HSBC Championship Shows World Golfing Depth

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HSBC Championship Shows World Golfing Depth
November 15, 2006

Put together a tournament in Asia and draw the likes of Tiger Woods, Retief Goosen, Michael Campbell, Padraig Harrington and Jim Furyk and you truly have a top notch event. Add to that fact that Yang Yong-eun, a South Korean native who is a regular on the Japanese Tour, took home the winners check of more than $800,000 and you quickly realize how many top flight golfers there are outside the US and the PGA Tour.

True, Tiger Woods played two poor rounds. He had trouble in round one dusting off his rested game (five weeks) but a one over par Saturday in the cold and wind spelled doom for the man who had won six straight stroke play events.

The unknown Yang Yong-eun may play infrequently outside Asia. But he showed his skills and closed with a fine, 3-under 69 on Sunday and a two-stroke victory over a fast charging Woods. The $833,000 winners' check did prove to be the biggest tournament prize ever for the 34-year-old who has won four times on the Japanese tour. Yang also won his first Asian Tour event earlier in the year, taking home the Korean Open title.

Meanwhile, third-round leader Retief Goosen dumped his approach on the 18th in the water, part of 39 over the back nine on Sunday that left him third with his final round of one over (matching Woods of Saturday). It meant the second defeat for Goosen at the hands of Yang having also teed it up at the Korean Open earlier this year. The South African tied for third with New Zealand's Michael Campbell.

The former US Open champion Campbell matched the course record with a 64 (a mark also matched by both Henrik Stenson and Woods on Friday). Ironically, Campbell also played himself out of contention on the cold Saturday, recording 10 bogeys during a five-over par 77.

Woods had the shot of the week. Playing the par-five second hole on Sunday, Woods played out of a bunker on his second shot, hitting a fairway wood to the front of the green. True to his week however, Woods was unable to get up and down and had to settle for par.

European Number One Padraig Harrington and World Number Two Jim Furyk also had Top Tens in the HSBC event. Both Yang and Woods will play at the Dunlop Phoenix in Japan this week where Woods will attempt to eliminate all rust and defend his 2005 title.

12:04 PM