Scott returns to defend the title in Scandinavian Masters by Carlsberg

World Number 11 Adam Scott of Australia returns to Barsebäck Golf and Country Club this week to defend the Scandinavian Masters by Carlsberg against the strongest field in the 14 year history of the event.

All but one of the previous winners are in action with Scott leading the way following his impressive victory 12 months ago when he held of England’s Nick Dougherty to win by two shots.

Scott has a superb record of winning when leading after 54 holes having won his last six titles after heading the field going into the final round. Indeed, victory in last year’s Scandinavian Masters by Carlsberg marked the start of a glorious 12 month spell during which he won three times on the US PGA Tour.

A month after winning at Barsebäck and claiming his fourth European Tour title, Scott captured made his winning breakthrough on the US PGA Tour by winning the Deutsche Bank Championship. This season he has added The Players Championship and the Booz Allen Classic to his tally.

Colin Montgomerie of Scotland, a three time winner of the event, and double champions Jesper Parnevik of Sweden and Lee Westwood of England, are also in action.

Parnevik returns to action for the first time since a shoulder injury ruled him out of The Barclays Scottish Open and the Nissan Irish Open last week. Winner in 1995 at Barsebäck and 1998 at Kungsängen, Parnevik will be looking to join Montgomerie in the record books as a three-time champion.

The home challenge is further strengthened by Joakim Haeggman, winner of the title in 1997 and the Qatar Masters earlier this season, and Fredrik Jacobson, a winner of three titles on The 2003 European Tour International Schedule.

Both players are in the race for a place in the European Ryder Cup Team for The 35th Ryder Cup Matches at Oakland Hills from September 17 - 19. With just six counting events remaining on the European Points List and five on the World Points List, Haeggman will be looking to consolidate his position while Jacobson, who fell out of the automatic places after the Open Golf Championship, needs a good week to force his way back into the Team.

Niclas Fasth and Pierre Fulke, Members of the victorious 2002 European Ryder Cup Team, are in action alongside 2004 Madeira Island Open champion Christopher Hanell and other European Tour winners Peter Hedblom., Robert Karlsson, Richard S Johnson, Per-Ulrik Johansson and Carl Pettersson.

Westwood will be making his first appearance since finishing fourth at Royal Troon, his closing 67 for a six under par total of 278 which gave him his best finish in a Major Championship, beating his tie for fifth place in the 2000 US Open Championship at Pebble Beach.

Other past champions include Englishmen Peter Baker (1993) and Nick Faldo (1992) who, like Parnevik, was forced to withdraw from last week’s Nissan Irish Open with a shoulder injury, and Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell (2002).

The Scandinavian Masters by Carlsberg will be played at Barsebäck Golf and Country Club for a seventh time and carries a prize fund of €1,600,000.




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