Darren Clarke, 2011 Open Champion, will compete in this year’s PGAs of Europe endorsed BEKO Classic from 15-17 November, joining a host of top players that will battle it out at Cornelia Golf Club in Belek, near Antalya in southern Turkey.
Clarke brings with him the experience of almost 500 career starts on the European Tour since 1990 as well as his break-through major winning performance at the 2011 Open Championship, where he stormed to victory by three shots over Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson.
Clarke, a five-time Ryder Cup player himself, has had a season that has also included a Vice-Captain role with the victorious Ryder Cup Team Europe, and no doubt his experience was passed on to the winning 12 players as they fought back for a record-equalling final day turnaround.
The BEKO Classic will already host another two European Ryder Cup players in the form of Andrew Coltart and Paul Broadhurst, making for a combined seven appearances, together with 24 European Tour wins, and 21 Challenge Tour wins between all the competitors.
Notable other entries include two-time Challenge tour winner, and one-time European Tour winner, Phil Golding, hoping to defend his BEKO Classic title after the stunning finish from the 2011 tournament; previous champions Simon Edwards, Jon Bevan, Jamie Little, Erol Simsek, Raymond Rusell, and Liam Bond; and winner of the 2004 Volvo PGA Championship, Scott Drummond.
The field will contest the Pro-Am over the Faldo design, 27-hole course, with a different 18-hole layout being played on each day, for a prize-fund of US$80,000, from 15th to 17th November 2012.
PGAs of Europewww.pgae.com
Cornelia Golf Club www.corneliaresort.com