WGC-HSBC Champions

HSBC Champions

Tournament information
Location	Shenzhen, China
Established	2005
Course(s)	Sheshan Golf Club
Par	72
Length	7,266 yards (6,644 m)
Tour(s)	PGA Tour European Tour Asian Tour Japan Golf Tour
Format	Stroke play
Prize fund	$8,500,000
Month played	November
Tournament record score
Aggregate	264 Dustin Johnson (2013)
To par	−24 Dustin Johnson (2013)
Current champion
Dustin Johnson
2013 WGC-HSBC Champions

The WGC-HSBC Champions is a professional golf 72-hole tournament. It was contested annually from 2005 to 2011 at the Sheshan Golf Club in Shanghai, People's Republic of China before moving to the Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen in 2012. It returned to Sheshan Golf Club in 2013.

Since 2009 it has been a World Golf Championships event. It is played in November, the fourth tournament on the WGC calendar along with the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, the WGC-Cadillac Championship and the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational events.^[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.

Field

2005–2008

Invitations for the event, which 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, 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

The qualifying process changed when the event became a World Golf Championship. 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 current qualification criteria are:

1. Winners of the four major championships and The Players Championship
2. Winners of the four World Golf Championships
3. Winners of the 20 top rated PGA Tour events
4. Top five available players from the FedEx Cup
5. Winners of the 20 top rated European Tour events
6. Top five available players from the Race to Dubai
7. Four players – winners of the top rated Japan Golf Tour events, remainder from Order of Merit
8. Four players – winners of the top rated Sunshine Tour events, remainder from Order of Merit
9. Four players – winners of the top rated PGA Tour of Australasia events, remainder from Order of Merit
10. Six players – winners of the top rated Asian Tour events, remainder from Order of Merit
11. Six players from China
12. Any players, not included in above categories, in the top 50 of the OWGR
13. Alternates (see 2013 list)

PGA Tour status

From 2010 to 2012, the winner of the WGC-HSBC Champions, if he was already a full member of the PGA Tour, received the same official victory credit as he would have received in a regular PGA Tour event offering a two-year exemption. However, no official credit was given for prize money or tournament statistics (finish, scoring, etc.).

From 2013, the WGC-HSBC Champions is part of the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup schedule. Besides the victory, money, FedEx Cup points and tournament statistics count as official. The winner receives a three-year PGA Tour exemption.^[2]

Winners

Year	Winner	Country	Score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up	Ref
WGC-HSBC Champions
2014
2013	Dustin Johnson	United States	264 (−24)	3 strokes	Ian Poulter	[3]
2012	Ian Poulter	England	267 (−21)	2 strokes	Jason Dufner, Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, Scott Piercy	[4]
2011	Martin Kaymer	Germany	268 (−20)	3 strokes	Fredrik Jacobson	[5]
2010	Francesco Molinari	Italy	269 (−19)	1 stroke	Lee Westwood	[6]
2009	Phil Mickelson (2)	United States	271 (−17)	1 stroke	Ernie Els	[7]
HSBC Champions
2008	Sergio García	Spain	274 (−14)	Playoff (2nd hole)	Oliver Wilson	[8]
2007	Phil Mickelson	United States	278 (−10)	Playoff (2nd hole)	Ross Fisher, Lee Westwood	[9]
2006	Yang Yong-eun	South Korea	274 (−14)	2 strokes	Retief Goosen, Tiger Woods	[10]
2005	David Howell	England	268 (−20)	3 strokes	Tiger Woods	[11]

References

External links

• Official site
• Coverage on Asian Tour's official site
• Coverage on European Tour's official site
• Coverage on PGA Tour's official site

Coordinates: 22°47′06″N 114°00′14″E / 22.785°N 114.004°E / 22.785; 114.004