WGC-HSBC Champions
Golf tournament held in Shanghai, China
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The WGC-HSBC Champions was a professional golf tournament held annually in China. Inaugurated in 2005, the first seven editions were played at the Sheshan Golf Club in Shanghai, then moved to the Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen for a single year in 2012.[1] It returned to the Sheshan Golf Club in 2013 and would continue to be hosted there until 2019.[2] Starting in 2009, it was a World Golf Championship (WGC) event.[3] Played in November, it was the fourth tournament on the WGC calendar, along with the WGC-Dell Match Play, the WGC-Mexico Championship, and the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational events, all in North America.[4] The field consisted primarily of players who had 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.
| |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Shanghai, China |
| Established | 2005 |
| Course | Sheshan Golf Club |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 7,261 yards (6,639 m) |
| Organized by | International Federation of PGA Tours |
| Tours | PGA Tour European Tour Asian Tour Sunshine Tour PGA Tour of Australasia |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | US$10,500,000 |
| Month played | October |
| Final year | 2019 |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 264 Dustin Johnson (2013) |
| To par | −24 as above |
| Final champion | |
 Rory McIlroy | |
| Location map | |
The WGC-HSBC Champions had the highest prize money in East Asia. Originally in 2005, it was US$5 million,[5] and grew to $7 million when it obtained WGC status in 2009,[6] $8.5 million in 2013[7] and in 2019, the prize money was $10.25 million.[8] Only the CIMB Classic, CJ Cup, Zozo Championship, and BMW Masters have had similar purses in the region.
Field
2005–2008
Originally, the event 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. Invitations 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 20 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.
2009: Elevated to WGC status
The event became a World Golf Championship in 2009 on the European Tour.[9] The field consisted primarily of winners of the most important tournaments around the world since the previous WGC-HSBC Champions tournament. Each of the six member tours were allocated a certain number of tournaments from their tour (from 4 to 20), although these tournament had to meet a minimum entry requirement. Co-sanctioned tournaments were assigned to one tour only.
The tournaments were ranked using the Official World Golf Ranking strength of field ("total event ranking"). Tournaments had a minimum event ranking of 40. The ranking was based on the previous year's event ranking so the list of qualifying events could be determined in advance. New events could be included if they were expected to have an event ranking of at least 40.
Further players gained entry through their position in the current seasons Order of Merit. Six players from China were selected, while any player ranked in the world top 50 was also given an entry. If the field size was less than 78, further entries were 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.
2010s
From 2009 to 2012, the WGC-HSBC Champions was an unofficial money event on the PGA Tour, meaning prize money did not count toward the PGA Tour money list[9] or Fed-Ex Cup points standings.[10] Since 2010, victories counted as official wins for PGA Tour members, and as such, Phil Mickelson's victory in 2009 is not counted as an official win. During this time, only Ian Poulter (2012) was a PGA Tour member at the time of his win;[11] Martin Kaymer (2011) and Francesco Molinari (2010) did not join the tour until 2013[12] and 2014,[13] respectively.
2013: Became an official PGA Tour event
In 2013, the WGC-HSBC Champions became an official PGA Tour event and a member of the FedEx Cup schedule,[10] with the winner receiving a three-year exemption on the tour. In 2013, the purse for the WGC-HSBC Champions increased from $7 million to $8.5 million, and full FedExCup points would be given, including the 10% premium awarded by the other WGC tournaments.[1]
The tournament was the second event of the European Tour Final Series from 2013[14] to 2015.[15]
In November 2015, HSBC announced the renewal of its sponsorship for the WGC-HSBC Champions, the HSBC Women's Champions, and the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. This came after news from earlier that year, where the bank continued to be a patron of The Open Championship.[16][17]
Sheshan Golf Club in Shanghai hosted the first World Golf Championship (WGC-HSBC Champions) of the 2018–2019 season of the PGA Tour. A field of 78 players competed for the $10 million purse, $1.6 million of which went to the winner.[18]
2020s
In September 2020, the WGC-HSBC Champions were cancelled because of government restrictions on international sporting events due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Champions were originally scheduled to take place at the Sheshan Golf Club from October 29 through November 1 of that year.[19]
In December 2020, it was announced that HSBC had renewed its sponsorship of the WGC-HSBC Champions, as well as the HSBC Women's World Championship in Singapore and the CGA-HSBC China Junior Golf Programme.[20]
The WGC-HSBC Champions were cancelled again in 2021 and 2022 due to the pandemic.[21] As of 2023, the WGC-HSBC remained in contract with the PGA Tour,[22] but the Champions have not been played since being cancelled.[23]
Qualifications
The qualification categories were as follows:[24]
- Winners of the four major championships and The Players Championship
- Winners of the four World Golf Championships
- Top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking as of two weeks prior the start of the event
- Top 30 available players from the final FedEx Cup Points List (if less than 5 players are available, players from position 31 or lower will be selected to fill in)
- Top 30 available players from the Race to Dubai Ranking as of one week prior the start of the event
- Top 4 available players from the Asian Tour ad hoc qualifying ranking
- Top 2 available players from the Japan Golf Tour Order of Merit as of one week prior the start of the event
- Top 2 available players from the final PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit
- Top 2 available players from the final Sunshine Tour Order of Merit
- Six players from China
- Alternates
Winners
| World Golf Championship | 2009–2012, 2016–2019 | |
| World Golf Championship and European Tour (Race to Dubai finals series) | 2013–2015 | |
| European Tour (Regular) | 2005–2008 |
Notes
- AFR − Sunshine Tour; ANZ − PGA Tour of Australasia; ASA − Asian Tour; EUR − European Tour; PGAT − PGA Tour.
- Between 2010–2012, wins were only counted as official PGA Tour wins if the winner was a member of the tour. Ian Poulter fulfilled this criterion, whereas Martin Kaymer and Francesco Molinari did not.
- The 2009 event was an unofficial PGA Tour event, therefore Mickelson's win is only considered official on the European Tour.
- Between 2005–2008 the event was sanctioned by the Asian Tour, Sunshine Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia, however it was an unofficial money event; therefore the win is considered unofficial on those tours.