FRENCHMAN Victor Dubuisson and Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen are now confirmed starters for the 2016 Perth International at Karrinyup Country Club in February.
The high-profile Europeans will join existing headliner Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open winner, in what is shaping as a very attractive field.
Olesen will be defending the title he won when the jointly sanctioned European Tour event was last held, in its previous October timeslot, in 2014.
His win in Perth marked his second victory on the European Tour and he has since added a third title at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews last October.
“I have some great memories from my last visit to Perth and am really looking forward to defending my title at Lake Karrinyup,” Olesen said as part of an official announcement this week.
Dubuisson finished runner-up to Olesen in 2014 and was another winner on the European Tour last October, securing his second Turkish Airlines Open in the past three years. He is currently No.7 on the 2016 Race to Dubai Rankings.
“I made a good run at Thorbjorn in the final round last time, so hopefully I can go one better this time around. Lake Karrinyup is a wonderful course and I look forward to getting back there,” said Dubuisson.
WA’s acting Tourism Minister Albert Jacob said securing these players was fantastic for the event’s profile.
“The State Government is proud to sponsor the Perth International through Tourism WA because it really helps put Perth and WA on the map,” Jacob said.
“Big names mean more broadcast interest; the Perth International generates tens of millions of dollars of media coverage across Australia and in key international markets such as China, Indonesia, Germany, the UK and the US.”
Tickets for the Perth International, staged from February 25-28, start from $22 and are available through Ticketmaster. Children under 16 will gain free entry with a paying adult.
For general event information visit www.perthinternational.com