Tiger returns for HSBC Champions in China
BY Bruce Young | Asian Tour | 2006 HSBC Champions Tournament | Preview | 09 Nov 2006
The rich HSBC Champions tournament gets underway at the Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai on Thursday with arguably the strongest field ever assembled in an Asian event.
The world’s leading two players, Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk are joined by two others from the top ten in Retief Goosen and Luke Donald and all but Ernie Els from the 2006 European Tour’s Order of Merit top ten are playing.
The attraction of the US$5 million purse is no doubt an incentive for all 74 players in the field but for several they will no doubt being rewarded with significant appearance fees in addition just to be in China.
The Nelson & Harworth designed layout was first used for the inaugural staging of this event last year when David Howell defeated Tiger Woods by three shots to win the opening event of season 2006. This year’s event kick starts the 2007 European Tour season and at week’s end the winner, should he be a European Tour player, will have made a flying start to the 2007 season.
The event is jointly sanctioned between the European, Asian, Australasian and Sunshine (South Africa) Tours and brings together a field of players who have achieved success at various levels throughout the past twelve months.
Tiger Woods is in the field after missing last week’s Tour Championship in Atlanta and by all accounts is fit and ready to go. This will be part of a two leg visit to Asia as next week he will be in Japan for the Dunlop Phoenix event in Miyazaki where he will look to make it three wins in succession in that event.
Jim Furyk is playing this event for the first time but he is such good form at present he could do well anywhere.
Outside of the two standouts there are many players for whom a victory this week would be of little surprise given the form that so many of them are in at present. Retief Goosen, Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald, Paul Casey, Henrik Stenson, Ian Poulter, K.J. Choi, and Robert Karlsson all have genuine chances and the hopes certainly don’t stop there.
Australasia is well represented with Michael Campbell the leading ranked player from this part of the world. Campbell’s form at present has been mixed. The last time he played was when he finished runner up to Retief Goosen a month ago in the Volkswagen Masters on Hainan Island and he returns to China looking to go one better.
Nick O’Hern has played very seldom of late and when he has it has been less than his normal standard. Peter O’Malley, Paul Sheehan, Steve Bowditch, Scott Strange, Adam Bland and Kane Webber all have starts for various achievements over the past year or so and for the likes of the South Australian Bland this is a great opportunity to play in an event in which Tiger Woods plays and where US$5 million is up for grabs.
Photo – Anthony Powter
