With his closest rivals sitting on the sidelines, Rory McIlroy can wrap up the European Tour money title with a strong showing at this week's Singapore Open.
Louis Oosthuizen and Adam Scott took advantage of the par 5s at Mission Hills and each had a 7-under 65 on Thursday to lead the HSBC Champions after the first round.
The HSBC Champions lost some star power when Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods decided to skip the World Golf Championship event _ much to the disappointment of the tournament backers.
The Race to Dubai on the European Tour heads for the home stretch, and Rory McIlroy is sitting out one of the richer events this week in the HSBC Champions.
Nick Watney missed a chance for a 59 on Sunday in his CIMB Classic victory, closing with a course-record 10-under 61 at The Mines despite a bogey at the 18th.
Rory McIlroy returns to competition as the defending BMW Masters champion determined to end his best season as the European Tour No. 1.
Ernie Els has changed management companies for the second time in little more than a year. The South African is joining IMG, trying to capitalize on his increased exposure since winning this year's British Open.
Jim Furyk is playing his final official tournament of the year at the McGladrey Classic, and even a win at Sea Island might not be enough to chase away such a sour taste from an otherwise solid year.
Just 18 months ago, Nicolas Colsaerts had little reason to believe he could be going so many places. He was No. 179 in the world and had yet to win on a major tour.
