Eastern exposure

With World No 1 Tiger Woods and No 2 Phil Mickelson set for their first-ever showdown on Asian soil next month at the World Golf Champions (WGC) - HSBC Champions, the Shanghai tournament is being hailed as a major golf milestone by the sport's top players.

The addition of Yang Yong-Eun, the first Asian to win a Major and also the HSBC Champions, adds to the speculation that 2009 will go down in history as the year that Asian golf truly took a step onto the global stage.

"When we look back in 10 years and talk about the development of golf in Asia and the globalization of golf in to Asia, this will be the moment we look at," said three-time Major winner Padraig Harrington, another to have confirmed his place in the world-class field at Shanghai's Sheshan International Golf Club.