Despite having absolutely no energy after the trip, the HSBC World Golf Championship was in Shanghai at Sheshan Golf Course, with most of the best players in the world, it was 70 degrees and sunny, tickets were only 100 kuai (14.50$) for students and it was only 45 minutes away. There was no way I was missing this last Sunday round.
A huge group of 12 got up at 630 in morning, dressed in our goofiest golf attire and made our way through the foggy Chinese morning. This sporting event was easily one of the most unique experiences I have ever been to. Chinese people know next to nothing about golf, so every group was basically empty besides the leaders and Tiger.
Being American, we could be loud as we wanted and the golfers loved us because we were the only people cheering. We posted up on the 6th hole, a par 3 to start our day and chilled with a bunch of wine, beer, cheese, baguettes and the finest deli meats Shanghai has to offer. We could easily talk to golfers who would talk back to us. Ricky Barnes, tigers caddy Steve Williams, Phil, Ernie, Miguel Angel Jimenez, and Bill Haas all talked to us. Even Camilo Villegas’ caddy called my friend Pete Brian Scalabrene, he was dressed in a Michael Jordan jersey and American flag bandana and is a ginger, which was unbelievably funny. We went nuts for two golfers Hunter Mahan and Paddy Harrington who absolutely loved us. Hunter threw a ball to us on the 6th hole and on the 17th we gave Paddy a curtain call after a birdie, while holding a stolen Irish flag from the scoreboard. 
The best part of my day happened on the 17th tee box. Tiger had just birdied 16 and was walking to the tee with a whole mess of swagger. Pete and I were standing right in front of the box and shouted awesome American things at him (God only knows what, we were a few beers deep) and he tipped his cap and said thanks to us. I may have nutted my pants on the spot. When he swung his 6 iron on that same par 3, some stupid Chinese person who was behind me took a picture in Tigers backswing, and when Tiger hit the ball he threw his club and looked right at us, putting the fear of God into the Chinese soul behind me. He stuck the shot 3 feet from the pin. It was unreal.
Francisco Mollinari ended up holding off the new #1 golfer in the world Lee Westwood, by a stoke, but Westwood had a long eagle chance on the 18th hole that could’ve won it. We were standing on the 18th fairway in the front row only 25 yards away. It was just a fantastic sun-soaked Sunday afternoon, that was a perfect cap to an amazing week.
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