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Olazabal tees up for first Taiwan BMW Asian Open

Joining a clutch of international golfers in Taiwan at the BMW Asian Open will be two times Masters Champion Jose Maria Olazabal.

The Spaniard is expected to bring a dash of flair to the inaugural competition, which will be held at The Westin Resort, Ta Shee, near Taipei, from Nov. 22 to 25.

Players already confirmed for what will be Taiwan's biggest golf event this year are: John Daly of the US, Fiji's Vijay Singh, Michael Campbell from New Zealand, England's Nick Faldo, Italy's Constantino Rocca and Olazabal's compatriot Miguel Angel Jimenez.

Olazabal said, "Playing BMW tournaments is always great fun and I'm already looking forward top the new BMW Asian Open in Taiwan."

Olazabal has had a checkered history on the PGA Tour, owing to an 18 month layoff due to a foot problem in 1995.

Previously he had won the Masters title at Augusta National. In 1999 came his greatest triumph, when he beat Davis Love III by two shots to pick up another Green Jacket. The BMW Asian Open is jointly sanctioned by both the European and Asian PGA, which has been a boost for the organizers, who are trying to raise the international profile of golf in Taiwan.

The Spanish Ryder Cup star will likely treat the Asian Open as a key event, said Mikael Eriksson, the tournament director of the PGA European Tour, "As it marks the commencement of the 2002 European PGA season.

"Our players know that BMW will stage an excellent event worthy of the trip to Taiwan."

Ramland Dato Harun, of the Asian PGA said, "The Asian PGA is proud to jointly sanction this event ... We will be working to present a week of world class golfing from the professional shootout, to the ProAm, to the tournament.

"The course is in superb shape and we look forward to some excellent golf from an international field."

Era Ticketing,which has 200 offices in Taiwan, is offering tickets for NT$300 on a weekday, and NT$400 on the weekend. A "season" ticket for all the days is available at NT$800.
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