UBS Hong Kong Open: McIlroy Relishing Fanling Return


Hong Kong (October 21) Young gun Rory McIlroy is looking forward to a return to the US$2.5 million UBS Hong Kong Open - and to tackling what he calls one of his favourite venues. The Northern Irishman, ranked 17th in the world, was defeated in a thrilling sudden-death play-off by Chinese Taipei's Lin Wen-tang at the venerated Hong Kong Golf Club last year. And the in-form McIlroy, who is chasing top spot in the Race to Dubai, believes a good result in Hong Kong will set him up perfectly for the following week's Dubai World Championship and the Omega Mission Hills World Cup.

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WGC-HSBC Champions Uniting The World, Says O'Grady


Shanghai (October20): Originally conceived as a tournament of champions for the world, the HSBC Champions will take the natural, and deserved, step up the ladder of golfing hierarchy next month when it assumes the mantle of a World Golf Championships (WGC) event for the first time. Already established as a title most players desired on their respective CVs, its elevation to one of only four WGC events throughout the season has heightened that yearning amongst the game’s elite to an extent where a truly world-class field will assemble at the Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai from November 5-8. The European Tour was one of four original sanctioning Tours – in addition to the China Golf Association – whose joint vision helped the HSBC Champions flourish over the past four years and European Tour Chief Executive George O’Grady was delighted to see the championship progress to WGC level.

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Midea China Classic: Home Hero Liang Delights His Supporters


Guangzhou (October 18): Liang Wen-chong became the first Chinese champion on OneAsia after a three-under-par 68 gave him a 14-under total of 270 and a four-stroke win in the US$500,000 Midea China Classic. Zhang Lian-wei, the 2006 winner and another Guangdong hero, birdied the par-five 18th to finish on 10-under and deliver a Chinese one-two to the delight of the large galleries at the Royal Orchid International Golf Club in Shunde. Australian Peter Wilson birdied the last three holes for a 64 to share third place on nine-under with European Tour player Matthew Millar (65) and former New Zealand Open winner Michael Long (68). “I’m really excited as it’s my first win in the Midea and I had a lot of fans supporting me today,” said Liang, whose supporters included his parents, wife and four-year-old son. “I felt a lot of pressure, especially on the front nine, but even when I was a few strokes ahead, I had to concentrate hard to maintain my game and stay in front.”

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Mercedes-Benz Masters Indonesia: Kwanchai Flexes His Muscles


Jakarta (October 17): Thailand’s Kwanchai Tannin left the field trailing in his wake today as he recorded a convincing seven-stroke victory in the US$60,000 Mercedes-Benz Masters Indonesia. He fired a final round four-under-par 68 at Emeralda Golf and Country Club for a winning total of 16-under-par 272. Thai Wisut Artjawanat finished joint second with Indonesian Johannes Dermawan, the club’s General Manager who completed one of the performances of the season on the Mercedes-Benz Tour. Both players closed with 71s. Kwanchai, who ended joint third last week in the Indian Open, finally spilled the beans on why he has hit peak form over the past two weeks. “I have to thank Boonchu (Ruangkit) and his wife for pushing me to go the gym over the past three months. They told me to get fit so I have been going three or four times a week,” said Kwanchai, whose mother is the sister of top Thai golfer Prayad Marksaeng.

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Big Two Gearing Up For Sumptuous Shanghai Showdown


Shanghai (October 16): Tiger Woods will aim to continue his remarkable record in the World Golf Championships (WGC) arena when he and world number two Phil Mickelson headline an impressive American challenge for the WGC–HSBC Champions at the Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai from November 6-9. The world number one has enjoyed a decade of dominance in WGC events, claiming an astonishing 16 individual WGC titles in total. His first triumph came in the WGC–NEC Invitational at Firestone Country Club in Ohio in August 1999, while his most recent success came two months ago at the same venue in the WGC–Bridgestone Invitational. While next month sees the HSBC Champions elevated to a WGC event for the first time, it is a tournament Woods has not won in the past. Therefore, the chance to put that particular statistic right, while at the same time extending his own WGC record, is a challenge he admitted he will relish.

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Commissioner Finchem All Set For Marathon Asian Swing


San Francisco (October 15): Tim Finchem is finally getting serious about Asia. Clearly concerned about the prospect of losing more American sponsors, the US PGA Tour Commissioner is set to embark on an 18-day Asian mission. As well as taking in the US$7 million WGC-HSBC Champions at Shanghai's Sheshan International Golf Club, Finchem will spend time in Korea and Japan and visit at least two other cities in the region. Although he said expanding a PGA Tour presence is 'not a primary focus of ours right now', he confirmed that he plans to meet with current and potential sponsors.

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