World golf number two Phil Mickelson joined fellow players in praising the Shanghai Sheshan Golf Course, which will host the HSBC Champions – Asia’s richest ever golf tournament – this weekend.
Fresh from a family visit to Beijing and the Great Wall, Mickelson – playing competitively for the first time in China – joined the 88 other players on a morning practice session at the Shanghai club. “The course is a challenging test of golf; the greens are fast and the rough is tough,” Mickelson said.
World number four Ernie Els and three-time Major winner Vijay Singh concurred. “I played nine holes today, and the greens are excellent,” said Els. “I played here two years ago and the course wasn’t in as good condition as it is now. I’ve never before putted on greens this good in Asia,” said Singh.
The USD5m HSBC Champions tournament hosts title winners from the European, Asian, South African and Australasian tours, plus leading players from the United States and a handful of top Chinese professionals. Ten of the world’s top twenty players will tee off at Sheshan on Thursday, in an attempt to wrestle the title from last year’s champion, Korean Yong-Eun Yang. As well as Mickelson, Singh and Els, leading names include British Open champion Padraig Harrington and US Open champion Angel Cabrera.
“I’m looking forward to the tournament,” said South Africa’s two-time US Open champion Retief Goosen. “The course is in the best condition I have ever seen it. It’s going to be tough. I had a chance to win here last year and messed up on the last hole, so I hope to go one better this year.”
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