ICHEON (Yonhap News) ― Ahead of South Korea’s only European Tour golf tournament, key golfers on Wednesday emphasized the importance of the short game.

Blackstone Golf Club in Icheon, about 100 kilometers southeast of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province, will host the Ballantine’s Championship for four days starting Thursday. It’s the tournament’s sixth year in South Korea and third at the 7,281-yard layout.

At No. 7 in the world, Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa is the highest-ranked player in the field this week. The 2010 Open champion pushed Bubba Watson to the limit at the 2012 Masters before losing on the second playoff hole, but missed the cut at Augusta National this year.

At a press conference here Wednesday, Oosthuizen blamed his subpar putting for the disappointing result at the Masters and said he has worked especially hard on his short game.

“My putting wasn’t very good in the first two rounds (at the Masters),” said Oosthuizen, who shot 74 and 76 to miss the cut by two shots. “I haven’t seen the course yet. But standing on the range, it looks like there will be a few (narrow fairways) off the tee. I am just trying to hit a few shots and get the jetlag out of the way.”

Bae Sang-moon, a South Korean member of the PGA Tour, agreed that putting will be at a premium this week.

Bae played at Ballantine’s last year and tied for 20th. He said he only arrived from the U.S. on Tuesday and he hadn’t seen the course yet, but added he’s fully aware of its challenges.

“Undulations on these greens are really tricky,” Bae said.

“There are a lot of spots from which you could well have three putts or four putts.”

Bae said he’s enjoying working with his new coach, Rick Smith, whose star-studded clientele has included Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh, David Duval and Greg Norman.

“I am happy with the way I’ve been improving, but it’s disappointing that it hasn’t led to good scores,” said the 26-year-old.

N.K. tension affects tournament

ICHEON (Yonhap News) ― The tense security situation on the Korean Peninsula has affected an upcoming golf tournament scheduled in South Korea this week, with a pair of big names having withdrawn citing concerns about their safety.

The Ballantine’s Championship returns for the sixth year on Thursday. As Blackstone Golf Club in Icheon prepares to stage the event, the field will be missing two stars who’d been marketed as main attractions.

Zach Johnson, the 2007 Masters champion, and Dustin Johnson, a two-time U.S. Ryder Cup member, pulled out earlier this week.

According to tournament organizers, they made their decision “following perceived unrest on the Korean Peninsula.”

Their fears have stemmed from growing tension in the region, as North Korea has for weeks issued threats to attack South Korea and the United States, in protest of international sanctions imposed on Pyongyang.

Zach Johnson would have made his South Korean debut this week.

Dustin Johnson, one of the longest hitters in men’s golf, was set for his first appearance here since placing fourth at the 2011 Ballantine’s Championship.

The two Americans haven’t been the only players concerned about the situation here. Earlier this month, Spaniard Alvaro Quiros, a six-time European Tour winner, said he felt it was “a stupid idea” to play golf in South Korea at this juncture.

The tournament will go on without them, however.