Johnnie Walker Super Tour

The Johnnie Walker Super Tour was a golf tournament that was held in Southeast Asia in 1996, 1997 and 1998, during the European Tour off-season. It was an eight-man, six-day, four-round, 72-hole stroke play event with each round being played in a different country. The field consisted of four of the world's leading golfers plus one player from each of the host countries.

Johnnie Walker Super Tour
Tournament information
LocationSoutheast Asia
Established1996
FormatStroke play
Prize fund$350,000
Month playedNovember/December
Final year1998
Tournament record score
Aggregate269 Vijay Singh (1998)
To par−19 Vijay Singh (1998)
Final champion
Fiji Vijay Singh

The tournament was sponsored by Johnnie Walker and had a prize fund of $350,000 each year.[1][2][3] The winners were four-time major champion Ernie Els, Jesper Parnevik and three-time major champion Vijay Singh.

Event summaries

1996

The first tournament was played for a first prize of $100,000.[4] The star players were Ernie Els, Colin Montgomerie, Vijay Singh and Ian Woosnam, and they were joined by Lin Keng-chi, Park Nam-sin, Felix Casas and Chawalit Plaphol from the host countries of Taiwan, South Korea, the Philippines and Thailand respectively.[5] The tournament was played over six days, with one round at each of Ta Shee Golf and Country Club in Taipei, Seoul Country Club in Seoul, Orchard Golf and Country Club in Manila, and Thana City Golf and Country Club in Bangkok.

Els held at least a share of the lead after each round, firstly alongside Lin and Park after Taipei, then with Woosnam after South Korea. After the Philippines he was in sole possession of the lead, but Woosnam came back in Bangkok to leave them tied after 72-holes. On the first hole of the sudden-death playoff, Els made a par to secure the victory.[4]

1997

The second edition was contested by Els, Woosnam, Nick Faldo, Jesper Parnevik, Maian Nasim, Boonchu Ruangkit, Casas and Hong Chia-yuh.[6] Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Taiwan were the hosts. Faldo and Parnevik were tied for the lead after both the first and second rounds,[6] before Parnevik pulled ahead in Boracay and held on in Taiwan to finish four strokes clear of Faldo in second place.[7][8]

1998

Nine golfers contested the third tournament, again with a $100,000 first prize, with Parnevik, Els, Singh, Brian Watts, Marimuthu Ramayah, Prayad Marksaeng, Chang Tse-peng and Casas being joined by star of the women's game Laura Davies; Filipino, Casas was invited as there was no representative from China. After the six day tour in Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan and China, Singh emerged as the winner, two strokes ahead of Els with Davies finishing adrift in last place.[9]

Winners
YearWinnerScoreTo parMargin of
victory		Runner-upLocationsRef.
1998Fiji Vijay Singh269−192 strokesSouth Africa Ernie ElsMalaysia, Thailand, Taiwan and China[9]
1997Sweden Jesper Parnevik276−124 strokesEngland Nick FaldoIndonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Taiwan[7]
1996South Africa Ernie Els274−14PlayoffWales Ian WoosnamTaiwan, South Korea, the Philippines and Thailand[4]

References
  1. "Tour De Loot Goes The Extra Mile". Spokesman. Associated Press. 6 November 1996. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  2. "Two shoot 67 in Super Tour". Tampa Bay Times. 10 December 1997. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  3. "Final scores Sunday of the $350,000 Johnnie Walker Super Tour event". Walla Walla Union Bulletin. 16 November 1998. Retrieved 26 February 2020 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  4. Rosaforte, Tim (18 November 1996). "The silliest silly season event". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  5. "Colin Montgomerie one off lead in Johnnie Walker Super Tour in Taipei". The Independent. 6 November 1996. Archived from the original on 2022-06-14. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  6. "Display of mirror-image leadership by Faldo and Parnevik". The Independent. 12 December 1997. Archived from the original on 2022-06-14. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  7. "Parnevik's good start proves enough to hold off Faldo". The Independent. 15 December 1997. Archived from the original on 2022-06-14. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  8. "Golf – Super Tour; Parnevik Wins By Four Shots". New York Times. Associated Press. 15 December 1997. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  9. "Singh's 62 wins Johnnie Walker". CBS. 10 November 1998. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
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