Westwood shows his teeth to Tiger at HSBC Champions
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Every year the HSBC Champions in Shanghai gets bigger and better, but the 2010 tournament offers a particularly rich feast.
Lee Westwood, the new World No. 1 is here, alongside the man whom he replaced, Tiger Woods, who must find it very strange to stand on a golf course knowing he is "only" No. 2 in the world. It is almost exactly five years since he last had that experience.
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And here's the prey – Crouching Tiger… |
The victors in the last four Majors are also here at the Shanghai Sheshan Golf Club – US PGA winner Martin Kaymer, US Open Champion Graeme McDowell, Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen, and current Masters title holder Phil Mickelson, who also just happens to be the current holder of the HSBC crown as well.
And the good news for the fans is that it's more than likely that all of the above will be around for the weekend. Only McDowell currently lies over par (+2), while Westwood won the first round of the psychological battle, justifying his new status by making two birdies on 17 and 18 to hold second place on 6-under - the best of ‘the best'. Woods is the next of the headliners in joint 5th on –4. Oosthuizen and Mickelson are both a shot further back on 3-under, while Kaymer is on level par.
But even if any of the above-named should miss the cut, there is an army of stars in the "supporting cast" – former major winners Padraig Harrington, Retief Goosen, Ernie Els, and Y.E. Yang to name but four. Yang is 3-under, Goosen and Harrington both 2-under, and Els is on level par.
But it was one of Europe's new rising stars who led the field at the end of the day. Italy's Francesco Molinari astonished the on-course spectators by appearing out of nowhere as the afternoon was wearing on to suddenly top the leaderboard. Playing in the third group to last of those who had started on the 10th tee, he managed the feat with a run of four straight birdies on 3,4 5 and 6. He then held his nerve to negotiate a difficult up and down from the back fringe of the 9th green, finishing on 7-under with what was also a bogey-free round.
