Johnson and Jimenez join stellar field in Korea

American ace Dustin Johnson and 18-time European Tour winner Miguel Ángel Jiménez have been added to the star-studded field for next month’s Ballantine’s Championship in Korea.

The duo will be joined by two of Korea’s biggest talents – teenage sensation Noh Seung Yul, the reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, and Kim Kyung Tae, a three-time winner in Japan last year.

"Ballantine's have been busy assembling a fantastic field for the tournament and with so many great players taking part, I'm excited to get out there and give it my best for the Korean galleries."

Dustin Johnson

Big-hitting Johnson – who has four victories on the PGA Tour, including two last year – will be making his first competitive appearance in Asia.

“It will be my first time playing in Korea and I'm really looking forward to the experience – not just from a golf point of view but also as a chance to travel and experience a different culture,” he said.

“I've heard great reports about Korean golf and I know the fans are extremely passionate and knowledgeable about the game, so I know it will be a memorable trip for me.

“Ballantine's have been busy assembling a fantastic field for the tournament and with so many great players taking part, I'm excited to get out there and give it my best for the Korean galleries.”

Johnson, 26, is regarded as one of the most thrilling talents in world golf and last year became the first player since Tiger Woods to go straight from college and win in each of his first three years on the PGA Tour.

Currently ranked No.11 in the world, he is the second longest hitter on the PGA Tour, behind Bubba Watson, averaging more than 311 yards per drive.

In addition to his PGA Tour victories, he had top-10 finishes in both the US Open and PGA Championship last year. Earlier this month, he finished runner-up at the WGC-Cadillac Championship in Miami.

Spanish icon Jiménez, meanwhile, has a brilliant record in the Far East with European Tour victories in Hong Kong – twice – Thailand and China. It will be his first competitive appearance in Korea since finishing joint second in the 2004 Korea Golf Championship.