In the end, the final day turned into a showdown between two of the best golfers in the world.  Only it was Ernie Els, not Tiger Woods, battling Phil Mickelson for the HSBC Champions.  Right from the get-go Tiger seemed off his game, and his score of 72 was proof of that.  On the front nine Mickelson pulled away from his old foe, pulling ahead of Woods by six strokes, and finishing with a 3-under 69 on the day, good for 17-under and the win.
But after vanquishing Woods, “Lefty” had another challenger to contend with–South African Ernie Els.  After an …read more

Phil Mickelson grabbed the lead after three rounds at the HSBC Champions, after a torrid finish to his round of 67.  “Lefty” made an outstanding three birdies over his final five holes to go from a two-stroke deficit to a two-stroke lead over Tiger Woods and Nick Watney.  Woods, the second round leader, made birdie on No. 10, but that was it for his round, finishing with a 2-under 70, leaving him at 12-under for the tourney.
Expect the photogs to be out in full force on Sunday, with the ideal final pairing of Mickelson and Woods.  The two haven’t been …read more

There may have been 70+ players teeing off in the first round of the HSBC Champions tournament, but the throngs of Chinese fans were really there to see only two players–Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.  And even though neither of the superstars was at the top of the leaderboard, neither disappointed the fans.  But the first day, at least, belonged to Nick Watney, who fired an 8-under 64, good for a two stroke lead over a group of three golfers, including Ireland’s Shane Lowry.
Woods finds himself three strokes back after an opening round 67.  American Anthony Kim and England’s Paul …read more

It took a while, but it seems like we finally found a worthy adversary on tour for Tiger Woods.  Unfortunately for Phil Mickelson, Padraig Harrington and the rest, they’ve taken a backseat to Y.E. Yang, the 37-year-old South Korean who has bested Tiger Woods twice now, first at the 2006 HSBC Champions event, and more recently at the 2009 PGA Championship.  Yang will try to make it three-for-three at the 2009 version of the HSBC Champions, which takes place in Shanghai this coming November.
Along with Yang and Woods, the tournament also boasts the defending champion Sergio Garcia, and 2007 winner …read more