Poulter ready for marathon of golf

The event tees off in Shanghai on Monday and runs until Sunday, October 16.

"Who's going to win? I'm going to win," said the event-confident Poulter, who has won 11 European Tour titles. "Sorry, Lee. Sorry, Liang. Sorry, Rory."

A vital player for Europe in the Ryder Cup, Poulter thrives in a competitive environment and in May beat current world number one Luke Donald to win the Volvo World Match Play Championship.

The 35-year-old Englishman has also shown a fondness for Asia, winning the Barclays Singapore Open in 2009 and the UBS Hong Kong Open last year, and is excited about the challenge of playing 18 holes over eight courses in seven Chinese cities.

"It's going to be very exciting and there should be a huge turnout for the Shui On Land China Golf Challenge. I'm expecting big crowds at every course we play in each city. It's going to be impressive," said Poulter, who has been ranked as high as fifth in the world.

"For the players, it's going to be fun to jump on a jet between the different cities and have a laugh. The schedule has a nice blend of different types of courses with different designers, so hopefully it's going to showcase everything about golf in China. It's a big place and I'm sure China has some big ambitions in golf."

The four players will compete over two or three holes at each of eight courses in Shanghai (October 10), Zhengzhou (October 11), Beijing (October 12), Dalian (October 13), Chongqing (October 14), Dongguan (October 15) and Macau (October 16). They will also participate in pro-ams and coaching clinics at selected venues.

Westwood is currently the top-ranked competitor in the field as world number two and has 22 European Tour titles among his 35 pro wins. Last year, the Englishman was runner-up in the Masters and British Open and in October succeeded Tiger Woods as world number one, topping the world ranking for 17 weeks.

Westwood, 38, regained top spot in April after winning the Indonesia Masters and won the following week's Ballantine's Championship in South Korea before conceding the number one spot to compatriot Luke Donald in late May.

McIlroy, 22, will be a star attraction in China following his record-breaking win in the US Open, his first Major title, and recently reached a career-high third in the official world golf ranking.

Liang, whose best finish in a Major was eighth in last year's PGA Championship, will have home advantage and the support of the crowds as China's top golfer.

One of golf's most innovative competitions, the Shui On Land China Golf Challenge will be broadcast globally on Golfing World and distributed internationally by IMG Media, while Sina, the largest Chinese-language infotainment web portal, is an official media partner.

Host venues include the Tomson Golf Club, which hosted the former BMW Asian Open co-sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours, and the 36-hole Red Flag Valley in Dalian.

Shui On Land China Golf Challenge 2011 schedule
October 10: Shanghai - Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club
October 11: Zhengzhou - Jinsha Lake Golf Club
October 12: Beijing - Topwin Golf and Country Club & Jade Island International Club
October 13: Dalian - Red Flag Valley
October 14: Chongqing - Sun Kingdom Golf Club
October 15: Dongguan - Long Island Golf and Country Club
October 16: Macau - Caesars Golf Macau