January 21- 24, 1999 Defending Champion: Ernie Els Purse: $1,000,000 Host course: Stellenbosch Golf Club Where: Stellenbosch,Cape Town,South Africa

Strong field heads for South African Open

Els looking for back to back victories

Top dog Els expected to walk it

Ernie Els the one to beat - again

JOHANNESBURG -- Former British Open and Masters champion Nick Faldo will play in January's $1 million South African Open, the South African Tour organizers said on Wednesday.

Faldo is one of several European professionals who will play in the tournament, one of two events on the South African Tour which are jointly sanctioned by the European Tour.

The South African Open, the second-oldest Open championship in world golf, will be played at Stellenbosch Golf Club in the Cape from Jan. 21-24.

The overseas challenge to defending champion Ernie Els also features Germans Bernhard Langer, Alexander Cejka and Sven Struever, Swedes Per-Ulrik Johansson, Patrik Sjoland and Joakim Haeggman and Eamonn Darcy of Ireland.

The six-tournament schedule opens with the South African PGA Championship, the other European co-sanctioned event, at Johannesburg's Houghton Golf Club.

The South African schedule includes the South African PGA Championship (Jan. 14-17), South African Open (Jan. 21-24), Players' Championship (Jan. 28-31), Dimension Data Pro-Am (Feb. 4-7), South African Masters (Feb. 11-14) and Royal Swazi Sun Open (Feb. 18-21).

TRW 17/12/98