Shenzhen, China — On october 30, Mission Hills played host to some of the very best names in golf who gathered ahead of the WGC-HSBC Champions 2012 which tees off on November 1 on the 7,301 yard Olazabal Course at Mission Hills’ Dongguan resort in southern China’s Pearl River Delta.

A truly first-class line up will greet spectators including defending Champion Martin Kaymer, as well as a host of other major winners from around the world in Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Bubba Watson, Keegan Bradley, Graeme McDowell, Paul Lawrie and Louis Oosthuizen.

Other top players to join the field from both sides of the Atlantic include Lee Westwood, Luke Donald, Ian Poulter, Nicolas Colsaerts, Peter Hanson, Francesco Molinari, plus Dustin Johnson and 2012 FedEx Cup Winner Brandt Snedeker from the US as well as a crop of players from Asia-Pacific headed by Asian Order of Merit leader Thaworn Wiratchant from Thailand.

It remains to be seen if the Olazabal association does for the Europeans what the spirit of Seve did for them in last month’s Ryder Cup at Medinah, but they should like the connection all the same.

The longest of Mission Hill’s 12 courses at its Shenzhen – Dongguan resort, Jose Maria Olazabal’s course is designed to challenge the best in the game. The design objective was to create a course that is playable to everyone yet one that provided a demanding tournament layout that stretches to the back tees.

Olazabal’s reputation as one of the game’s best sand golfers is reflected with over 160 menacing bunkers. Designed to blend in with its natural surroundings, numerous majestic vistas cropped with untouched foliage and natural running streams will ensure that there is no shortage of scenic backdrops on show. The high, sand flashed bunkers contain a number of contoured fingers, thick grassy vertical lips and deep ‘bowled’ bottoms, which are sure to attract the attention of the players.

Competitors will be faced with an option on how to play each hole – either opting for a conservative, safe route, or the risk and reward route that may result in anything from an eagle to a double bogey or worse. This is a perfect tournament venue, guaranteed to provide the professionals with a true test of golf and the hundred thousand plus spectators with plenty of excitement along the way.

Commenting on his first impressions of this year’s course, Defending Champion Martin Kaymer said, “It looks very good. I think they changed the grass so there’s less grain on the greens now which I think makes the course even better. 15 is an exciting par 5 where a lot can happen and then 18, you need to be brave with a tee shot but it’s definitely a very exciting finish.”

A sentiment shared by two time tournament winner Phil Mickelson who added, “I think this golf course is wonderful. The 15th hole, I believe, is the most interesting as it gives a player many ways to play it. It’s also an important hole for the tournament’s final result because it’s an important birdie – you need to make a 4 there to be on top of the lead if you want to win.”

Dr. Ken Chu, Chairman and CEO of Mission Hills Group added, “We’re delighted to bring such a prestigious event as the WGC-HSBC Champions to Mission Hills China for the first time and provide a spectacular showcase event for golf lovers. It is for sure that we would harness the opportunity to promote the further development of the game in China and throughout the region.”

The WGC-HSBC Champions boasts a prize fund of US$7 million and is one of four World Golf Championships sanctioned and organised by the operational committee of the International Federation of PGA Tours, which includes the Asian Tour, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA TOUR, PGA Tour of Australasia and Sunshine Tour. The other World Golf Championships include the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, WGC-Cadillac Championship and the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Image Courtesy of  turbotoddi

The article Olazabal Course Ready For WGC-HSBC Champions 2012 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

There’s a great bit of luck involved in sports as we’ve seen, but this serge of luck always seems to occur at the most opportune times to the most unlikeliest of people.  That was the case in this year’s British open with its unlikely winner, Darren Clarke.  It is important to remember though, luck is not the only reason he won; it is not the only reason he holds the Claret Jug instead of names like Phil Mickelson or golden boy, Roy McIlroy.  He played well enough to be in the position to capitalize on those moments.

Clarke delivered in the final round while players like Dustin Johnson faltered in the latter parts of Sunday’s round.   We shouldn’t be surprised at the outcome only from this standpoint, a different golfer won the last 10 majors we have seen played and I’m not sure if that will change anytime soon.

Sports fans have come to expect Phil to crumble when it matters most, but it was different this time.  Different because, although Clarke is a seasoned golfer, he doesn’t strike fear in anyone who knows the game or have played it; thus there should be no pressure- aside from the pressure being applied by the course itself.

For a man who has seen his share of disappointment on the golf course at this stage of his career, you would think he would have figured out a way to avoid these lapses in crucial tournaments (Majors).

After being tied entering the 8^th green, things took a turn for the worse on a day where there were only two birdies completed throughout the round.  It is important to note also how difficult it was to have played on this course; the conditions were brutal to deal with considering the rain and relentless winds that seem to alter the play of many golfers.

Clarke finished 5 under par after bogeying the final hole while Mickelson finished 2 under par. This continues the drought of American winners with Irishmen Clarke, who is a popular sympathetic figure on the tour.

Now it’s interesting to consider what happened with golden boy McIlroy; Roy McIlroy was in contention early on after a slow start, but never got things going. Some say it is a direct result of his inactivity after winning the last major in which the Tiger comparisons began to creep up. Not sure which had greater impact on his play, the pressures of such talks or the difficulty of the course itself?  Either way, he finished 7 over par and wasn’t a factor down the stretch.

I wonder how he will recover from this outing after his star was so bright just weeks ago.

We must congratulate Clarke for winning his first major and acknowledge the manner in which he accomplished the things he did.  But I, like most sports fans can’t help but wonder about the golfer who was not present for this major.  Tiger Woods misses many tournaments but is always present for majors- this win is great in the realm of golf and golf purist who will watch this sport regardless of whether tiger plays or not.  The problem instead is that a casual sports fan who did not watch this major will likely not watch most majors if Tiger is not playing.

The ratings will not be at high levels as long as Tiger remains M.I.A; America responds to sporting events, not the everyday dealings of niche sports like golf or tennis.  Events usually involve big personalities that have an identity outside of that particular sport and it is clearly evident that we have yet to find someone to fill that vacant gap left by Tiger Woods.

A great victory for Darren Clarke, a player who has been around for a very long time; but I’ll be the first to admit that the excitement is not there.  My excitement along with the enthusiasm of the collective sporting world remains in search of something special; sadly enough, that wasn’t it.

Image: photogolfer / Shutterstock.com

The article Darren Clarke Wins British Open Championship appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.