New Zealand-born US Amateur Champion, Danny Lee, pulled off an impressive win at the Johnnie Walker Classic at the Vines Resort course this weekend.

The 18 year old won the tournament by a single shot after hitting a 17 under 271. Second place was shared by Japan’s Hiroyuki Fujita, Chile’s Felipe Aguilar and England’s Ross McGowan.

“It feels like I’m dreaming at the moment,” Lee told the Associated Press. “I won lots of amateur tournaments before and the U.S. Amateur, but this is a totally different feeling. It’s a pro event.”

Lee, who will turn pro after playing in the US Masters, won the tournament with a brilliant final-round 5 under 67. He put himself in a winning position on the 17th hole, potting a tough 15 foot putt.

“All I wanted to do is make the cut and play well and get in the top 20. But I played extremely well today, and I won it.”

The first day of the 2008 Johnnie Walker Classic in Delhi India stirred up some unexpected results. The first round of golf saw local caddie turned pro golfer Shamim Khan card a 5 under par 67 to tie for first place with Argentine Daniel Vancsik.

The two leaders shot contrasting rounds of golf to arrive at the top of the leaderboard. Khan hit a flawless bogey-free round of golf with 5 birdies, while Vancsik hit two Bogeys which he evened out with an eagle on the par ninth, with five birdies pushing him into the lead.

Pre-tournament favourite and world number five Adam Scott took second place on the leaderboard as he carded a round of 66. Scott was set to take the lead before he encountered problems at the 16th hole, making a double-bogey on the par 3 hole to concede the lead he had built during the day.

Despite his jubilation at the day’s results Shamim Khan will be aware that there is not much to separate the leaders from the rest of the field at this early stage of the 2008 Johnnie Walker Classic, with Adam Scott sharing second place with 10 other golfers.

This year’s Johnnie Walker Classic has drawn a strong field that includes world number five Adam Scott, as well as world number 11 Vijay Singh. While Scott and Singh will have to work hard against a field that includes a host of talented locals and emerging golfers, Scott in particular is a favourite to win the title he last claimed in 2005.

Adam Scott Profile:
Born in Australia in 1980, Adam Scott is one of only three young golfers to have made a major impact on the PGA tour. Scott made a bright start to his career, winning the Alfred Dunhill Championship at the age of 21 in 2001, before going on to win the Qatar Masters and Scottish PGA Championships in only his second year of play.

Scott’s career has lost none of its momentum since his first clutch of victories. By 2005 he became the only the third player on tour under the age of 25 to have reached the top ten, an accomplishment which came courtesy of a win at the Nissan Open.

Although Adam Scott is a player of undisputed class, his recent early exit from the Accenture Match Play Championships came as a result of problems in his putting game. He’ll need to get on top of this aspect of his game to take his second Johnnie Walker Classic title.

With the dust settling on the 2008 Accenture Match Play Championships, the landscape of professional golf is rearranging itself after a week of upsets and unexpected results that left only Tiger Woods standing.

Players who failed at the Match Play Championships will have plummeted down the world golf rankings, and in the next three weeks dozens of the worlds top golfers will be seeking out tournaments where they can earn valuable rankings points.

One player whose year has been irrevocably changed by events in Arizona is Scotsman Colin Montgomerie. Montgomerie was knocked out of the 2008 Accenture Match Play Championships in the 3rd round by American Stewart Cink. The result left Montgomerie stranded in 62nd place in the world golf rankings, and in urgent need of ranking points to make the 2008 US Masters.

With many other top players heading to the Honda Open or taking a short break from the PGA tour, Colin Montgomerie will now be heading to Delhi to take part in the 2008 Johnnie Walker Classis. Montgomerie will need to make a strong impression on the event to claim some ranking points, and will need to recapture the form that saw him capture the European Open in 2007.

The 2008 Johnnie Walker Classic will tee off on Monday, with South African Anton Haig looking to defend the title he won in 2007. After the 2007 tournament which saw Haig beat highly ranked compatriots Ernie Else and Retief Goosen, the young South African should be well placed to take a second win on a field somewhat thinner in talent.

After hitting a course record equaling round of 64 on the final day of the 2007 Johnnie Walker Classic, Anton Haig capped his win with his best shot of the tournament on the 18th hole. Following a brilliant round of golf, fellow South African Ernie Else commented that Anton Haig was a talent to watch.

Although Ernie Else and Retief Goosen will be absent from the 2008 Johnnie Walker Classic, Anton Haig will still find himself up against some experienced golfers including Vijay Singh, Adam Scott and Colin Montgomerie. Major opposition is also likely to come in the form of the elements.

2008 marks the first time that the Johnnie Walker Classic is being played on the Indian subcontinent, and Anton Haig may struggle to keep focus in the sweltering heat and humidity of Delhi. The tough conditions are almost certain to favour the small contingent of local players.

From the 28th of February one of the most lucrative events for players from the Asia-Pacific region will be teeing off in Delhi. Although the  £1,250,000 prize fund up for grabs in the 2008 Johnnie Walker Classic is not huge by PGA standards, it represents a significant prize for some of Oceania, Asia and Africa’s best players and the quality of golf on offer is always of the highest order.

The tournament is almost certain to give an advantage to the players who recently competed in the inaugural Indian Masters. Amongst the favourites to take the 2008 Johnnie Walker Classic title is Irishman Damien McGrane.

A new entry into the top ten of the European order of merit, McGrane achieved a commendable second place in the Indian Masters, and believes he has adapted sufficiently to conditions to make a real impact on the event.

McGrane will find himself up against a strong South African contingent including last year’s winner Anton Haig and rising star James Kamte. The 2008 Johnnie Walker Classic will also offer an intriguing display of emerging Indian talent, including former caddy turned Indian Masters winner SSP Chowrasia and compatriot Jeev Milkha Singh.