Singapore, October 24: Reigning European Tour number one Robert Karlsson of Sweden and an all-star cast of winners from the past three seasons will take centre stage at next week’s US$5 million Barclays Singapore Open.

The European Tour is sanctioning the tournament for the first time with the Asian Tour, leading to an avalanche of entries from players keen to improve their standing on the Race to Dubai.

The Euro express will roll into Sentosa Golf Club packed full of winners from 2007-2009 such is the strength of the field, which features Major champions Phil Mickelson, Padraig Harrington, Ernie Els, Geoff Ogilvy and Michael Campbell.

World number two Mickelson won the WGC-CA Championship and Ogilvy took the WGC-Accenture Match Play this year, both of which count to the European Tour rankings.

Karlsson and 2007 Order of Merit number one Justin Rose will be joined by Asian specialist Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain and South Africa’s Richard Sterne and Thai ace Thongchai Jaidee, both two-time winners on the European Tour this season.

Former Asian Tour star James Kingston of South Africa, who won the Mercedes-Benz Championship in September, highly rated New Zealander Danny Lee, victorious in this year’s Johnnie Walker Classic as an amateur, and 2009 BMW International Open champion Nick Dougherty of England are also in the field of dreams along with Lin Wen-tang of Chinese Taipei, the winner of the 2008 UBS Hong Kong Open which was part of the current season.

American Anthony Kang, who lifted the Malaysian Open earlier in the year, Spain’s Alvaro Quiros, Shane Lowry of Ireland, Argentine Daniel Vancsik, Danes Soren Kjeldsen, Anders Hansen and Jeppe Huldahl, Swedes Peter Hedblom, Oskar Henningsson and Alexander Noren and Frenchmen Thomas Levet and Christian Cevaer are other winners from the 2009 schedule in the line up.

Karlsson will be keen to get back on track in the Barclays Singapore Open from October 29-November 1 after four months out of the game with an eye problem. He returned to defend his crown at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship earlier this month but missed the cut.

The colourful Jimenez starts with an advantage as he has won four European Tour events played in Asia and loves competing in the region.

Thongchai is seeking a hat-trick of titles for the first time in a season and a win over The Serapong Course would see him tie up the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit for a record third time and jump back into the money-spinning top-15 in the Race to Dubai.

“I’ve not won three tournaments in a year before, but this year I have a very good chance (of achieving that goal),” said Thongchai, who lifted the Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia Open and the Ballantine’s Championship in Korea earlier in the year.

Dougherty has fond memories of Singapore having won the first of his three European Tour titles, the Singapore Masters, in the Lion City in 2005.

Established players and rookies alike will be gunning to join the European Tour winners in the elite field during the two-day qualifying competition on Sunday and Monday.

Five places will be up for grabs on both days of the qualifiers, which will be played over 18 holes at Sentosa Golf Club’s Tanjong Course.

Ends

About Barclays
Barclays is a major global financial services provider engaged in retail and commercial banking, credit cards, investment banking, wealth management and investment management services, with an extensive international presence in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. With over 300 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 50 countries and employs over 155,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for over 48 million customers and clients worldwide. www.barclays.com

Barclays Golf sponsorships
In addition to the Barclays Singapore Open, Barclays is title sponsor of the Barclays Scottish Open and The Barclays in the US, and it also sponsors golfers Phil Mickelson and Darren Clarke.

About Sentosa Island
Sentosa is Asia’s leading leisure destination and Singapore’s premier island resort getaway, located within 15 minutes from the central business and shopping districts. The 500-hectare resort island is home to an exciting array of themed attractions, award-winning spa retreats, lush rainforests, golden sandy beaches, resort accommodations, world-renowned golf courses, a deep-water yachting marina and luxurious residences - making it a vibrant island resort for business and leisure.
By 2014, some 2,000 homes at Sentosa Cove will dot the coast. Situated on the eastern end of Sentosa Island, the exclusive residential enclave will feature romantic quayside restaurants, retail and specialty shops. Offering Singapore’s only truly oceanfront residences, Sentosa Cove is fast becoming the world’s most desirable address. The Island is proud to be home to Sentosa Golf Club and its two acclaimed golf courses, The Serapong and The Tanjong. Since 2006, Asia’s richest national open, the annual Barclays Singapore Open, has teed off on The Serapong with star-studded line-ups featuring international players and golf professionals from Asia, Europe and the USA playing to nail-biting finishes. Welcoming a growing number of local and international guests every year, Sentosa is an integral part of Singapore’s goal to be a global destination to work, live and play.

About the Asian Tour
As the official sanctioning body for professional golf in Asia, the Asian Tour leads the development of golf across the region, enhancing the careers of its members while maintaining a commitment to the integrity of the game. The Asian Tour, through its membership of the International Federation of PGA Tours, is the only recognised pan-Asian professional golf tour in Asia.  This unique feature positions the Asian Tour at the pinnacle of professional golf in Asia; providing its events with Official World Ranking status. Tour Partners include ESPN Star Sports (Official Regional TV Broadcaster), Pin High (Official Apparel Partner), Ricoh (Official Office Solutions Provider) and Srixon (Official Ball). Sentosa, Singapore’s premier island resort getaway, is the Home of the Asian Tour.

About the European Tour
The PGA European Tour is an organisation which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the Senior Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour. Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England. The European Tour is the primary golf tour in Europe.
The European Tour was established by the British-based Professional Golfers' Association, and responsibility was transferred to an independent PGA European Tour organisation in 1984. Most events on the PGA European Tour's three tours are held in Europe, but in recent years an increasing number have been held in other parts of the world outside of North America. The PGA European Tour is a golfer-controlled organisation whose primary purpose is to maximise the income of tournament golfers. It is a company limited by guarantee and is run by a professional staff but controlled by its playing members via a board of directors composed of 12 elected past and present tour players and a Tournament Committee of 14 current players. As of 2007, the Chairman of the Board is Neil Coles and the Chairman of the Tournament Committee is Thomas Bjørn. The European-based events on the European Tour are nearly all played in Western Europe and the most lucrative of them take place in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France and Spain. The PGA European Tour also stages The Ryder Cup in cooperation with the PGA of America.

For more information, log onto www.barclayssingaporeopen.com