BMW Masters set for China

Shanghai's Lake Malaran will once again host the lucrative BMW Masters in October, but this time it will be an official tournament on the European Tour schedule. The tournament was first held on a trial basis in October last year when it was called the Lake Malaran Shanghai Masters with Rory McIlroy grabbing the biggest first prize in golf amounting to £1.24million ($2million). This time, it will be held from October 25-28 with 78 players competing for a total prize money of £4.3million ($6.9million) and counting toward the European PGA Tour. "I am already looking forward to teeing off," said McIlroy, who beat American Anthony Kim in a play-off last season. "Thanks to the involvement of BMW (it was previously known as the Shanghai Masters) the tournament will now be one of the very best events in the world. "That obviously makes it all the more exciting to defend my title there." The tournament will come the week before the WGC-HSBC Champions, which this year switched from Sheshan near Shanghai to Mission Hills in Shenzhen.