Americans to snub HSBC event in Shanghai

THe World Golf Championships were introduced in 1999 to bring the game’s top players together more often. By and large, they have achieved that because by and large they have been held in the United States.

But, when they have gone global, it has been a different story. To fill the field for the 64-man Accenture Match Play in Australia in 2001, for example, the organisers had to go beyond the world’s top 100. It has been staged in California or Arizona ever since.

Taking the American Express Championship to Spain, Ireland and England led to some notable no-shows. Under new sponsorship, the event has been held in Florida for the last five years.

The Bridgestone Invitational has never had a problem attracting the biggest names. Only once has it left Akron, Ohio, and that was to go to Seattle.

Starting two years ago the HSBC Champions in Shanghai was added to the WGC series – and while it is still able to claim a stellar line-up next week, thanks in large part to the current domination of Europeans on the world rankings, it is far from what it might have been.

Tiger Woods, Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia have not qualified, although Garcia has another chance at Valderrama this week, but there are eight Americans who were eligible and have decided not to play.

Steve Stricker, Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Webb Simpson and Phil Mickelson – winner in 2007 and 2009 – are the top five United States players in the sport at the moment but not one of them will be there. In Stricker’s defence he is currently battling a neck injury but he did not play last year or in 2009.

Also missing are their countrymen Bubba Watson, Gary Woodland and Sean O’Hair, plus Scot Martin Laird and Australians Jason Day and Peter Senior.

On top of that, current world No 1 Luke Donald is a possible absentee because his wife Diane is due to give birth to their second daughter at any time.

Mickelson’s decision is perhaps the most surprising given his success on the Sheshan course and the fact he will be in Asia a week later for the Barclays Singapore Open – Barclays are one of his main sponsors – before moving on to Australia for the Presidents Cup.

What might have helped the HSBC Champions tournament is if it had been given full status by the PGA Tour. Like this week’s CIMB Asia Pacific Classic in Malaysia, it is listed on their schedule, but only as a “featured event” – it does not count towards their money list.

For the European Tour contingent things are different. It could have a big say in the Race to Dubai standings, depending on whether Donald plays or not.

Given its place late in the season, perhaps the players would have an added incentive to be there if the WGC tournaments did not just stand alone, but carried points that built to a climax in the way that the FedEx Cup play-offs now do in the States.

Stars such as Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood – no longer stablemates, of course – are already in China for another non-Tour event.

This week’s inaugural Shanghai Masters offers a first prize of $2 million – the biggest in the sport – and has a field that also includes Ian Poulter, Paul Casey, Harrington, Colin Montgomerie, Jim Furyk, Masters champion Charl Schwartzel and USPGA winner Keegan Bradley.