Garcia out the blocks in the Race to Dubai

The Race to Dubai could not have gotten off to a better start. The HSBC Champions in Shanghai had some of the finest players in the world in contention for the title.

Obviously, when you have players like Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington and Adam Scott in the draw, you want to see them perform well.

Of course it would have been a great story if, inspite of the presence of these stars, someone with lesser credentials won. But you always want the big guys to be challenging.

No such issues at the HSBC Champions - Garcia won the tournament, and in Tiger Woods' absence, I don't think there is a bigger star in golf at the moment.

The win backed that statement with hard facts as Garcia moved ahead of Mickelson to become the second ranked player in the world behind Woods.

So, Garcia has exploded off the blocks as far as the Race to Dubai is concerned. And with HSBC Champions being such a big-money event, he will be hard to catch for some time now.

Second again

I felt bad for Oliver Wilson, who must now be wondering what he must do to record his first win on the European Tour as this was the eighth second place finish of his career.

All I can say to him is to keep the faith - he is an extremely talented golfer and a win is not too far away.

This weeks sees the biggest event on the Asian Tour, The Barclays Singapore Open, takes place with a prize fund of $5 million.

It's going to be a huge week for me. I am currently second in the Asian Tour Order of Merit, some $135,000 behind Mark Brown, and a good result could change the whole complexion of the battle between us.

Not only will it help me with the Order of Merit, but with the points on offer, it will also help me in the chase to finish inside the World Rankings top-50.

Last year the Singapore Open clashed with the Volvo Masters on the European Tour and as a result both missed out on some of their stars.

Thankfully, the Tours met and discussed the dates of their flagship events - another indication that both are willing to cooperate, which is good news for all parties involved.

Jeev Milkha Singh is a three-time winner on the European Tour.