HSBC Champions Golf Tournament Oct 2005

Ray and LeAnn visited Shanghai in October of 2005 to watch part of the HSBC Champions tournament bringing together winners of both the Asian and European tour events for the year. The big draw, however, was Tiger Woods. He was invited and given a large appearance fee to be part of this tournament. We thought it would be a nice opportunity to see him play without have the super sized crowds as in the US.

We attended the 3rd round on Saturday. The weather was overcast with some occasional drizzle, and a little cool (at least compared to Manila!). The SheShan course was in great shape and very green and lush. It has huge clubhouse that was off limits to most of the crowd during the tournament. The course is pretty wide open and fairly flat. With the soft greens and calm conditions, there were lots of opportunities for birdies. The 17th hole was tough par 3 across a wide gully. It was playing over 200 yards from the back tees, but did not end up swallowing up too many golf balls

We heard estimates that there were 3,000 to 4,000 people in attendance, and probably 1/2 to 3/4 followed Tiger all the way around the course. We wondered around and watched him some and the other golfers also. If you were a couple of holes ahead or behind tiger, there would be a couple of dozen people watching at a particular hole or group. It is fun to watch professional golfers up close and see the power they have when they hit the ball. One thing you don't always get a feel for on TV is how big some of these guys actually are in person. Another is how much time they spend studying the green before a put. TV usually cuts in just as they are over the ball ready to putt, but there is large amount of time spent before looking at the put from many angles. David Howell ended up winning the tournament, and Tiger came in second.

It was different at the tournament, because they allowed cameras and phones on site. I took some video of and a few golfers, but the did try to prevent a lot a camera usage.

The last time Ray had seen Tiger Woods it was at the US Open in Minneapolis and the crowds numbers around 30,000. So no matter what hole you were at or who you followed, you always seemed to be behind somebody. It was much easier to watch this tournament.

When we arrived in Shanghai, we took the Magnetic Levitation (MagLev) train from the airport to the subway station, and then the subway into Peoples Square near our hotel. The MagLev train floats above its tracks through the use of electromagnetic force that simultaneously pushes and pulls the train down the track. It reaches a speed of over 265 miles per hour, but is a very smooth and comfortable ride because it is floating.

We also made a couple side trips to YuYuan Gardens and picked up a few china dolls and of course a quick tour of the Fashion Market for some souvenirs.