The Big Boys Finally Come Out to Play

Yeah, I know we've already seen Rory playing for the last three weeks... but he was just trying to get his game back in shape. This week it's the players whose games were already in shape who get back into the game!

The World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions starts tonight -- remember, American readers, that this event is in China so Thursday starts around half a day earlier for them. (Is it just me or are the men chasing the women around the globe? The LPGA was in Malaysia two weeks ago, and the PGA Tour played there last week while the LPGA teed it up in China, and this week...)

Bubba Watson is the defending champion.



Ten of the Top15 in the OWGR are in the field:

• Jordan Spieth
• Rory McIlroy
• Bubba Watson
• Rickie Fowler
• Henrik Stenson
• Dustin Johnson
• Sergio Garcia
• Adam Scott
• Louis Oosthuizen
• Hideki Matsuyama

The other five -- Jason Day, Jim Furyk, Brooks Koepka, Justin Rose and Zach Johnson--  aren't playing anywhere this week. Rose's absence surprises me a bit since he's fifth in the Race to Dubai but he skipped last week as well. He is listed in next week's event, the BMW Masters which is also in Shanghai.

I believe Spieth, Stenson and Watson are GC's featured group in their telecast tonight, although the McIlroy-Fowler-Johnson group tees off about an hour later so you'll probably get to see quite of bit of them as well.

GC lists their lead-in coverage to begin tonight at 9pm ET and the event broadcast proper at 10pm ET. Looks like another week of late, late, LATE night golf!