Three of the year's four major winners head the field for the 2003 World Matchplay Championship at Wentworth in England, tournament organisers said yesterday.
British Open champion Ben Curtis, US Masters winner Mike Weir of Canada and American Shaun Micheel, who won last month's US PGA Championship, will be in the 12-man field competing for a first prize of $1 million, one of the richest in the game.
US Open champion Jim Furyk and world number one Tiger Woods were unable to accept invitations to play in next month's event because of prior commitments.
World number two Ernie Els of South Africa will defend the title he has won four times in his career, with 1997 matchplay champion Vijay Singh of Fiji and Denmark's Thomas Bjorn, joint British Open runners-up, also taking part.
German Alex Cejka, Swede Fredrik Jacobson, Americans Chad Campbell and Len Mattiace, Australian Stephen Leaney and South African Tim Clark complete the line-up.
The World Matchplay Championship will be played on Wentworth's West Course from October 16th-19th.
The biggest first prize in golf is on offer at the Sun City Challenge in South Africa. Els pocketed $2 million for winning the 2002 tournament in December.
