DID YOU KNOW – WGC – HSBC CHAMPIONS
In claiming his first WGC title in the 2011 WGC – HSBC Champions, Martin Kaymer created WGC history by making up five shots in the final round. This is the largest final day comeback by a winner in a WGC stroke play event. The German’s record was matched by Dustin Johnson, when he won the 2015 WGC – Cadillac Championship.
Russell Knox won his maiden European Tour title at the Sheshan International in 2015, in doing so becoming the first Scot to win a WGC event. Should he retain the title he would join Tiger Woods and become just the second player to make a successful defence of a WGC event.
The 2016 WGC – HSBC Champions boasts its strongest field. All four of the 2016 Major Champions are competing, Danny Willett, Dustin Johnson, Henrik Stenson and Jimmy Walker. In addition there are eight of the current top ten players from the Official World Golf Ranking and a total of 42 of the top 50 set to compete, plus 18 of the 24 players from The Ryder Cup.
Should Dustin Johnson win the 2016 WGC – HSBC Champions this success would be his fourth in a WGC tournament. This would put him in second place behind Tiger Woods, in the list of most victories in WGC events. Having won the 2016 WGC – Bridgestone Invitational, the American is also looking to join Woods and become only the second player to win back-to-back WGC events.
European players will look to continue their successful run in the WGC - HSBC Champions, having won the event in four of the past six seasons, with Francesco Mollinari (2010), Martin Kaymer (2011), Ian Poulter (2012) and Russell Knox (2015).
There will be no fewer than 43 European Tour Members participating in the 2016 WGC – HSBC Champions. Ten of the 43 will be making their debut in the event. They are: Jacques Blaauw, Richard Bland, Chan Shih-chang, Bradley Dredge, Nathan Holman, Andrew Johnston, Rikard Karlberg, Miguel Tabuena, Jeunghun Wang and Jordan Zunic. Of these ten, Blaauw, Bland, Chan, Karlberg, Tabuena and Wang, are making their WGC debuts.
