HSBC Dude: Tiger Needs To Play HSBC WGC, Not "Meaningless... money-making opportunities".

Talek Harris reports that HSBC sponsorship chief Giles Morgan has "had words" with golf tours about making sure players tee it up in the meaningless, money-making HSBC WGC event in Shanghai instead of other meaningless, money-making opportunities not sponsored by HSBC.

Oh the irony of a WGC event sponsor lamenting players skipping his event when it's the WGC's that cause players to sometimes skip events that have been around much longer than this event.

"I do think the tours -- and I think the tours are working on this -- should make sure that there is respect to the tournaments," Morgan said in an interview in Singapore.

"As opposed to playing in meaningless... money-making opportunities around the World Golf Championships (WGC)."

He added: "It's up to the tours to enforce the criteria to their membership. And we've expressed our position to the tours, which is that we know they can't enforce their players to play and that's fine, we understand that.

"But we do think that players need to be respectful of... these major events (which) are really at the top and the pinnacle and the lifeblood of the sport.

"If you've got sponsors investing that level of money, the players should respect the calendar."

Lifeblood of the sport? Sorry, those are the majors.

Essentially Morgan's speaking to Tiger, who has opted for exhibition appearances in Asia instead of playing the HSBC Shanghai event.

Meanwhile, HSBC's European Tour stop in Abu Dhabi pays appearance fees and regularly lures players who might otherwise play West Coast Swing events.