Golf Events / Bill Elliott / 07 November 2007 /

World's best assemble in Shanghai for HSBC Champions Tournament but who's there for the glory and not just the dosh? Bill Elliott reports...

Big Ernie gets to put away his wheelbarrow this week and roll out a rickshaw instead. Els made his now infamous 'wheelbarrow' comment when he spoke about it being that time of year when the world's richest golfers get to throw yet more loot into their accounts thanks to the Far East's growing obsession with the grand, old game and their willingness to throw lots of appearance money at the elite.

Last week it was Singapore - where Els missed both the halfway cut and his leadership of the European Tour Order of Merit when Justin Rose won in Spain - but now he has moved on to Shanghai and the HSBC Champions event. What is really champion about this tournament, however, is the prize money with five million bucks up for grabs.

The winner picks up $833,330 - a two rickshaw job I'd say - while even tenth spot earns $100,000. This might appear to be money for old rope but it isn't, it's easier than that. So attractive is the Far East at this time of year that even Phil 'Homeboy' Mickelson is packing a few suitcases and heading for Shanghai.

I say a few suitcases because Lefty is bringing the wife and kids (three) with him. He says he looks on it as an educational trip for the children and he is absolutely spot-on. What they will learn, of course, is that noodles get boring after a while and that nice people throw money at daddy without him even having to ask. If they are really lucky - and we aren't - the Mickelson mob will get to toddle on to the green at the end to embrace their dad and so reprise the sickliest sight in world sport.

To be fair, the field assembled for this tournament is impressive, including as it does five of the world top ten and nine of the top-20. These include: Angel Cabrera (trading at (16) to win after victory in Singapore last week and appears on a roll although with him you can never be sure where he is rolling), Padraig Harrington (15.5), Retief Goosen (30), Mickelson (16) and Els (12.5) of course, Sergio Garcia (27) and Vijay Singh (11.5). Apart from anything else this suggests that the budget for the week is likely to exceed the GDP of any Third World nation and, quite possibly, Italy.

Is it worth it? Well, without this calibre of player the Champion bit in the title would be an even bigger nonsense than it presently is and the media interest, especially television, would be the far side of a long yawn. And what is also true is that all these top name players will be trying earnestly to give value for money on the field of play.

It might be a bit of lucrative fun on the surface but nobody makes the world top 20 with out (a) having a fierce pride in their performance and (b) owning an ego the size of a JCB, never mind a wheelbarrow. What cannot be figured out in advance is the state of their fitness, the extent of jet lag and the numbing effect encouraged by all those bloody noodles.

Because of this I suspect it is worth following Singh closely. The Fijian is always fit, always tries his damndest and, I'm assured, really does love a noodle. On the other hand a glance back at last year will confirm that despite a similarly stellar field the winner was, er, Yong-eun Yang of Korea from whom little to nothing has been heard since. In second place was Tiger Woods but now he is a daddy the world No.1 has decided to put the wheelbarrow/rickshaw away for a while at least. Doodle rather than noodle I suppose...

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