Americans still reluctant to travel

2009/11/05

SHANGHAI: Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson might be at the WGC-HSBC Champions this week but a host of other Americans who qualified haven't taken up the offer.

USPGA Tour players are renowned for not travelling overseas out of their comfort zone, unlike many of their European Tour counterparts.

Despite US$7 million (RM24 million) being at stake in Shanghai this week and the tournament's being upgraded to a World Golf Championship event, the thought of flying to China after the season ended has proved too much for some.

All winners from the PGA Tour's 23 events this year were eligible to play, along with the top five not already exempt from the FedEx points race.

Yet only nine will tee off.

Opting not to make the trip were players like Steve Stricker, Kenny Perry, Zach Johnson, Jim Furyk and Scott Verplank, as well as US Open winner Lucas Glover.

Phil Mickelson is among the Americans who have opted to play in the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai.

Bucking the trend are Woods, Mickelson, Stewart Cink, Sean O'Hair, Steve Marino, Nick Watney and Brian Gay.

In sharp contrast, every European Tour player eligible is in Shanghai.

Cink, who already has a World Golf Championships title to his name after winning the 2004 NEC Invitational, said he was excited to be in China for the first time.

"Anywhere the best players in the world are gathered together, you don't want to miss out, and I think it's fantastic for world golf that China is hosting the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions," he said.

Gay, who made the field by winning the Veriton Heritage title, has spent time in Asia before, having played eight events on the old Asian PGA Tour in 1997.

He too is glad to be back.

"We all want time off, but I'm willing to venture out. China's growing a bunch and it's obviously good for the growth of the game to spread the WGCs around," he said.

Gay added that with Mickelson and Sergio Garcia winning the tournament before, he needed no convincing about the quality of the event.

"It says it must be a good golf course and a good test, because two of the best golfers in the world have won here. I'm sure it's good."

Davis Love III, the 1997 PGA Championship winner and a long-standing member of the PGA Tour's policy board, said he had little doubt that more Americans would travel in the future.

"Once guys see a few guys go over there and play for a US$7 million purse I think it will grow," he said.

"It's the best thing for the tournament and certainly for the other three WGCs to have one with an international footing. HSBC's been a great tournament for several years.

"This will work, because it's already an existing event that works. Hopefully it'll continue to grow." -- AFP