South Africans head Matchplay field

Open champion Ernie Els and 2001 US Open winner Retief Goosen head the 12-man line-up for next month's World Match Play Championship at Wentworth.

South African Els, who clinched the third major title of his career with his play-off victory at Muirfield in July, won an unprecedented hat-trick of Match Play crowns at Wentworth between 1994 and 1996.

There are three other players in the global top 10 joining world number three Els and fourth-ranked Goosen in the October 17-20 event.

Fifth-ranked Spaniard Sergio Garcia, world number eight Padraig Harrington of Ireland and Fijian Vijay Singh, the world number nine who won the 2000 US Masters, were all named in the Wentworth field.

British involvment comes from the veteran trio of Colin Montgomerie, defending champion Ian Woosnam and Nick Faldo, while Justin Rose appears in the event for the first time.

New Zealander Michael Campbell and Canada's Mike Weir complete the line-up, with a 12th competitor due to be announced shortly.

Apart from Els, there are four other former winners in the field: Woosnam (1987, 1990 and 2001), Faldo (1989 and 1992), Montgomerie (1999) and Singh (1997).

Tournament field: Michael Campbell (New Zealand), Ernie Els (South Africa), Nick Faldo (England), Sergio Garcia (Spain), Retief Goosen (South Africa), Padraig Harrington (Ireland), Colin Montgomerie (Scotland), Justin Rose (England), Vijay Singh (Fiji), Mike Weir (Canada), Ian Woosnam (Wales).

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