2016 WGC-HSBC Champions set to be strongest to date

Strongest field set to date with 43 of the top 50 players contending for 2016 WGC-HSBC Champions title at the Sheshan International Golf Club, Shanghai from 27th - 30th October.

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Oct 18, 2016: The 2016 WGC-HSBC Champions taking place next week at the Sheshan International Golf Club, Shanghai, 27th – 30th October, is set to present its strongest field to date with 43 of the top 50 players confirmed as qualifying closed today.

The entry list is densely populated with the world’s best golfers and this year’s WGC-HSBC Champions will be unrivaled in terms of strength and depth anywhere in the world for the rest of the year. The field boasts 8 of the world’s top 10, all of the year’s Major winners and 19 stars from the enthralling 2016 edition of the Ryder Cup.

The latest additions to the field include European Ryder Cup stars, Thomas Pieters, Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Martin Kaymer, Matt Fitzpatrick, Lee Westwood and Chris Wood along with victorious US Ryder Cup team members, JB Holmes, Brooks Koepka, Ryan Moore, and Brandt Snedeker. Other standouts include Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and South African Major Champions Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel.

This year’s tournament welcomes too many of golf’s leading stars to mention with 2016 US Open Champion Dustin Johnson, who was last week awarded the 2016 PGA TOUR Player of the Year as voted by the TOUR’s membership for the 2015-16 season, heading up the star-studded field.

Scotland’s Russell Knox has his work cut as he aims to defend his title against a world-class gathering that also includes four-time Major winner Rory McIlroy, 2016 Masters Champion Danny Willett, 2016 US PGA Championship winner, Jimmy Walker and 2016 Open Champion Henrik Stenson, Olympic bronze medallist Matt Kuchar, World No 6 and 13-time PGA Tour winner Adam Scott, World No 7 Patrick Reed, World No 12 Paul Casey, World No 14 Sergio Garcia, World No 16 South Africa’s Branden Grace, 2016 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship winner Rickie Fowler, two time US Masters Champion and winner of the 2014 WGC-HSBC Champions Bubba Watson.

“It is a fantastic field gathered for the final World Golf Championship of the year and it will be a daunting task to defend my title but a challenge I am looking forward to. You can see with entry of such impressive strength and depth exactly why this tournament is called Asia’s Major by so many of the players on Tour.”, said defending champion Russell Knox.

Giles Morgan, HSBC’s Global Head of Sponsorship and Events, said “The World Golf Championships – HSBC Champions has always represented the pinnacle of golf in Asia, however the strength of field this year represents a watershed moment for Asia’s Major and the sport in the region. Never before have we seen so many world class players compete in this part of the world. That is symbolic of the world class event WGC-HSBC Champions has become as well as the growing popularity of golf in China among both fans and players alike. Taken together there can be no doubt China now represents a new horizon for the sport and WGC-HSBC Champions is the leading light of this exciting chapter for global golf.”

This year’s tournament will feature a new premium spectator experience called The Pinnacle Club. Fans looking for an extra special world-class golf experience will be able to enjoy the golf from new high-spec bespoke social and party platforms on the golf course, offering excellent views of the action as well as top class hospitality and a unique atmosphere. There is also an enhanced family ticket package available with juniors under 18 offered complimentary entry.

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