Cape Town, 25 September 2008: European Ryder Cup star Henrik Stenson and rising English golfer Chris Wood are the latest to join one of the strongest fields in South African Open Championship history at Pearl Valley Golf Estates in December.
Both players have been confirmed for the 18-21 December showpiece and will tee up alongside a trilogy of the greatest South African golfers - Masters champion Trevor Immelman, triple Major champion Ernie Els and double US Open champion Retief Goosen - defending champion James Kingston, European Tour Order of Merit winner Justin Rose, Lee Westwood, Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy.
Stenson will seek to become only the second Swedish champion of the South African Open following the triumph of Mathias Grönberg at Randpark Golf Club in 2000.
The powerful Swede made a significant impact on world golf in 2007, winning the Dubai Desert Classic and the World Golf Championships - Accenture Match Play to finish a career high fourth on the European Tour Order of Merit, which will be known as The Race to Dubai from next season following a partnership between The European Tour and Dubai-based Leisurecorp, owners of Pearl Valley.
This year Stenson has already achieved ten top-ten finishes on The European Tour, including tied third in the British Open and tied fourth in the US PGA Championship.
Wood joins a distinguished field as a result of having turned professional shortly after his tied fifth-place finish in the British Open at Royal Birkdale while still an amateur.
Wood will seek to join an equally illustrious list of champions who won the South African Open in their first appearance, including Vijay Singh and Bobby Locke.
David Spencer, Leisurecorp CEO-Golf, owners of Pearl Valley Golf Estates, said:
"Henrik is based in Dubai and is a good friend of ours, so I'm delighted that he has decided to play; he's one of the biggest hitters in the game and always a big draw. Chris Wood was an unknown before The Open, but his incredible performance at Birkdale, not to mention his immense frame made a few people sit up and take notice! Chris is a rising star of the game and definitely one to watch this season.
"With the course in such great condition and the world-class field among the best in the Championship's history, this year's event promises to be one of the highlights of The Race to Dubai calendar."
Admission to the South African Open will be free for anyone who pre-registers for tickets at www.southafricanopen.com from Thursday 25th September. Free tickets will also be available from the Pearl Valley Lifestyle Experience at V&A Waterfront in Cape Town from 25th September. An admission charge of R100 will be applicable for any visitors who attend the tournament without pre-registering. Anyone who has already purchased tickets for the South African Open can have the cost of their ticket fully refunded by contacting Maru Sport at 011 444 9400.
For every visitor who obtains free tickets to the South African Open, R5 will be donated to the official charity, the Pebbles Project. For more information on the Pebbles Project visit www.pebblesproject.co.za
