SHANGHAI, China -- The 2006 European Tour begins this week with the inaugural HSBC Champions Tournament, a unique event featuring title winners from the European Tour, the Asian Tour, the PGA of Australasia and the Southern Africa Tour, as well as players in the top 50 in the world and a handful from the China Golf Federation.

The purse this week totals $5 million, which will be the largest purse ever on the continent of Asia. The winner will pocket $831,204, with the runner-up getting $554,143 and the third-place finisher receiving $312,208.

The event will be played at the Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai. Golf course architect Neil Haworth created the 7,143-yard, par-72 layout in 2004.

Leading the field this week are world No. 1 Tiger Woods and No. 2-ranked Vijay Singh, who will be joined by 2005 European Tour Order of Merit winner Colin Montgomerie, U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell, and such European Ryder Cup stars as Thomas Bjorn, Padraig Harrington, David Howell, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Paul McGinley.

A total of 27 winners from the 2005 European Tour are taking part, as is the European Challenge Tour No. 1, Marc Warren of Scotland. The Chinese contingent is led by Lian-Wei Zhang, the most famous golfer from China and a man who made history by playing in the Masters a few years ago.