Conquering the World in Mexico City

Chuah Choo Chiang predicts who can be the next Asian winner at the first World Golf Championship tournament of 2018, the WGC-Mexico Championship in early March

Current world No. 1 Dustin Johnson is the defending champion at the US$10 million showpiece

When it comes to World Golf Championships events, Dustin Johnson probably provides the best description.

"They are very important tournaments. They are big tournaments. They bring together the best players in the world,” said the 17-time PGA TOUR winner and current world No. 1.

It is no wonder these factors have driven the long-hitting American superstar to five WGC titles, where he is second after Tiger Woods for most WGC career victories. Beating the best of the best has pushed him to excel and the mantra appears to be driving Asia’s band of new glory seekers on the WGC frontier.

The region’s flagbearers will get a crack against the world’s elite when the first WGC tournament of 2018, the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship, takes place at Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City from March 1-4. Johnson is the defending champion at the US$10 million showpiece, which is supported by the Salinas family who is intended to help grow the game further in Mexico.

While WGC tournaments have been held successfully for nearly two decades, Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama has only burst through the gates recently as Asia’s most successful golfer following standout triumphs at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in 2016 and World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational last year.

At 25, he has entrenched himself as being amongst a new wave of ultra-talented golfers dominating the global golf scene alongside the power hitters such as Johnson, reigning FedExCup champion Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth.

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Written by Chuah Choo Chiang

Photography by AFP

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