Woods heads to China, shrugs off Aussie cash row

Tiger Woods confirmed on Wednesday that he'll play in China in November and then seized the opportunity to defend the three million dollars he will receive for playing in Australia the following week.

The world's greatest golfer said he will contest the HSBC Champions event in Shanghai, three years after last playing there.

The November 5-8 event is tri-sanctioned by the European, Asian and Australasian Tours, and Woods will also play the following week's Australian Masters at Kingston Heath in Melbourne.

There has been some criticism of the Victorian state government, which is reportedly paying half of the three million-dollar US appearance fee to get Woods to Australia for the first time since the 1998 Presidents Cup, but Woods doesn't seem to see what all the fuss is about.

"I know there's some controversy behind it, but I'm really looking forward to getting down there," Woods said on the eve of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

"I've always wanted to play more in the Aussie Sand Belt because that is my favorite area to play.

"Most of the guys get appearance fees to play around the world. This the PGA Tour is the only place that doesn't have appearance fees."

On a more immediate note, this week's event at will be Woods' final hit-out before the Masters, and he could hardly ask for a better venue than Bay Hill, where he won a record four consecutive years from 2000-03, before adding a fifth title last year.

It will be just his third tournament since returning to action last month following last June's major surgery on his left knee.

"I'm just trying to get my feel back for playing again," said the 14-time major champion.

"Today in the pro-am was a bit windy towards the end and I started to get my distance control back, feel the shots, and that takes a little time.

"To be honest, it's taken less time to get my feel back. I thought it would take a little longer. You forget certain things, how you play shots and how you think yourself around the course.

"You wouldn't think you'd forget, but I made a couple of mistakes at the Match Play in February, firing the ball into the greens, missing the ball on wrong sides, mistakes I don't normally make."

Woods heads a strong field here that also includes 17-year-old Ryo Ishikawa.

Ishikawa is a superstar in his homeland, where he has already won twice on the Japan Tour and last year finished fifth on the money list in his first season as a pro.

Ishikawa, whose English is rapidly improving, said he was honored to receive an invitation from tournament host Arnold Palmer.

Ishikawa, who will also play in the Masters, missed the cut in his PGA Tour debut at Riviera last month, before playing all four rounds last week near Tampa, where he finished 71st.

"Now I've played two PGA Tour events, I realize how difficult it is to make the cut," he said.



Egghead : A man poses with the alleged largest egg in the world during a photocall in central London. The egg was laid in the early 17th century, by the now extinct Great Elephant Bird of Madagascarto. AFP/Shaun Curry