England's Justin Rose heads the list of 2012 Ryder Cup stars in top form that will enter the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions, which are to be held from Nov 1 to 4 at Mission Hills Golf Club in Guangdong on the Olazabal Course.

A key member of the triumphant European Ryder Cup team, World No 5 Rose, who also won in Turkey last weekend, said, "Winning the Ryder Cup was so special, and then it was fantastic to go on to beat so many of the world's best players last week. Now, I want to have the same success in the WGC-HSBC Champions, where the amount of world ranking points on offer could make a massive difference to my end-of-year ranking and my place on the Race to Dubai."

Rose is joined by nine of his Ryder Cup teammates in pursuing this title.

"I am really looking forward to competing at the WGC-HSBC Champions at Mission Hills. It is a WGC event, and it has been circled on my calendar since I notched a victory in May. It is one of the most important events we play all season, and I'd like nothing more than to win Asia's major," said Jason Dufner, Zurich Classic of New Orleans Champion.

The tournament boasts the toughest qualification criteria of all the World Golf Championships. The majority of the field qualified only by winning a key tournament on their tours or by being ranked in the world's top 25.

HSBC Global Head of Sponsorship and Events Giles Morgan said: "As the countdown to the WGC-HSBC Champions gathers pace, one of the intriguing sub-plots is the renewal of some of the Ryder Cup rivalries - add in a host of other big names from the world of golf, and it has the makings of an end-of-season classic. We're approaching our 10th year as a major international sponsor of golf, and this memorable golfing year looks like it will be getting the memorable finale it deserves."

IMG's Executive Tournament Director, Marc Webster, said: "The field is really shaping up well for this year's tournament, with players looking forward to challenging to win what many of them refer to as 'Asia's Major'. Preparations are going well at Mission Hills and, with any number of challengers, we should have another fantastic week of golf ahead of us".

The WGC-HSBC Champions offers a prize of $7 million and is one of four World Golf Championships sanctioned and organized by the operational committee of the International Federation of PGA Tours, which includes the Asian Tour, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia and Sunshine Tour. The other World Golf Championships include the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, WGC-Cadillac Championship and the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

(China Daily 10/30/2012 page22)