TOURNAMENTS

Blue Canyon Country Club leapt to fame when the Canyon Course was selected as the venue for the 1994 Johnnie Walker Classic. This was followed by the 1996 Honda Invitational Tournament of the Omega Tour. The Canyon Course's reputation as Asia's best is reaffirmed when 1998 Johnnie Walker Classic returned for the second time - the only course to host the tournament twice in its 11 years of the tournament's history.

Many of the world’s top golfers, including Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Fred Couples, Ian Woosnam and Greg Norman, kept the galleries captivated by their excellent play right until the last hole in 1994. Greg Norman holed his final putt to win the 1994 Johnnie Walker Classic with a final round of 64, holding on to beat Nick Faldo to reclaim the World No. 1 ranking and setting the Canyon Course record too. Tiger Woods also played in the 1994 Johnnie Walker Classic as an amateur, finishing joint 34th and he is still the current amateur record holder for the Canyon Course with a round of 71.

Australia's Steve Elkington left his world class stamp by winning the Omega Tour's US$300,000 1996 Honda City Invitational. Elkington carded a final-round three-under-par 69 for a four-round total of 281, seven-under-par, to win by one shot over Felix Casas of The Philippines.

In January, 1998, the Johnnie Walker Classic returned to the Canyon Course as the first event on the 1998 European Tour calendar. Once again, many of the world's top golfers competed for the title, including Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam.

The spectacular finish included one of the greatest comebacks in tournament golf. On the final day, Tiger Woods was 9 strokes behind leader Ernie Els. Woods made up the 9 strokes in dynamic fashion and Els had to birdie the 18th for a playoff. The first hole of the playoff was a draw, but Woods birdied the next for a dramatic and hugely popular win in his mother's homeland.