A world championship that's not like the others

SHANGHAI (AP) — Except for the red carpet in bunkers on the practice range, signs posted in English and Chinese, and bicycles competing with BMWs for space on the road, the HSBC Champions looks like any other World Golf Championship.Too bad the PGA Tour doesn't see it that way.cheap golf clubs The tour opened itself to criticism - and even silly whispers of a conspiracy - by deciding to wait until after the HSBC Champions before sending ballots for its postseason awards. The tournament counts as an official win if a PGA Tour member is holding the trophy Sunday at Sheshan International, so it was the right decision to wait.For those who saw ballot delay as a slight against Luke Donald, they're missing the point.The only bias this exposed was how the PGA Callaway X22 Irons Tour continues to treat this WGC differently from the other three. Otherwise, there is no way it would have forgotten that the season really didn't end when Donald ran off six straight birdies,Callaway FT I-Bird Irons shot 64 to win at Disney and establish himself the clear favorite as player of the year.And the bias looks even worse considering the other "world" events are all played in America."This should be treated as the rest,"Callaway RAZR Hawk Driver Thomas Bjorn said. "It comes at a time when certain people are not going to play, but that's the nature of the beast. It's a world-class field on a fantastic golf course. There's a couple of players missing, but not too many. This event has everything it needs. It showcases the game in this part of the world. And this is where the future is lying financially for golf.Callaway Diablo Octane Tour Fairway"The tour makes a reasonable argument for giving the HSBC Champions only partial status.Because of where it falls on the calendar and on the globe, many of its stars aren't playing as much. The HSBC Champions has the fewest percentage of PGA Tour playersCallaway RAZR Hawk Fairway Wood (44 percent compared with about 70 percent for the other WGCs), thus the tour is hesitant to award all its perks when the majority of the field is not already a member.