The WGC – HSBC Champions is once again ready to showcase China as one of golf’s emerging superpowers as the four Major Champions of 2011 gather at Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai to headline a global field consisting 20 different nationalities competing for a US$ 7million prize fund.
Masters Champion Charl Schwartzel, US Open winner Rory McIlroy, Open Champion Darren Clarke and US PGA Champion Keegan Bradley will look to add the final World Golf Championship event of 2011 to their Major Championship success, along with WGC – Cadillac Championship winner Nick Watney and WGC – Bridgestone Invitational champion Adam Scott.
The winner of this season’s other WGC event, the WGC - Accenture Match Play Championship, World Number One Luke Donald, will not be in Shanghai this week as he is awaiting the birth of his second child at home in Chicago, but his absence will provide the likes of Schwartzel, McIlroy, Martin Kaymer and Lee Westwood the perfect opportunity to close the gap on the current leader of The Race to Dubai.
Such has been Donald’s dominance of world golf over the past 12 months, the Englishman leads McIlroy by more than €1.3 million in The Race to Dubai having won the US PGA Tour money list in America a fortnight ago.
With a first prize of more than €800,000 on offer in Shanghai this week, as well as big prize funds to play for over the next month before the season climaxes at the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World, the door remains open for McIlroy (second), Schwartzel (third), Kaymer (fourth) and Westwood (fifth) to close ground on Donald .
Westwood, who finished second to Italian Francesco Molinari 12 months ago, is certainly looking forward to his return to China, a country the World Number Two agrees is one golf’s most fertile landscapes.
“The World Golf Championships should move around and encapsulate the whole world because it's in the title of the tournaments,” said Westwood.
“They should be played by players from all over the world and be played all over the world. China's an emerging market for golf; there are so many courses being built, people taking up the sport and people getting interested in the sport.
“China is somewhere that World Golf Championships should be played because it could turn into such a dominant force in the sport.
“Last year's event was great. Francesco and I ran away from the field. It probably looked good on TV and that sort of thing gets people interested. The more tournaments that are played in China the more interest there will be.”
After an epic battle with Westwood last year, Molinari eventually finished one shot clear of the Englishman on 19 under par to capture the biggest win of his career so far. The Championship had become a two horse race with Donald and Richie Ramsay sharing third place, some nine shots behind Westwood and ten behind Molinari who has fond memories of winning his second European Tour title in such an impressive manner.
“Last year was a great week and I’ve got some great memories of the event and the course,” said the Ryder Cup player, who finishing tied tenth in last week’s Andalucía Masters.” I’m really looking forward to going back there to defend the title and it’s a golf course that I really like. I’m in good form and I would love to do well again.
“My battle with Lee was probably the best golf I’ve played so far on Tour and the best week I’ve had on a golf course. Going back there now I realise what I did there and I’d love to play that well again. It’s going to be hard to repeat that form this year but I’ll be trying to defend the title. I set a really high standard last year.”
