'Star Wars' WGC Series "Why Are World Stars All Assembled?"

Major-level total prize money and world ranking points boast, Woods' record 18 wins, Johnson's rare 'WGC Slam' achievement

Brooks Koepka posing with the trophy right after winning the FedEx St. Jude Invitational last year. Memphis, Tennessee, USA = Getty Images/Multivitz

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] 'Star Wars.'

On the 31st (Korean time), the World Golf Championships (WGC) FedEx St. Jude Invitational opens at Southwind Golf Club in Memphis, Tennessee, USA (Par 70, 7,244 yards). The total prize money is a whopping $10.5 million (?12.65 billion), making it famous as a 'money festival.' It is comparable to the four major championships and even larger in scale than the Playoffs (PO, $9.5 million). This is because world stars, including world No. 1 Jon Rahm (Spain), are all participating.

The WGC series was established in 1999 by the International Federation of PGA Tours, which consists of the offices of the seven major professional golf tours worldwide: the United States, Europe, Japan, Australia, South Africa, Asia, and Canada. From the beginning, it invested huge amounts of money. There are four annual tournaments: the Mexico Championship in February, the Dell Technologies Match Play in March, this tournament, and the HSBC Champions in November. The World Cup, a team event, was included until 2006 but was excluded in 2007, and the HSBC Champions joined in 2009.

The trophies are named after legends such as Gene Sarazen (Mexico Championship), Walter Hagen (Dell Technologies Match Play), Gary Player (FedEx St. Jude Invitational), and Old Tom Morris (HSBC Champions). The Dell Technologies Match Play is especially a one-on-one match. Sixty-four players are divided into 16 groups like the FIFA World Cup for the preliminary rounds, and then the group winners advance to the round of 16, where a knockout 'survival game' determines the champion.

This year, due to the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Dell Technologies Match Play was canceled, so only three tournaments are held. Although the HSBC Champions is the latest on the calendar, it is positioned early in the next season on the PGA Tour. It is included in both the PGA Tour and European Tour money rankings. The world ranking points are also highly weighted. Majors award 100 points, while The Players Championship, known as the 'fifth major,' and WGC series winners receive 80 points.

It is interesting that the 'returning golf emperor' Tiger Woods holds 18 WGC series titles. Dustin Johnson (both from the USA) achieved a rare feat called the 'WGC Slam' by winning all four different WGC series events. Starting with the 2013 HSBC Champions, he completed the set with the 2015 Mexico Championship (then Cadillac Championship), the 2016 Bridgestone Invitational, and the 2017 Dell Technologies Match Play. This time, he is challenging to reclaim the top spot after four years.