last year’s US$1mil.

The 25% increase in total prize money means the winner will be pocketing a cheque for US$198,125.

“It is great news that Choi and Goosen, the previous two champions, have confirmed their participation,” said organising committee chairman Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman.

“We are excited at the prospect of another nail-biting edition of the Iskandar Johor Open and I’m sure local golf fans will be delighted to welcome these two big names to our shores in October.”

The 6,271m par-72 championship layout at the Horizon Hills was designed by renowned architect Ross Watson and is regarded as one of the golfing gems in Johor.

The RM30mil sprawling 18-hole international championship golf course was officially opened in 2008 and the Iskandar Johor Open will be the first professional meet to be hosted by the club.

“I’m sure the players will enjoy the challenging layout,” said Ghani, who is also the Johor Mentri Besar.