WGC-HSBC Champions
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Shanghai, China |
| Established | 2005, 19 years ago WGC event since 2009 |
| Course(s) | Sheshan Golf Club |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 7,261 yards (6,639 m) |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour (since 2013) European Tour (since 2005) Asian Tour (since 2005) |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | $9,500,000 |
| Month played | November |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 264 Dustin Johnson (2013) |
| To par | −24 Dustin Johnson (2013) |
| Current champion | |
 Hideki Matsuyama | |
 2016 WGC-HSBC Champions | |
Golf Club
The WGC-HSBC Champions is a professional golf tournament, held annually in China. Inaugurated in 2005, the first seven editions were played at the Sheshan Golf Club in Shanghai, then moved to the Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen in for a single year in 2012. It returned to Sheshan Golf Club in 2013.
Since 2009, it has been a World Golf Championships event. Played in November, it is the fourth tournament on the WGC calendar along with the WGC-Dell Match Play, the WGC-Mexico Championship, and the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational events, all in the United States.[1] The field consists primarily of players who have won the top rated tournaments since the previous WGC-HSBC tournament, supplemented by other leading players in the world rankings and money lists of the major tours.
The WGC-HSBC Champions has the highest prize money in East Asia. Originally it was US$5 million, and grew to 7 million when it got WGC status and 8.5 million in 2013. Only the CIMB Classic and BMW Masters have had similar purses in the region.
Field
2005–2008
Originally, the event was sanctioned by four —the European, the Asian, and Sunshine Tours and the PGA Tour of Australasia— of the six constituent tours of International Federation of PGA Tours at that time. Invitations were issued to all players placed amongst the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). Also invited were players who had, during the calendar year preceding the event, captured at least one tournament title on a sanctioning tour, or had finished the preceding season amongst the top twenty in the European Tour's Race to Dubai (the Order of Merit standings through 2008) or amongst the top five in the Order of Merit standings of any of the other three sanctioning tours. Players who had finished first in the Order of Merit standings in any of three developmental tours—the Von Nida and Challenge Tours and the winter swing of the Sunshine Tour—were also invited. Finally, starting berths were also reserved for eight Chinese amateur and professional players to be selected by tournament organizers and sponsors, whether by qualifying tournament or not.
WGC event 2009
The event became a World Golf Championship in 2009 on the European Tour. The field consists primarily of winners of the most important tournaments around the world since the previous WGC-HSGC Champions tournament. Each of the six member tours are allocated a certain number of tournaments from their tour (from 4 to 20), although these tournament must meet a minimum entry requirement. Co-sanctioned tournaments are assigned to one tour only.
The tournaments are ranked using the Official World Golf Ranking strength of field ("total event ranking"). Tournaments must have a minimum event ranking of 40. The ranking is based on the previous year's event ranking so that the list of qualifying events can be determined in advance. New events can be included if they are expected to have an event ranking of at least 40.
Further players gain entry through their position in the current seasons Order of Merit. Six players from China are selected while any player ranked in the world top 50 is also given an entry. If the field size is less than 78, further entries are selected from winners of additional tournaments not already considered, players ranked outside the world top 50, and the players further down the Order of Merit lists.
The tournament was the second event of the European Tour Final Series from 2013 to 2015.
Current qualifications
The current qualification categories (as of 2015)[2] are as follows:
- Winners of the four major championships and The Players Championship
- Winners of the four World Golf Championships
- Top 50 in the OWGR
- Top 30 players from the FedEx Cup (minimum of 5; if necessary to satisfy minimum of 5, players from position 31 or lower on 2014–15 FedEx Cup list will be selected)
- Top 30 players from the Race to Dubai
- Top 4 players from the Asian Tour Order of Merit
- Top 2 players from the Japan Golf Tour Order of Merit
- Top 2 players from the PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit
- Top 2 players from the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit
- Six players from China
- Alternates (see 2015 list)
PGA Tour status
From 2010 to 2012 this was an unofficial money event on the PGA Tour. This meant that money won did not count towards the PGA Tour list. However, Ian Poulter's win in 2012 is counted as a PGA Tour win because he held a PGA Tour card.
From 2013, the WGC-HSBC Champions became an official PGA Tour event and is part of the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup schedule. The winner receives a three-year PGA Tour exemption.[3]
Winners
| Year | Winner | Country | Score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up | Winner's share ($) |
Purse ($) | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WGC-HSBC Champions | |||||||||
| 2016 | Hideki Matsuyama | Japan |
265 | −23 | 7 strokes |  Daniel Berger Henrik Stenson |
1,620,000 | 9,500,000 | |
| 2015 | Russell Knox |  Scotland |
268 | −20 | 2 strokes | Kevin Kisner |
1,400,000 | 8,500,000 | |
| 2014 | Bubba Watson |  United States |
277 | −11 | Playoff (1st hole) |
 Tim Clark |
1,400,000 | 8,500,000 | |
| 2013 | Dustin Johnson | United States |
264 | −24 | 3 strokes |  Ian Poulter |
1,400,000 | 8,500,000 | [4] |
| 2012 | Ian Poulter | England |
267 | −21 | 2 strokes | Jason Dufner Ernie Els Phil Mickelson Scott Piercy |
1,200,000 | 7,000,000 | [5] |
| 2011 | Martin Kaymer |  Germany |
268 | −20 | 3 strokes | Fredrik Jacobson |
1,200,000 | 7,000,000 | [6] |
| 2010 | Francesco Molinari |  Italy |
269 | −19 | 1 stroke | Lee Westwood |
1,200,000 | 7,000,000 | [7] |
| 2009 | Phil Mickelson (2) | United States |
271 | −17 | 1 stroke | Ernie Els |
1,200,000 | 7,000,000 | [8] |
| HSBC Champions | |||||||||
| 2008 (2009) | Sergio García |  Spain |
274 | −14 | Playoff (2nd hole) |
Oliver Wilson |
833,300 | 5,000,000 | [9] |
| 2007 (2008) | Phil Mickelson | United States |
278 | −10 | Playoff (2nd hole) |
Ross Fisher Lee Westwood |
833,300 | 5,000,000 | [10] |
| 2006 (2007) | Yang Yong-eun |  South Korea |
274 | −14 | 2 strokes | Retief Goosen Tiger Woods |
833,300 | 5,000,000 | [11] |
| 2005 (2006) | David Howell | England |
268 | −20 | 3 strokes | Tiger Woods |
833,300 | 5,000,000 | [12] |
References
- ^ "Asian event joins elite WGC list". BBC Sport. 28 April 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
- ^ "WGC-HSBC Champions - The Field: Who Is Qualifying". HSBC Golf. 21 October 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- ^ "HSBC extends sponsorship, joins FedExCup schedule in 2013". PGA Tour. 4 November 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
- ^ "WGC-HSBC Champions: Dustin Johnson claims Shanghai win". BBC Sport. 3 November 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ^ "Ian Poulter wins WGC Champions after Lee Westwood fades". BBC Sport. 4 November 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
- ^ "Germany's Martin Kaymer win WGC Champions title in Shanghai". BBC Sport. 6 November 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
- ^ "Francesco Molinari holds off challenge of new world No 1 Lee Westwood to win Champions title in Shanghai". Daily Mail. 16 November 2010. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
- ^ Ferguson, Doug (9 November 2009). "Mickelson's heroics net wild 1-shot win". The Boston Globe. Associated Press. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
- ^ "Garcia beats Wilson in Shanghai". BBC Sport. 10 November 2008. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
- ^ "Mickelson wins HSBC Champions tournament". The New York Times. 11 November 2007. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
- ^ "Yang beats major champions and claims biggest career win". Asian Golf Today. 12 November 2006. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
- ^ "Howell holds off Woods for title". BBC Sport. 13 November 2005. Retrieved 28 February 2011.