Woods ready to tee off at WGC-HSBC Champions

China Daily | Updated: 2009-09-05 07:41

With World No 1 Tiger Woods and defending champion Sergio Garcia committed to the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in Shanghai this fall, Asia's first grand tournament of its kind will boast the best-ranked players ever to be assembled on the continent.

World No 2 Phil Mickelson, a winner in Shanghai in 2007, leads the list of recent entrants and together with the addition of Australia's world No 8 Geoff Ogilvy, means that all of this year's World Golf Championship winners will be competing for the fourth and final event in the series this year.

Sure to be at the center of attention in Shanghai will be the winner of the 2006 HSBC Champions, Yang Yong-Eun, whose PGA Championship win earlier this month ensures that the World Golf Championships status for an Asian tournament will have greater historical significance.

Paul Casey, Henrik Stenson, Stewart Cink and Padraig Harrington, ranked 3rd, 5th ,10th and 11th on the Official World Ranking respectively, have also added their names to those challenging for the newly increased prize fund of US$7 million. They will be joined by Sean O'Hair, one of the United State's rising stars, currently ranked World No 20, at Shanghai's Sheshan International Golf Club from Nov 5 to 8. O'Hair will be joined by a number of US PGA Tour players to be confirmed over the coming weeks.

Firmly established as a must-see event for golf fans, the speedy sell-out of the half-price family passes in July speaks of the growing excitement surrounding the highly anticipated showdown that will take place at Sheshan International Golf Club.

While discounted family passes have already been sold out, fans still have a chance to get in on the action with the following early-bird specials (excluding student passes):

Sept 1 - Oct 8: 10 percent off every standard or family pass purchased

Oct 9 - Nov 3: 5 percent off every standard or family pass purchased.

HSBC and the tournament organizer are also providing a 15-percent discount to holders of the following HSBC cards: Visa and MasterCard credit cards issued by HSBC (excluding joint-issued cards), HSBC China Premier Recognition Card, and the HSBC China Premier debit card, for every purchase of a standard or family pass (excluding student passes).

Tickets to the 2009 World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions can be bought from the tournament's official ticket agent Shanghai East Ticket through its call center, website and various outlets. For more information, please call the ticket hotline: (+86 21) 962-388 or visit www.hsbcgolf.com.

To get to the tournament, visitors can take Subway Line 9 to Sheshan Station, which is a five-minute ride from Sheshan International Golf Club. IMG will organize a complimentary shuttle bus service between the city and the golf club. A detailed schedule will be available at www.hsbcgolf.com prior to the event.