Sergio Garcia and Padraig Harrington will lock horns on British soil for the first time since their epic Open Championship duel last year when they will renew their rivalry in The European Open at The London Golf Club, near Gravesend, from July 3-6.

Garcia and Harrington will be joined in a world-class field by the defending champion Colin Montgomerie and reigning European Tour Number One Justin Rose for the £2.4million event, played over the Jack Nicklaus-designed Heritage Course.

Last July Garcia and Harrington went head-to-head in a four hole play-off at Carnoustie, with Harrington emerging victorious to be crowned The Open Champion, and two weeks before memories of that encounter are rekindled at Royal Birkdale, the pair will line-up at The London Golf Club.

Garcia will be making his first appearance in Europe since winning The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass last month. It was the biggest of his 17 titles worldwide and lifted him back into the top ten in the Official World Golf Ranking in addition to boosting his prospects of a fifth successive Ryder Cup appearance for Europe against the United States.

Harrington, the World Number 12, will be looking to fine tune his game ahead of his Open Championship defence from July 17-20 by claiming his first title in England.

Rose heads to The London Golf Club having recently finished joint runner-up in the Memorial Tournament, a performance which lifted him to World Number Six and the position of the highest placed European on the Official World Golf Ranking.

Montgomerie became the most prolific British winner in European Tour history when he claimed his 31st title by winning The European Open at The K Club in Ireland twelve months ago, surpassing Nick Faldo’s record of 30 wins.

England’s Richard Finch, who alongside Tiger Woods has the distinction of being a multiple winner of The 2008 European Tour International Schedule, is also in the field alongside other 2008 champions, Felipe Aguilar, Grégory Bourdy, John Bickerton, Mark Brown, S S P Chowrasia, Alastair Forsyth, James Kingston, Peter Lawrie, Thomas Levet, Graeme McDowell, Damien McGrane, Hennie Otto, Jeev Milha Singh and Scott Strange.