The 2008 Australian Open is set to provide another major experience as Australia s best players compete to keep the Stonehaven Cup on home soil in the presence of formidable international challengers. 2006 US Open champion and 2008 World Golf Championship winner Geoff Ogilvy will be joined this year by world number 17 Adam Scott as well as former champions Robert Allenby, Stuart Appleby, Peter Lonard and defending champion Craig Parry. A runner-up at Royal Sydney in 2006, Ogilvy will hope to capture his first Australian Open title in December. Geoff Ogilvy said: It’s the one I want to win. I always look forward to coming home to play the Australian Open. Royal Sydney is a great course with a wonderful atmosphere and always delivers an excellent championship. This year I want to go one better and walk away with the title. The competition will be especially fierce between the Australians! Leading the international field will be five-time European Ryder Cup team member Darren Clarke. Clarke, a former winner of the Bridgestone Invitational, WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and this year s winner of the BMW Asian Open and KLM Open in the Netherlands. Joining Clarke will be 2005 US Open champion Michael Campbell, also a winner of the World Match Play championship. John Senden will hope to relive his previous glory at Royal Sydney, where he lifted the cup in 2006. Adding to the world-class Australian line-up are Richard Green, Nick O Hern and Sydney s own Won Joon Lee. 2008 US Amateur champion Danny Lee and former US Amateur champion Nick Flanagan will be determined add the Stonehaven Cup to their collection. Adding to the field will be a host of players from the Asian, Korea and Japan Tours. As one of the premier events in the Asia Pacific region, Golf Australia has increased this region s exemptions to 19 in 2008, with a host of special invitations being issued. One such invitation has gone to 17 year old Japanese player Ryo Ishikawa who made history on the Japan Golf Tour by becoming the youngest ever winner of a men&aposs regular tournament, lifting the Munsingwear Open KSB Cup at the age of just 15.