The US PGA Tour's hottest young stars Anthony Kim and Camilo Villegas have joined the field for HSBC Champions at Shanghai's Sheshan International Golf Club.
Both Kim and Villegas surged into the top 10 in the world rankings for the first time in their careers in September, thanks to impressive results during the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoff series.
Kim finished third at both the Tour Championship and the BMW Championship and in between set the tone for the United States' Ryder Cup victory with his inspirational partnership with Phil Mickelson.
Coupled with his wins at the Wachovia Championship and the AT&T National it was enough to propel the 23-year-old American up to No. 6 in the world, having started the year in 75th place.
Kim, who has also had four other top three finishes this season and presently ranked eighth in the world, said: "I have had a great year, winning the Ryder Cup back and winning my first two titles on tour. The cool thing about climbing so high in the world rankings is that I now qualify for the big international tournaments like the HSBC Champions. I would be so pumped if I could win in China and continue my good run this year."
Villegas' rise has in some ways been even more remarkable than Kim's. Although he started the year rated higher, at 56th, the 26-year-old Columbian with the muscles and looks of a catwalk model, only started his charge into the world's elite in August. Having tied for fourth place at the PGA Championship, the final Major of the year, he soared to new heights during the FedEx Cup winning the final two events and moving into seventh in the world rankings.
Villegas explained: "I'm in the form of my life and I can't wait to take on all the other top players in Shanghai. Obviously Phil Mickelson is there to defend his title but I'm definitely going there to win. I know what to expect because I played in Shanghai two years ago. It's such an awesome event and I'm so glad I didn't miss out on it this year."
The young pretenders join a star-studded field that starts from November 6. Among the big names are the world's top eight active players, including defending champion, Phil Mickelson, Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia, Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson.
(Agencies via Shanghai Daily Ocotober 22, 2008)
