HSBC Champions joins World Golf Championship ranks

Asia has truly arrived on the global golf stage: the HSBC Champions tournament in China has been elevated to the elite stable of World Golf Championships events, the International Federation of PGA Tours, the China Golf Association, IMG and HSBC announced today.

With a US$2 million increase in prize money to US$7 million and a revised qualifying criteria, the first World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions will take place at Shanghai's Sheshan International Golf Club from November 5 to 8, 2009. World number one Tiger Woods and defending champion Sergio Garcia have confirmed their entries into the world-class field.

"This is one of the most significant steps ever taken in the globalization of golf, and one of the most logical. HSBC and IMG have built the HSBC Champions to a point where it was obviously the tournament outside golf's traditional heartlands that was tailor-made to be included as a World Golf Championships event," said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem, speaking on behalf of the International Federation of PGA Tours.

"World-class golf has arrived on this continent and the map of the golf world may never look the same."

Zhang Xiaoning, Director of Multi-ball Sports Administration Center, General Administration of Sports of China, Executive Vice President and Secretary General of China Golf Association added, "We welcome the upgrading of the HSBC Champions to a WGC event.

"This will be the main force driving the development of the sport of golf in China. We will actively coordinate with all parties involved to reach a common understanding that is in line with the CGA's guidelines, in order to ensure the success of the event. We are very grateful for HSBC's efforts."

The WGC-HSBC Champions will not only maintain the tournament's format of bringing together tournament winners from all over the planet, but will also include the best players from the Federation's Tours.

"Following four very successful years we are delighted that HSBC is continuing its sponsorship of the HSBC Champions," said George O'Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour.

"The European Tour is very happy to support their extended commitment to the tournament, and the enhanced status of the tournament to a World Golf Championships event thus seeing the PGA Tour join as a sanctioning body, meaning that the event is now sanctioned by all the world's Tours."

Asian Tour Executive Chairman Kyi Hla Han said: "The Asian Tour would like to thank HSBC for its outstanding support towards professional golf. The elevation of the HSBC Champions into a WGC event represents the growing importance of golf in Asia and the Asian Tour, as a member of the International Federation of PGA Tours, is delighted to be an integral part of this wonderful development."

The announcement marks a major milestone in HSBC's plan to create an Asian golf event of global significance, said Richard Yorke, Group General Manager, President and Chief Executive Officer at HSBC China.

"Our understanding of the developing trends in Asia, and particularly in China, allowed us to identify the likely growth of golf's popularity among our clients and potential customers and to then grow and develop an event of global significance. This is a showcase for our business. We identified Asia's growing desire to be a venue for world-class sport and in less than five years we have helped create a world-class golf event here in China," he said.

The decision has been greeted with unanimous approval by the golfing fraternity. Tiger Woods, the world number one and winner of 14 major championships, said, "I played in the HSBC Champions in 2005 and 2006 and I am looking forward to returning to Shanghai this November. It is an event that symbolizes the amazing progress of golf in Asia and its new World Golf Championships status underlines how firmly China has established its place on the global golf calendar. I enjoy playing around the world when possible, and having a WGC event in China is very important to the global growth of the game."

The 2008 HSBC Champion and current world number three Sergio Garcia added: "I was delighted to win the HSBC Champions and am looking forward to defending my title in November. The tournament certainly has a very special feeling and many of the players already referred to it as Asia's Major. Now there is no doubt about it. It is officially recognized as being a cut above the rest."

Padraig Harrington, reigning British Open and US PGA Championship winner, said, "I think this is an excellent decision by the International Federation of PGA Tours. The HSBC Champions established itself immediately on the players' schedules and has gotten better and better every year."

The benefits are likely to be felt far beyond China's borders, according to Mark Steinberg, Senior Corporate Vice President, IMG Global Managing Director, Golf. "It's impossible to overstate the importance of this moment for Asian golf. HSBC does a lot for the game of golf and its vision will ensure this will be a very successful addition to the World Golf Championships stable."

The 2009 WGC-HSBC Champions will return to the highly-rated Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai. The tournament will remain in Shanghai for 2010 to coincide with Shanghai hosting the World Expo. Thereafter, the venues are to be disclosed in due course.

Richard Cheung, Chairman of Shanghai Sheshan International Golf Club said: "We take a lot of pride in the new enhanced status of the HSBC Champions. We feel we have played a part in establishing and growing the event from its conception and have enjoyed some very positive player feedback. It is a very special honor for our club to be the host of a World Golf Championship."

World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions - 2009 Eligibility

Sheshan International Golf Club, November 5 to 8, 2009 - 72 Hole Stroke Play (No cut)

1. Winners of the 2009 Masters, PLAYERS Championship, U.S. Open, British Open, and PGA Championship.

2. Winners of the 2009 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, WGC-CA Championship and WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. NOTE: For 2010 eligibility, this category shall include the winner of the previous year's World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions.

3. Winners from 23 PGA TOUR cosponsored events in 2009, which shall be identified as those 23 PGA TOUR events from 2008 with the highest Official World Golf Ranking Strength of Field Rating, having a rating of 40 points or more.

4. Top-five available players not otherwise exempt from the final 2009 PGA TOUR FedExCup Points List.

5. Winners from 23 European Tour sanctioned events from the 2008 HSBC Champions through the event preceding the 2009 WGC-HSBC Champions, which shall be identified as those 23 European Tour events from the 2007 HSBC Champions to the 2008 HSBC Champions with the highest Official World Golf Ranking Strength of Field Rating, having a rating of 40 points or more.

6. Top-five available players not otherwise exempt from the European Tour's Race to Dubai Order of Merit as of 26 October 2009.

7. Winners from 9 Asian Tour sanctioned events from the 2008 HSBC Champions to the event preceding the 2009 WGC-HSBC Champions, which shall be identified as those 9 Asian Tour events from the 2007 HSBC Champions to the event preceding the 2008 HSBC Champions with the highest Official World Golf Ranking Strength of Field Rating, having a rating of 40 points or more. If fewer than 9 players are eligible via this category (i.e. there is one or more multiple winners in these nine events or a winner is qualified in a higher category or there are insufficient tournaments with the approved rating) additional players from the Asian Tour Order of Merit as of 26 October 2009, in order of their positions, shall fill this category to 9 eligible players.

8. Winners from 5 Japan Golf Tour sanctioned events from the 2008 HSBC Champions to the event preceding the 2009 WGC-HSBC Champions, which shall be identified as those 5 Japan Golf Tour events from the 2007 HSBC Champions to the event preceding the 2008 HSBC Champions with the highest Official World Golf Ranking Strength of Field Rating, having a rating of 40 points or more. If fewer than 5 players are eligible via this category (i.e. there is one or more multiple winners in these five events or a winner is qualified in a higher category or there are insufficient tournaments with the approved rating) additional players from the Japan Golf Tour Order of Merit as of 26 October 2009, in order of their positions, shall fill this category to 5 eligible players.

9. Winners from 5 Sunshine Tour sanctioned events from the 2008 HSBC Champions to the event preceding the 2009 WGC-HSBC Champions, which shall be identified as those 5 Sunshine Tour events from the 2007 HSBC Champions to the event preceding the 2008 HSBC Champions with the highest Official World Golf Ranking Strength of Field Rating, having a rating of 40 points or more. If fewer than 5 players are eligible via this category (i.e. there is one or more multiple winners in these 5 events or a winner is qualified in a higher category or there are insufficient tournaments with the approved rating) additional players from the final 2008 Sunshine Tour Order of Merit, in order of their positions, shall fill this category to 5 eligible players.

10. Winners from 5 Australasian Tour sanctioned events from the 2008 HSBC Champions to the event preceding the 2009 WGC-HSBC Champions, which shall be identified as those 5 Australasian Tour events from the 2007 HSBC Champions to the event preceding the 2008 HSBC Champions with the highest Official World Golf Ranking Strength of Field Rating, having a rating of 40 points or more. If fewer than 5 players are eligible via this category (i.e. there is one or more multiple winners in these 5 events or a winner is qualified in a higher category or there are insufficient tournaments with the approved rating) additional players from the final 2008 Australasian Tour Order of Merit, in order of their positions, shall fill this category to 5 eligible players.

11. Four Chinese players.

12. Top two available players, not otherwise exempt, from the Official World Golf Ranking as of 26 October 2009.

13. If necessary to fill the field to 78 players, additional Tournament Winners from the 2008 HSBC Champions through the event preceding the 2009 WGC-HSBC Champions, which shall be identified as those winners of events from the 2007 HSBC Champions to the 2008 HSBC Champions with the highest Official World Golf Ranking Strength of Field Rating, having a rating of 40 points or more, not listed in an above category.

April 28, 2009

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