European Tour Insider: The growth of HSBC Champions

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Phil Mickelson, who played last week in Singapore, typicallly plays at least two Asian events at the end the year.

The HSBC Champions event in Shanghai has been regarded as Asia's major since its inception in November of 2005. Now it has the magic World Golf Championships designation in front of the title, ensuring that it is officially on a par with the world's foremost tournaments.

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None other than world No. 1 Tiger Woods has made the trip to China.

Former champion Phil Mickelson headed north from his stint in Singapore last week. As he bids to reclaim the title he won in 2007, the No. 2 player in the game said, "After The Open Championship, it is hard to think of a bigger and better tournament held outside America. This tournament deserves to be part of the WGC series."

The event was initially designed to bring winners from the European Tour together with those tasting success in China, Asia, Australasia and South Africa. Its scope has now widened to include the PGA TOUR and the Japan Tour, assuring a gathering of world's elite at Sheshan International Golf Club.

YELL FOR YANG
Undeniably now among the best is PGA Championship winner Y.E. Yang.

The win at Hazeltine National was not the first time the Korean had relegated Woods into second place, though. In November 2006, Yang first made his mark on the world scene with a two-stroke victory at the HSBC Champions, leading to the headlines: "Shanghai Surprise."

European Tour Podcast

Robert Lee and John Hawksworth reflect on a good week for English golfers, as Ross Fisher and Ian Poulter emerged victorious at the World Match Play in Spain and the Singapore Open, respectively. The guys also preview the 2009 World Golf Championships - HSBC Champions in Shanghai, and offer a bunker tip from Sam Little. Click to listen

Yang

"This is such a big thing that's happening to me," Yang said at the time. "Now that I've won, I expect to play a lot of tournaments. I just want to be able to compete with the best players in the word, and I think this win has given me that chance."

He got and took that chance, and you can guarantee the Asian audience will be thrilled to see him competing among the top names in China.

FISHER KING
Ross Fisher is up to 17th in the Official World Golf Rankings courtesy of his Volvo World Match Play win on Sunday.

There's an irony that the young Englishman grew up at Wentworth, the home of the event from back in 1964, which was 16 years before Fisher was born.

"I've watched a lot of them over many years," Fisher said. "To be a part of it is great, but to be champion -- I'm absolutely over the moon."

He goes to Shanghai fourth in the Race to Dubai, looking to improve on the playoff defeat in Sheshan when he beaten by Mickelson. It was a swift departure from Spain for Fisher, but at least the flights were well organized by his management team.

When he won his first title, the KLM Open in Holland, he missed his intended flight back to England. I should know, because I missed it, too. We went from one side of Schiphol airport to the other, and found a low cost carrier with one remaining flight.

I looked after his luggage as he sorted his ticket and vice-versa. His celebration drink was a bottle of water. He sat on the plane with the trophy between his legs. And bear in mind he'd just won an event with an airline as the headline sponsor!

HAPPY HANSON
Fisher wasn't the only winner after the event at Finca Cortesin.

Peter Hanson was celebrating the win over Anthony Kim as well. Not that he's got anything against Kim, you understand. But the result capped a chain of events that allows the Swede to compete in Shanghai.

It's a complex series of events that can't be explained succinctly here, but suffice to say: "Ross has no idea how much I was rooting for him," said Hanson.

He was third at the HSBC Champions last November, and a further good performance could be his passport to the majors next seasonat the HSBC Champions

CREDIT KIM
While Kim lost out 4 and 3 in the Volvo World Match Play final, and kicked himself for a couple of errors, he took plenty of positives. "I'm starting to swing it great" he said. He felt that he'd been "back-packing for ten days" on the hilly course, but "the hard work is paying off."

DON'S DRIVING
The landscape would certainly have taken its toll on Don Allenby. Robert's 80-year-old father was following his son, and it took some persuasion to get him a buggy for the weekend.

Allenby

Yet, the sponsors showed great generosity on Sunday. Robert aced the sixth hole, and though there was no prize designated for the feat, Volvo gave him a special buggy shaped like their C70 car for his father.

Don -- who hurt his hip earlier this year -- will have it shipped to the Mornington golf course in Melbourne.

"Dad's going to look pretty smart," Robert said. "He'll be cleaning it like you would not believe. This'll be polished every single day. It'll look brand new forever."

PLEASING POULTER
Ian Poulter has made great strides (and we're not talking the Australian word for his trousers!) in the Race to Dubai with his first European Tour victory in three years. In the storm-disrupted Barclays Singapore Open, he threatened to let a big lead slip, but held firm to edge past China's Liang Wen-chong by one stroke.

Poulter is now ranked 10th and should be considered a contender in the Race -- especially when you think about the money available at the HSBC Champions and the Dubai World Championship.

Poulter was asked where he gets his confidence last week. "It's probably my dad. He believes Arsenal are going to win ten-nil every week!" said the fan of the North London football (soccer) club.