Mickelson heads all-star cast at 'Asia's major'

By Daniel Hicks G25 October 30, 2013 10:04 AM

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Phil Mickelson of the US tees off during the pro-am event for the WGC-HSBC Champions tournament at the Shanghai Sheshan International Golf Club on October 30, 2013 (AFP Photo/Mark Ralston)

Shanghai (AFP) - World number three Phil Mickelson leads a star-studded field battling for the riches on offer at the $8.5 million World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions, which begins Thursday in Shanghai.

The field in "Asia's major" reads like a who's who of golf with 40 of the top 50 in the world making the journey to the sprawling Chinese city for the event co-sanctioned by the US PGA, European and Asian Tours.

On the fairways at Sheshan Golf Club with British Open champion Mickelson, who won this event in 2007 and 2009, will be current major champions Justin Rose (US Open) and Jason Dufner (US PGA).

The most notable absentees are world number one Tiger Woods, who has skipped the event despite playing an exhibition in China on Monday against Rory McIlroy, and Masters champion Adam Scott of Australia, who is second in the rankings.

Woods once described the 7,266-yard Sheshan layout, opened in 2004, as "the crowning jewel of all of Asian golf", which makes his absence all the more surprising.

Nevertheless, the outstanding field boasts 19 majors, 12 World Golf Championships, 244 European Tour victories, 244 US PGA Tour victories and four players who have been ranked number one in the world -- Mickelson, McIlroy, Lee Westwood and Luke Donald.

The USA have the biggest contingent in Shanghai with 24 players. England have the next largest representation with 10.

The English charge is led by defending champion Ian Poulter -- his 2012 win came at Mission Hills, Shenzhen -- Rose, Westwood and Donald.

Poulter, who last week finished tied 15th at the BMW Masters, also in Shanghai, knows he is in for a tough defence.

"It is going to be a tall order to defend my title this year against such a strong field. Justin, Phil and Jason won the three most recent majors and are obviously the in-form guys at the moment," he said at a promotional event Tuesday.

Mickelson will tee off Thursday alongside Rose and Keegan Bradley in one of the signature groups.

Double-winner Mickelson has a better record than anyone in the event. "It is certainly one of my favourite World Golf Championships events," he said.

"I've won twice at Sheshan... so it is a course I feel excited to return to."

Mickelson's three-ball will be preceded by world number six McIlroy playing with Donald and Dufner.

McIlroy is continuing on his Asian quest to regain his form with confidence boosted by a one-shot victory over Woods at Mission Hills, Hainan, on Monday.

He has also played the Korea Open, finishing second, and the BMW Masters in the past fortnight.

McIlroy flew straight back to Shanghai on Monday night and looked refreshed despite his whirlwind schedule.

So was he tired? "No, not at all," he told AFP Tuesday. "It was a lot of fun yesterday."

The FedEx Cup champions of 2012 and 2013, Brandt Snedeker and Henrik Stenson respectively, are joined by Poulter on Thursday at the tee-off.

There are four other past champions in the field -- David Howell (2005), Sergio Garcia (2008), Francesco Molinari (2010) and Martin Kaymer (2011).

The 2012 Masters champion Bubba Watson had his first taste of Sheshan on Tuesday and liked what he saw.

"I didn't know what to expect coming here," said the US player. "But it is really good. It should really suit me and the greens are running pretty fast."

Playing for the first time in China is 20-year-old American sensation Jordan Spieth, Rookie of the Year on the PGA Tour.

The WGC-HSBC Champions is unique in straddling two different tour years. It is the second of the 2013 European Tour's "Final Series" of four events, which conclude with the Race to Dubai, but for the first time also counts towards the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup standings for 2014.

The Race to Dubai, the European money list, is led by the Swede Stenson, who says his wrist is "100 percent" after injury as he plots a strong end to his season.

Rory McIlroy Says Chamblee 'Completely Wrong' With Tiger Woods Cheating Insinuations

By Ryan BallengeeOctober 30, 2013 2:02 PM G25アイアン

COMMENTARY | It probably comes as no surprise that Tiger Woods' peers would support him amid insinuations from Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee that the world No. 1 is a cheater. 

After all, they voted him 2013 PGA Tour Player of the Year, and who votes for a cheater?

That Woods' friend Rory McIlroy would be a vocal supporter? Also not too shocking. However, it was the tone of McIlroy's response to Chamblee's comments that was surprising.

The former world No. 1, who beat Woods on Monday in an 18-hole exhibition match in China, was asked at the WGC-HSBC Champions to offer his thoughts on what Chamblee wrote in a golf.com piece in which the analyst and former PGA Tour player said Woods was "cavalier" with the Rules of Golf and insinuated he was a cheater.

"I say Brandel was completely wrong and I don't expect he has the authority to say anything bad about Tiger," said McIlroy, according to Golf by Tour Miss.

McIlroy took it a step further, however, suggesting the 10-year TV veteran would be a virtual nobody were it not for his consistent critiques of Woods, from his personal misgivings, to his Sean Foley-formed swing to his multiple run-ins with the Rules of Golf in 2013.

"People wouldn't know who Brandel Chamblee was if it wasn't for Tiger Woods," McIlroy added, "so I am completely against what he said and I think he should be dealt with in the right way."

But what's the "right way"? Is that the same way forward Woods and agent Mark Steinberg separately suggested they were prepared to go in light of Chamblee's piece?

"All I am going to say is that I know I am going forward," Woods said Monday in China. "But then, I don't know what the Golf Channel is going to do or not. But then that's up to them. The whole issue has been very disappointing as he didn't really apologize and he sort of reignited the whole situation. So the ball really is in the court of the Golf Channel and what they are prepared to do."

Steinberg offered a similar sentiment, insinuating Chamblee, at a minimum, should face some kind of disciplinary action from Golf Channel for the piece. Keep in mind that Chamblee wrote the piece for another outlet and has not appeared on Golf Channel since the piece was released. However, TV is Chamblee's biggest bullhorn -- not only for the Missouri native to share his opinions, but to also be humbled at the prodding of Woods' camp.

Of course, Woods and his representatives aren't likely to back down from their protestations. Doing so is tantamount to absolution for Chamblee -- an implication they'd loath to make.

However, it's somewhat more surprising that McIlroy, who has been the subject of Chamblee's technical critiques in the past, would respond publicly in such a strong fashion.

If McIlroy's view is representative of his PGA Tour brethren, then Chamblee is in serious trouble. It's one thing for the offended to suggest Chamblee face punishment; it's another entirely for a third party to call into question Chamblee's credibility and long-term viability as a television analyst.

At one point in the not-too-distant past, Chamblee was a PGA Tour player. While McIlroy might be too young to remember him as anything other than a man behind a desk, there are plenty of others closer to Woods' age on the PGA Tour that played with Chamblee. That's the source of at least a portion of Chamblee's credibility -- that he labored on the PGA Tour, earned a win and lived that grind of a life. Without that background, the potency of his opinions and insights is dramatically weakened.

The players alone, however, don't shape how Chamblee is or should be viewed.

Golf Channel is now being asked by Woods' camp to decide just how valuable Chamblee is. The man is well-read and, while sometimes a little too grandiose in his presentation, typically thoughtful. What more can someone ask for in an analyst, particularly in a role where it's difficult to fully express yourself for fear of reprisal from your former peers, now your sources for material?

The viewers also decide if Chamblee is worth their attention. Based on the reaction to what Chamblee wrote and the resulting backlash, Chamblee has plenty of backers. They think he was a beacon of truth in the same way a lot of people still support NBC Sports' Johnny Miller. Is that base a critical mass of golf fans?

Chamblee absolutely got it wrong insinuating Woods is a cheater. Whether or not it should cost him his job is a decision Golf Channel has to make -- and it's a choice whose long-term implications for the network's integrity should not be taken lightly.

Ryan Ballengee is a Washington, D.C.-based golf writer and owner of Golf News Net. His work has appeared on multiple digital outlets, including NBC Sports and Golf Channel. Follow him on Twitter @RyanBallengee and on Google+.