Reuters

Every year, there are five or six tournaments that boast some of the top talent in the world. Usually, those tournaments are played somewhere like Firestone, TPC Sawgrass, Congressional or Harbour Town. Rarely, though, is the tournament that lives up to it’s pre-tournament billing.

There were story lines galore going in to the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai this weekend; how is Tiger Woods’ swing change coming along? Had Phil Mickelson really kicked the pain from his psoriatic arthritis? Could Lee Westwood prove that he deserved his No. 1 ranking?

And what of that No. 1 ranking?

Four men had the opportunity this weekend to take over the top spot in the world of golf. All they needed to do was win.

Instead, the No. 30 player in the world became the proverbial buzz saw that the world class field at Sheshan International Golf Club ran into.

Francesco Molinari, who was bullied by former No. 1 Tiger Woods at the Ryder Cup in the Monday Singles Match, bullied the new No. 1 Lee Westwood, holding Westy from solidifying his new place in the golf world with a victory.

But, for Westwood, the week was by no means a failure. He didn’t flame out like Mickelson (+1, T-41 ) or Kaymer (-2, T30). He matched Molinari nearly hole-for-hole.

As the talking heads like to point out, you can’t win a tournament on Thursday, but you can lose it. However, for Westwood, he did neither. Opening with a 6-under 66, Westwood was bested by one stroke as Molinari shot a 7-under 65. The rest of the week was a draw. Both Westwood and Molinari finished the weekend 70-67-67.

That’s not to say it wasn’t interesting. Holding the lead by only one or two strokes throughout Sunday led to some fireworks on the back nine, which was emphasized by some clutch putting, especially for Westwood which kept the pressure on Molinari. From Stephanie Wei:

The two appeared to be matching great shots and birdies, but things turned to Molinari’s advantage on the 16th hole.

Westwood’s drive on the 288-year par-4 dribbled to the left of the green, where a pot bunker stood between him and the pin. When the announcer saw the result, he called it, “Now he’s dead. He’s dead.” Molinari drove his tee shot into the primary rough, but managed to knock a wedge to about five-feet. But Westwood wasn’t so lucky. With a tight lie, he fluffed his chip to the rough around the bunker and managed to save par.

Molinari, who isn’t known for his putting prowess, drained his birdie on 16 to take a two-stroke advantage over Westwood with two to play.

It looked like Molinari had locked up the win after Westwood’s tee shot on the par-3 17 found the bunker and his sand shot powered 15-feet past the hole. However, Westwood drained the putt for par to stay within two.

Westwood gave himself a chance on the par-5 18, knocking it on the green in two. But when he missed his eagle try, Molinari just needed to tap in his one-and-half footer for par to clinch the victory.

For Molinari, this is his breakout win. He’s won twice on the European Tour, but nothing with a field as stacked as a WGC event.

What’s interesting about his win this weekend is that he will get all the accolades that comes with winning on the PGA Tour, except for the money. Now, before I totally lose you, I’m not suggesting he didn’t get paid for his win this weekend, he did, to the tune of $1.2 million. However, in the PGA Tour’s eyes, Molinari’s win means nothing monetarily, which in Molinari’s eyes means nothing, because he is not a PGA Tour member.

Got all that?

The PGA Tour put in their first round notebook a couple of things that caught my eye. First, as you know, the WGC-HSBC will now be a PGA Tour event from here on out, giving the winner, so long as they are a PGA Tour member, a three-year exemption, but the rule is not retroactive, meaning Phil Mickelson will not get a PGA Tour win for his victory last year. Fine, no big deal there. Here’s where I’m confused. If you win on the PGA Tour, you get an invite to the newly named Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii to start next year. So to recap, the HSBC is a PGA Tour Event that gets you a three-year exemption (if you’re a Tour member) and into the tournament of Champions, but this is the kicker: the money won at this tournament does not go towards the PGA Tour money list.

Of course, for Francesco Molinari, he couldn’t care less because he’s on the European Tour. And when you think about it, it really won’t make a difference if someone who were a member of the PGA Tour won because they would almost certainly have their Tour card wrapped up because as a WGC event, you have to be pretty good, and pretty rich already, to garner a spot.

So, what am I rambling about? Not much, just pointing out the fact that the rule seems a bit contradictory.

Regardless, congratulations to Francesco Molinari on his big win. And kudos to Lee Westwood for showing he’s not just some slouch who slept his way into the No. 1 ranking in the world, even if this week was another example of how he can’t close out a tournament.