Cape Town, 14 November: Tim Clark has confirmed his place in December's South African Open Championship at Pearl Valley Golf Estates, and seeks a third victory in a tournament he describes as the next most significant to him after the Majors.

Clark will join Ernie Els, Trevor Immelman, Retief Goosen, Lee Westwood, Darren Clarke, Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson and defending champion James Kingston in the field for the 18-21 December celebration of golf in the Cape Winelands.

The South African star on the PGA Tour won the South African Open in 2002 and January 2005, and said those two victories remain among the highlights of his career.

"They're titles that I really cherish and this is certainly a tournament I look forward to every year. The chance to play in South Africa in front of your home fans is great because we spend so much time playing overseas," Clark said.

"I'd really like to add to my two wins. Ernie has won it four times, Retief has won it twice, Trevor has won it twice, and I've won it twice. I'd like to win a few more. I think after the Majors, any golfer wants to win his national Open and it's the same for me. This championship has so much history and it's always produced such great champions."

Clark has struggled with injury over the past few years, but in 2008 played the most tournaments on the PGA Tour that he has in the last four years. He earned just under $2-million from 27 tournaments this year, including three top-tens and a second-place finish in the Crowne Plaza Invitational.

While he is still searching for his first victory on the PGA Tour where he has finished second six times, Clark has earned more than $11-million in what has been a highly successful showing on the American circuit.

"I've been chasing my first victory for quite a while, and it's just one of those things that hasn't happened," said Clark.. "I can only hope once I do get over that hurdle there will be more to come. I feel like the best way to go about it is to go out and play golf, and if it's going to happen, it's going to happen."

Clark's game has moved to another level in 2008, and there was no clearer evidence of this than in the Deutsche Bank Championship towards the end of August where he came close to becoming only the fourth player to shoot a 59.

"I've been comfortable with my golf game. At the start of the year I was fighting a lot of things. I couldn't really feel my swing very well, and I've just stopped thinking about my golf swing, just going out and looking at the target and swinging. That's just how I seem to play my best golf."

David Spencer, Leisurecorp CEO-Golf, owners of Pearl Valley Golf Estates, said:

"We're delighted that Tim, a past double-champion has confirmed his entry to this event, which has the one of the strongest fields of a tournament ever in South Africa. He'd like to pick up a hat-trick so we wish him all the best in his quest to be a three-time winner. "Leisurecorp is extremely proud to be hosting the world's second oldest Open Championship at Pearl Valley Golf Estates this year. The Race to Dubai has already captured the imagination of the sporting world and the SA Open will play a pivotal role in determining the early front runners in their quest for a share of a staggering $10 million prize fund. The course is looking spectacular and with such a momentous season ahead of us, the tournament's best ever field, and free entry, this year's SA Open promises to the most exciting in its long history."

Admission to the South African Open will be free for anyone who pre-registers for tickets at www.southafricanopen.com. Free tickets will also be available from the Pearl Valley Lifestyle Experience at V&A Waterfront in Cape Town from 25th September.

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