Golf’s dream pairing at HSBC Champions final round in Shanghai
This year’s HSBC Golf Championship in Shanghai at Sheshan International Golf Club generated a great deal of interest inside China due mainly to the participation of the world’s top two golfers, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. And, the two top golfers didn’t disappoint China’s golf fans nor the event’s organizers as Phil Mickelson had taken a two-stroke lead over the second place Tiger Woods going into the final round. What more could we have asked for? The world’s top two golfers and Nick Watney, winner of this year’s Buick Invitational who had described himself as the odd man out, formed the last threesome for Sunday’s final round.
Unofficial sources reported 18,000 fans were at the golf course for the final round. As expected, the largest crowd followed the plays of the final threesome of the day.
Fan favourite Phil Mickelson is known as “Lao Mi”. In Chinese, “lao” means “old”. “Lao” is also an endearing term when it is combined with a person’s surname. “Mi” is short for Mickelson because the vast majority of Chinese surnames are monosyllabic. To the Chinese fans, Tiger Woods is known simply as “Laowu” which is a literal translation of the word “tiger” in Chinese.
This week Phil Mickelson made and said all the right things while on and off the golf course. He even gave his golf ball to a member of the crowd each time he birdied a hole.
Back to the final round. Who can blame the spectators for expecting to witness a battle for the ages whenever Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson meet with all the marbles on the line?
The first hole was non-eventful and both golfers made par. Phil Mickelson birdied the third hole, then took back-to-back bogeys. Tiger Woods on the other hand missed a two-footer putt and birdie at the second. The fourth and fifth holes weren’t any kinder as Tiger Woods missed two more putts that he was expected to make.
Then it all unraveled at the seventh hole when Tiger’s tee shot landed in the bunker and his next shot got him just to the bunker’s grassy bank before catching another trap with his third. On the green in four,Tiger holed for the bogey which put him four over after seven.
With Mickelson making a birdie at the seventh, Tiger Woods fell six strokes behind and failed to challenge. Phil Mickelson, however, wasn’t home free as Ernie Els surged forward to take a one-stroke as Phil Mickelson was heading into the 16th hole. Phil Mickelson needed two clutch putts on the 16th and 17th hole and a Ernie Els bogey on the 18th to claim an one-stroke victory in the final World Golf Championship tournament of the year. This is Phil Mickelson’s second HSBC Champions title in three years. Mickelson finished at 17-under 271 and earned $1.2-million U.S. for his fourth victory of the year. Ernie Els was second.
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