Darren Clarke and Sergio Garcia to play first Ho Tram Open

The $1.5m purse will be contested for the first time in December.

European Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke and Sergio Garcia will both play the inaugural Ho Tram Open in Vietnam this December.

The tournament will be played at the Bluffs Ho Tram Strip between December 3-6, with a purse of $1.5m to be won.

The Asian Tour event will welcome 144 players, with Clarke citing the facilities as part of the reason for his interest in playing the tournament.

"All I keep hearing is that the resort and golf course are nothing short of world-class," Clarke said.

"When I heard more about what the promoters were looking to achieve, it made the decision even easier. It's going to be a great week for everybody with plenty of good golf, excitement and entertainment."

WATCH: Darren Clarke's swing sequence

Garcia said: "Vietnam has always been an intriguing destination for golf and one I have been paying close attention to.

"We are blessed with a lot of great tournaments around the world, but the opportunity to experience a new destination, a new course and a new challenge is very appealing to me."

Jed Moore, Ho Tram's Tournament promoter, believes that Garcia's inclusion gives the tournament's potential a significant boost.

He said: "Sergio is at the pinnacle of the sport, which, coupled with his charismatic style and his spirit of entertainment, gives us the perfect package for the Ho Tram Open."

England's Robert Rock,  Thomas Bjorn and Geoff Ogilvy will also take to the course, which is located two hours southeast of Ho Chi Minh City and opened in October 2014.

The tournament, hosted on a links-like layout, has been dubbed 'Asia's Grandest Stage', with Ben Styles, Vice President Golf and Residential Development of Ho Tram Strip, saying: "We have a three-year event strategy dedicated to creating one of Vietnam’s most historic sporting and social occasions."

"It’s testament to the vision of our ownership group to invest in a headline event at Ho Tram, given Vietnam’s surging economy and escalating local appetite for blockbuster events," he added.

Two-time major winner Greg Norman designed the course, which is positioned near the Grand Ho Tram Strip's 541-room five star hotel, casino and restaurants.

Styles added: "We have secured some great partners to the event, who have been hugely supportive of the event vision and how it will positively impact their businesses.

"We look forward to sharing further announcements from our confirmed list of headline players and additional news around the event in due course."