Lu Wei-chih to face host of challengers on his home course

Lu Wei-chih (呂偉智) of Taiwan will have to hold out a host of domestic and foreign challengers when he begins his defense of his Taiwan Masters title at his home course today.

The US$500,000 tournament returns to the Taiwan Golf and Country Club, where Lu won by two strokes over countryman Lin Wen-tang (林文堂) last year.

The victory was Lu's maiden Asian Tour title since turning pro in 2002. The 27-year-old has been playing at the suburban Taipei course since he was a teenager.

Lu finished inside the top-10 at the Macau Open and the Indonesia Open this year, while tying 13th in the Korean Open.

However, he will still have to fight off a host of eager compatriots, including Lin, who is likely to be looking for revenge.

Past champion Wang Ter-chang (汪德昌) is also expected to put in a strong performance after triumphing at the Brunei Open last month.

The strongest foreign challenge to Lu will come from Thailand, particularly in the shape of Prom Meesawat, the highest ranked player in this week's field and third on the Asian Tour's Order of Merit.

China will host the golf World Cup next year and in 2008, and also a World Golf Championships event through until 2018, the International Federation of PGA Tours announced on Tuesday.

Next year's Nov. 19-25 World Cup will be held at the Jose Maria Olazabal-designed course at Mission Hills Golf Club, located 30 minutes from the Hong Kong border.

"We congratulate the Mission Hills Golf Club on its commitment to host the World Golf Championships-Mission Hills World Cup in China in 2007 and 2008," said George O'Grady, executive director of The European Tour.

The World Cup is part of the World Golf Championships, a series of global events that bring the world's best golfers together in competition in various formats at a variety of venues.

Up to 28 nations, including China as host country, will participate in the event, which will offer a purse of US$5 million.

Chinese Sports Minister Liu Peng (劉鵬) welcomed the move as one integral to the changing face of China.

The 2008 World Cup will be played from Nov. 17-23. Dates, field criteria and format for a World Golf Championships event at Mission Hills will be announced at a later date.

Byron Nelson, who had the greatest year in the history of professional golf when he won 18 tournaments in 1945, including a record 11 in a row, died on Tuesday. He was 94.

His death was confirmed by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office. No cause of death was listed on its Web site.

Known as Lord Byron for his elegant swing and gentle manner, Nelson won 31 of 54 tournaments in 1944-1945. Then, at age 34, he retired after the 1946 season to spend more time on his Texas ranch.

"When I was playing regularly, I had a goal," Nelson recalled years later. "I could see the prize money going into the ranch, buying a tractor, or a cow. It gave me incentive."

That incentive pushed Nelson to become one of the best players of his era. He won the U.S. Masters in 1937 and 1942, the US Open in 1939 and the US PGA Championship in 1940 and 1945.

He also finished second once in the US Open, twice in the American Masters and three times in the US PGA. Nelson played in British Open only twice, finishing fifth in 1937.