Edfors plans to peak at Black Mountain Masters
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Swedish star Johan Edfors is planning to hit the summit again when he defends his title at the US$600,000 Black Mountain Masters, the Asian Tour's season finale, next month.
Last year, Edfors claimed a commanding wire-to-wire victory in the inaugural event at the highly rated Black Mountain Golf Club which subsequently led him to purchasing a home at the exclusive resort.
He will be joined in the elite field by England's Simon Khan, winner of the European Tour's flagship tournament, the BMW PGA Championship this year, Finland's Mikko Ilonen and the Asian Tour's leading lights.
"I had a great week there last year. I also bought a house in Black Mountain and I live there during the winter months. It'll be fun to return to play on my home course. I spent eight weeks in Black Mountain last winter and I really like it," said Edfors.
The 35-year-old Swede enjoyed a banner season in 2006 with three victories while this season, he has posted four top-10s, including a second place finish at the recent Vivendi Cup.
Edfors has also won in China previously and believes he can contend again at the Black Mountain Masters.
"I enjoy playing in Asia. It'll be fun to play one more event on the Asian Tour this year. I'll try to hang on to my title. Last year, I played solid all week. I remember I had a bit of a stumble on the back nine on the last day but secured it with a birdie at the last hole. It was all together a great week," said Edfors.
Although Hua Hin is a long way from Sweden, Edfors said he felt right at home at Black Mountain due to the large Swedish community in the coastal resort town south of the capital city of Bangkok.
"There are so many Swedes in Hua Hin that it felt at home. It'll be better this year as I know a lot of them now," said Edfors, renowned for his big-hitting game.
"I took a liking to everything there when I first visited Black Mountain. It's a great golf course, the practice facilities are terrific and the weather is certainly hard to beat."
He is expecting a tough title defence with the cream of the Asian Tour set to gather for the season finale which will crown a new Order of Merit champion.
"Simon and Mikko are also coming and it's going to be a really good field. I'll have to battle it out for the title again," said Edfors.
Ilonen, a regular on the European Tour, is also looking forward to a return to Black Mountain and hopes to secure a win as a year-end present for himself. "The atmosphere was really good last year. The course is challenging but I certainly know it better now," said Ilonen, who owns a condominium at Black Mountain.
"As the final tournament for the Asian Tour season, it'll be a really good event and I'm looking forward to it. It is always nice to come over to Asia and we've never been disappointed with the golf courses and cities that we visit. For a guy like me, it's something different and it keeps the mind fresh.
"It'll be nice to win the Black Mountain Masters as a Christmas present. That's what I'm looking forward to," he added.
The Black Mountain Masters will feature a minimum 132 players where the tournament winner will earn a two-year exemption on the Asian Tour, widely regarded now as the third largest Tour in the world behind the PGA Tour and European Tour. As the flagship tournament this season on the Asian Tour, the winner will also receive a minimum 20 world ranking points.
The tournament will also be broadcast live over four rounds on the Asian Tour's global television network which reaches to over 40 countries worldwide. Broadcast partners of the Asian Tour include Guangdong Golf Channel and CCTV in China, PCCW in Hong Kong, ABS-CBN in the Philippines, StarHub in Singapore, Sportscast in Chinese Taipei, SportTV in Portugal, Fox International in the Middle East, Canal+ in Spain, Iko Balkan in Balkans, Skysports in the United Kingdom, FoxSports in Australia, ESPN Star Sports in India, CCTV in China, Indovision in Indonesia, Astro in Malaysia, JGolf in Korea, Viasat in Scandinavia and True Vision in Thailand.
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