Date: November 14, 2012
Author: Golf Australia

Star quartet join Open field

Download: Official Emirates Australian Open iPhone App from the iTunes store PGA TOUR winners Kyle Stanley and Marc Leishman join John Senden and Robert Allenby as the latest players to confirm their place at the Emirates Australian Open at The Lakes Golf Club in Sydney from 6-9 December. Stanley won his maiden PGA TOUR title at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February, just a week after finishing runner-up at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in California. The American finished 11th at the Emirates Australian Open in 2011. Leishman also made his PGA TOUR breakthrough with a nail-biting victory at the Travelers Championship in June the sole Australian victory on the PGA TOUR so far in 2012. The pair will be joined by two former Australian Open champions in John Senden and Robert Allenby. Senden, the 2006 champion, enjoyed another consistent season on the PGA TOUR with four Top 10 results and finished in the Top 30 of the FedEx Cup rankings. He was runner-up to Greg Chalmers in the 2011 Open. Allenby, who won the Open in 1994 and 2005, narrowly missed out on a PGA TOUR victory when he lost a marathon eight hole play-off to American John Huh at the Mayakoba Classic in Mexico earlier in the year. Golf Australia CEO Stephen Pitt said the quartet would make their mark on the 2012 Open. It’s terrific to have two of this year s TOUR winners in Marc and Kyle in action at The Lakes and John and Robert have both lifted the Stonehaven Cup before and they know what it takes to win an Australian Open, Pitt said. To have players of the calibre of Justin Rose, Tom Watson, Adam Scott, John Senden, Greg Chalmers, Kyle Stanley, Geoff Ogilvy, Marc Leishman and Robert Allenby leading the field in Sydney makes for a very exciting week for golf fans across Australia. Co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia and OneAsia, all four days of the championship will be broadcast on the Seven Network. Tickets for the 2012 Emirates Australian Open are on sale now via www.ticketek.com or by calling 132 849. Corporate Hospitality and Travel Packages for the championship are still available.