Tiger Woods impressed with field for HSBC Champions, Asia's richest tournament with $

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Tiger Woods impressed with field for HSBC Champions, Asia's richest tournament with $7M purse



Tue Nov 3, 9:43 AM

By Doug Ferguson, The Associated Press


SHANGHAI, China - Five years after Tiger Woods first showed up in Shanghai, he is amazed that the HSBC Champions has grown so quickly into a World Golf Championship that has attracted its strongest field ever.

The world's No. 1 player helped kick off the week Tuesday by hitting golf balls into the Shanghai River with three past champions - Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia and Y.E. Yang, who rallied to beat Woods at the PGA Championship this year.

Woods has won 16 of the 30 WGC events he has played. In his two trips to the HSBC Champions, he has been runner-up both times.

The US$7-million tournament - the richest in Asia - begins Thursday at Sheshan Golf Club.

Woods and Mickelson are competing for the first time together in Asia, part of a 78-man field that includes 15 of the top 20 players in the world ranking.

"How this event has grown to where it is now is truly remarkable," Woods said Tuesday. "To see the excitement level here ... and how much it means to everyone, it's great to be part of it. This year with the field we have, it's going to be a lot of fun."

Yang first came to prominence at the HSBC Champions when he finished two shots ahead of Woods in 2006. The previous year, Woods finished second to David Howell.

Now that it's a World Golf Championship, perhaps his fortunes will change.

Woods has dominated since this series began in 1999, winning 16 of the 30 times in WGC individual events. His latest such victory came at the Bridgestone Invitational in August.

"I've come close here a couple of times," Woods said. "I didn't get it done. Hopefully, this week I can put it together and improve on that finish."

Expectations are larger than ever, especially after the turnout for the opening news conference at The Bund, the famous riverfront with a state-of-the-art skyline.

Photographers were everywhere and most of the questions were directed at Woods. Some of the questions were planted, most of them covering the anticipated growth in China, the market with the most potential.

Mickelson won the HSBC Champions two years ago, his first big win overseas, and is finishing a two-leg stop in Asia having played last week in the Singapore Open.

Mickelson had not won much overseas because he rarely ventured outside the United States except for the British Open. That changed with the FedEx Cup, which ended the regular season in America in late September.

"That has given us two-and-a-half months at the end of the year to play elsewhere throughout the world," Mickelson said.

And it's a responsibility he takes seriously.

"I think that we would love to help grown the game throughout the world," Mickelson said. "Our participation helps grow awareness, it can spark interest in youth to get them started. If we can get kids interested in the game, I think in 15 to 20 years is when we'll see golf prosper in China."

The HSBC Champions received another boost with Cui Dalin, the deputy director of China's General Administration of Sport and its vice-president of the Chinese Olympic Committee, took part in the news conference. He is the most senior politician to public support golf.

It already has been a banner year for golf in Asia.

Yang made the biggest impact. Not only did he become the first Asian-born major champion, he became the first player to win a major when Woods was atop the leaderboard going into the final round.

Beyong-Hun An, a 17-year-old South Korean, became the youngest champion of the U.S. Amateur in August. The HSBC Champions is held one week after the inaugural Asian Amateur Championship, which was inspired by the leaders of Augusta National and the Royal&Ancient.

"This event definitely has provided a platform for a lot of Asian golfers to showcase their skills," Yang said.