Victory finally turn on style

Strike force ... Marco Rojas (2nd R) is congratulated on his second goal. Source: George Salpigtidis / News Limited

Marco Rojas celebrated his 21st birthday with two gift goals against his former A-League club as Melbourne Victory climbed into the top six with a 3-2 win over Wellington at Etihad Stadium on Monday night.

Marcos Flores scored Melbourne's other, before two late long-range goals from Wellington's Jeremy Brockie gave the home side a scare.

The Victory displaced Sydney FC from sixth spot on goal difference, after the Sky Blues' horror 7-2 loss to Central Coast on Saturday, with Melbourne to meet Sydney on Saturday night.

		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Adelaide	5	4	0	1	5	12
2	Central Coast	5	3	1	1	6	10
3	Perth	5	3	0	2	2	9
4	Newcastle	5	3	0	2	0	9
5	Western Sydney	5	2	1	2	0	7
6	Victory	5	2	0	3	-5	6
7	Sydney	5	2	0	3	-6	6
8	Wellington	5	1	2	2	-1	5
9	Brisbane	5	1	1	3	2	4
10	Heart	5	1	1	3	-3	4

In front of a 20,683-strong crowd, Melbourne dominated most of the match, continually finding holes in Wellington's defence before breaking through in the 23rd minute with a beautifully-constructed opener.

The architect was Brazilian midfielder Gui Finkler, back from injury and producing form not seen in his previous three A-League matches.

Finkler sent a perfectly-weighted ball from midfield into the path of Thompson on the right, freeing the Socceroos striker to run to the edge of the box, draw Mark Paston, then pass to Rojas for the simplest of finishes.

That was topped in the 38th minute, when Argentine Flores worked his way into the box, exchanged a deft series of passes with Finkler then swerved a shot inside the left post with the outside of his right boot.

The win looked assured three minutes into the second half when Mark Milligan sent Thompson clear in attack and Thompson set up Rojas for another easy goal.

Wellington coach Ricki Herbert tried to spark his team with a double substitution soon after, pulling attacking pair Paul Ifill and Stein Huysegems.

The visitors pressed hard late and were rewarded with a ripping 81st-minute goal from Brockie, whose long-range left-footer struck the underside of the crossbar on the way in.

Brockie scored again two minutes into stoppage time, with a free kick which keeper Nathan Coe knocked back only after it crossed the goal line, forcing Melbourne to face a nervous remaining two minutes.

Melbourne Victory coach Ange Postecoglou said the disappointing finish left a bad taste in his mouth despite dominating for so long.

"The last half-hour was unacceptable, we've got to be better than that,'' he said.

"We're working really hard on a style of play and being disciplined about it and we veered away from it.

"The result was the last thing on my mind. I'm just really disappointed that we chose to veer away from what we've been doing.''

Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert said the score flattered his side.

"We weren't good enough tonight. Let's pay credit to Melbourne - I thought they were very good and we were very disappointing,'' Herbert said.

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Relive the game with all the vital stats and key highlights in our A-League Match Centre.

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Parko, Slater battle for crown

Joel Parkinson ... will battle Kelly Slater for the 2012 ASP world title in Hawaii. Source: AFP

Australia's Joel Parkinson and Kelly Slater are set to duel for this year's ASP world surfing title after two contenders stumbled in the penultimate event in California.

Hawaiian John John Florence's hopes were extinguished when he was upset by NSW surfer Matt Wilkinson in the second round of the O'Neill Coldwater Classic at Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz.

And Mick Fanning's chances of claiming a third world title are hanging by a thread after Brazilian Jadson Andre pipped the Australian, also in round two.

Standings leader Parkinson and 11-time world champion Slater are safely through but no matter who banks the most points in California, the season-ending Billabong Pipe Masters in Oahu, Hawaii in December will decide the title.

Slater survived a hard-fought battle with Dusty Payne in the third round to eliminate the chance of Parkinson sewing up the world crown.

"I just can't seem to figure this wave out, Slater said.

"So I better figure something out quick."

Parkinson was far too good for American Nat Young as the 31-year-old Coolangatta natural footer chases his maiden world title after finishing runner-up in 2002, 2004 and 2009.

"I need a win here," Parkinson said.

"It's what I'm striving for and I can't really control what everyone else does, so I'm just worrying about myself."

Fanning's shock 0.06-point defeat by Andre means he'll be relying on Slater and Parkinson no to make the final and will then need to win the Pipe Masters.

Andre was later beaten by 34-year-old Australian veteran Taj Burrow.

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Watch all the action from the O'Neill Coldwater Classic at Steamer Lane LIVE on FUEL.

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'The best we've seen Victory'

Goal of the season? ... Marcos Flores finishes off a sublime Victory goal. Source: George Salpigtidis / News Limited

Fox Sports football experts Mark Bosnich and Robbie Slater are joined by Central Coast Mariners defender Patrick Zwaanswijk to review the weekend's A-League action, with Bozza praising Western Sydney Wanderers for getting it right so quickly.

Melbourne Victory 3 defeated Wellington Phoenix 2 at Etihad Stadium

Slater says: That first half was scintillating - the best we've seen the Victory all season. The combination of Guilherme Finkler-Marcos Flores sets up one of the goals of the season. They went in 2-0 and they totally dominated the Wellington Phoenix. It didn't look like the Phoenix were going to be in the game at all in the second half, and it started off that way. They had a bit more possession but in one counter-attack they just never got to grips with the penetration from Archie Thompson and Marco Rojas. Happy 21st birthday for Rojas as Archie's given him two big presents. The travel is a killer for Wellington; I think that may be a factor. They looked very lethargic in the first half. But Jeremy Brockie, wow. That's one of the goal of the season contenders that first one.

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Adelaide United 1 defeated Brisbane Roar 0 at Suncorp Stadium

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Bozza says: It was a very good free kick from Vidosic that separated the two sides, although it was a bit fortunate to take a deflection. I was a little bit startled that Rado Vidosic said at the end of the game that Adelaide's early goal 'pretty much killed us'. In past seasons, that for me would have inspired them. A few problems up there for Vidosic. The Roar aren't playing at the same tempo and the same pace for the whole game, especially in that last third. It's very, very important, especially when you play the ball around like the Roar, that when you're up in that last third you increase the tempo because there's some very good defences in the A-League and they'll be comfortable if the Roar don't play with more pace. The tackle on Berisha wasn't a penalty.

Patrick Zwaanswijk says: Brisbane had plenty of chances. They created a lot but they didn't have that many shots on goal. The Roar copped an early goal and then Adelaide dropped behind the ball and defended in numbers and the Roar need to be prepared for that because that's what sides will try to do once they get a lead.

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Perth Glory 3 defeated Newcastle Jets 2 at NiB Stadium

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Bozza says: Fantastic game. I think it was the game of the round. I think Van Egmond would be disappointed the Jets didn't at least pick up a point out of it. I thought they deserved a point. Both sides really had a go at each other. The Jets had enough chances not only to get a point, but probably to win the game and they came away with nothing. It was another really exciting game. Perth came back really well from last week's disappointment against Sydney. You can understand exactly where Van Egmond was coming from, saying he was pleased with the performance, but I think he wouls have had a quiet word to his players to say he was disappointed they didn't at least get a draw.

Patrick Zwaanswijk says: Perth always give 100 per cent and are a very good team. If you can go with them and match them physically you can pick up the three points but the Glory always give it all in that respect.

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Western Sydney Wanderers 2 defeated Melbourne Heart 1 at Parramatta Stadium

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Bozza says: The Wanderers are going really well and it was great to see them get their first win in front of their home fans. There's a bit of talk about their attack not being good enough but I don't see any need for them to change the way they play. Why fix something that's not broken? They didn't win for their first three games but they only really needed to give it a slight tweak, which they did. Poppa's made it very clear he's going to build his side from the back. And his triumvirate of the goalkeeper and two central defenders have been outstanding. They're starting to really come in to their own. If they could add perhaps a little bit more quality up front - maybe a striker or a wide man - just to help their squad depth, they're going to be a real threat. I believe that. Joey Gibbs has been excellent since he's come in. He can hold the ball up, he's mobile and he adds another dimension to their play.

Patrick Zwaanswijk says: We don't have to keep talking about the Wanderers as a young side because there's a salary cap and there's only a few clubs with a bit of extra money that go outside that. They've got Aaron Mooy and Shinji Ono, who control the team well, they're defensively hard to break down, they've got experienced players at the back and experienced players at the front. So, yeah, they're a young team but the players within the team have got experience.

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Central Coast Mariners 7 defeated Sydney FC 2 at Bluetongue Stadium

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Bozza says: Ian Crook said last night that his players didn't lack heart, well I'm not sure based on that game that he should have said that. It's not good enough. Sydney's one of the truly big clubs in this country, and I mean that judging by support and success, and they can not continue to serve that up to supporters and expect them to keep coming back watching and paying their hard earned money. They've got a massive job this week to show they can come back from this.

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Malthouse gets to work at Blues

Mick Malthouse ... targets big things for young midfielder Bryce Gibbs. Source: Chris Scott / News Limited

New Carlton coach Mick Malthouse has already enjoyed an up-close glimpse of what Bryce Gibbs could deliver in the AFL.

Malthouse has great expectations for the 2006 No.1 draft pick, who was a big disappointment for the Blues as they dropped out of the top eight to 10th this season.

There is a sense that Gibbs' career has stalled, with the highly-rated player having minimal impact across half-back.

Two years ago, Malthouse coached Gibbs during Australia's International Rules tour of Ireland and came away a big fan of the utility.

"He was simply outstanding over there," Malthouse said.

"Let me say, there wasn't any `good' - he was outstanding.

"So I know his capabilities.

"He has to be thrown the ball and (we) say `right, now you have to run with it'."

Malthouse also made it clear that he sees Gibbs as a midfielder, first and foremost.

"I'd like to think he's going to be playing in the middle, but it's coupled with half-back and half-forward," Malthouse said.

"He certainly has to come up that next level.

"There's 20 minutes there (each quarter) - he has to be able to do eight to 10 minutes and that's quite significant.

"That takes half a quarter away from others, to give them a little bit of relief and also be able to play in other positions, which I'm pretty keen to do."

Malthouse took charge of Carlton training for the first time on Monday, a month after the tumultuous end to this season.

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The Blues sacked Brett Ratten before their last match and soon after appointed Malthouse, the three-time AFL premiership coach.

Carlton were keen to recruit Collingwood key forward Travis Cloke, but once he re-signed with Malthouse's old club they had a minimal role in the trade period.

That reflects Malthouse's confidence that this group has plenty to offer.

"Any club who finishes outside the eight have a fair bit of work to make up,'' he said.

"But you know what's on our side? History.

"No eight has ever stayed the same and I'm a great believer in history.

"That gives any side outside the eight great buoyancy to go forward.''

"The side has the mechanics to be a good football side.

The first impressions have been encouraging for Malthouse in his fourth AFL senior coaching assignment.

"I've been very, very happy with what I've seen," he said.

The Blues will soon have a pre-season training camp in Arizona, where Malthouse and his players will start learning more about each other.

The players also have to elect their leadership group, with Malthouse saying current captain Chris Judd had to decide whether he wants to retain the role.

Meanwhile, Carlton announced on Monday that former Melbourne captain Brad Green had joined them as a midfield development coach.

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Clarke's keys to succes this summer

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Big challenge ... the summer has got tougher for Clarke due to Watson's injury. Source: Andres Leighton / News Limited

Michael Clarke is in his second year as Australia's Test captain and after an excellent last Australian summer against India, his biggest challenge as a leader looms.

The World No.1 South Africa Test side looks to be at the peak of their powers and it will take a monumental effort for the Aussies to stop them, even on home soil.

So what does Clarke see as the keys to success against the Proteas.

In an exclusive one-on-one with Fox Sports cricket expert Mark Waugh for Inside Cricket, Clarke revealed what he sees as the keys to success.

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Click on the video at the top of the page for all Clarke's insights on his biggest challenge as Australia's Test skipper yet.

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On the challenges of South Africa ...

"There's no coincidence they're the number one side in the world. We had a really good summer last summer but I think the most important thing for us is to maintain that consistency. We speak a lot about that. Playing in your own backyard certainly helps ... but as we know, last time South Africa came to Australia they beat us, so we need to keep that consistency we took out of last summer against India and hopefully perform well."

How to become the benchmark? ...

"If we beat South Africa, we're the number one Test team in the world. The hardest thing about beating South Africa in these conditions is that they know them so well, because it's similar to back home. I think it's going to be a real battle in each Test match. The batters will need to play really well because I think the team that bats the best against two very good fast bowling oppositions, I think will have the most success in this series."

What can the Proteas hurt Australia with? ...

"South Africa have got a really good attack. They've got Philander, who with the new ball can swing the ball away, but generally brings the ball back in to the right-hander off the wicket. Dale Steyn has obviously been very successful over a long period of time. He bowls good pace, fast outswing. And then Morne Morkel who's a lot taller, I think he's about 6'7'', and he hits the deck hard and brings it back in to the right hander as well. It's a very good attack, they complement each other because they're all different."

Can success happen with a rotation policy? ...

"It's about each individual. Our goals don't change. We're trying to win every game we play for Australia, whether it's a Test match, T20 or a one-dayer. We're very lucky that we've got good stock so that if one bowler or one batter misses out, we're confident we can fill that role and have success. So I think when we talk about rotation policy, it's about each individual and assessing the right workloads and management for that player, so the team can have the most success. Pat Howard, John Inverarity and Mickey Arthur have got one eye on the future. There's always a lot of talk about the Ashes. But as a playing group we just focus on what's ahead of us."

Have we made our task more difficult without Haddin? ...

"It's going to be tough because he's such a good player but unfortunately we can only have one wicketkeeper. As captain, no decision I make as a selector will ever be personal. It's always about what's in the best interests of the team. I've spoken to Hadds and he understands that and respects that." 

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Lyon unruffled by Shield stats

Lyon ... is under pressure to perform for Australia after a tough patch in Shield. Source: AAP

For Australian spinner Nathan Lyon, there's lies, damned lies and his statistics this summer.

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The Test offie has managed just six wickets in three Sheffield Shield games at the unflattering average of 66.33.

It contrasts with his 42 wickets in 13 matches for Australia at 27.83 and, says Lyon, it's not a problem heading into a series against the world's No.1 team, South Africa.

"I've been quite happy with the way they've come out," he told reporters in Hobart, where South Australia will play a one-dayer against Tasmania on Tuesday.

"I've been creating chances and unfortunately they haven't been held.

"I'm really confident in my own skill set."

The 24-year-old was considered to be in a battle for a Test spot with Jon Holland until the Victorian's season was ended by a shoulder injury.

But Lyon took seven wickets in his last Test, in the West Indies in April, and Australia captain Michael Clarke said he had the ability to lift for the national team.

"We've been concerned about Nathan's form but he's performed very well for Australia and we're hoping that in the 10 or 11 days leading into the Test he really recaptures his old form and he's bowling at his best," Clarke said.

"But he's got a very good record for Australia. He's served us well overseas and in Australia."

Australia could play four pacemen at the seam-friendly Gabba but, like spin legend Shane Warne before him, Lyon says the Brisbane pitch will suit him.

He finished with match figures of 7-88 against New Zealand there last summer.

"I'm pretty confident I'll be part of the 11," he said.

"I love bowling there just because of the bounce you get there and early on day one it tends to spin a little bit with a bit of tackiness under the pitch.

"The bounce that you're able to generate there's fantastic."

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Australia coach Micky Arthur and captain Michael Clarke will appear on the season-opening episode of Inside Cricket – Monday November 5, 8:30pm (EDT) on Fox Sports 2HD.

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Jeronimo unpunished, Herbert fumes

Rage ... Ben Sigmund (L) reacts to Jeronimo's (2nd R) apparent dive which led to the Phoenix man's dismissal. Source: Sarah Reed / News Limited

Wellington coach Ricki Herbert has launched a two-pronged attack on the competency of A-League refereeing and players ruining the game by diving.

The Phoenix mentor was responding to the A-League match review committee's decision on Monday to uphold the red card given to defender Ben Sigmund for bringing down Adelaide United's Argentine midfielder Jeronimo Neumann in the box on Saturday.

TV replays showed plenty of space between the players in the 77th-minute incident, prompting speculation Jereonimo might face disciplinary action himself for diving.

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Wellington skipper Andrew Durante clearly thought so, labelling the South American a cheat in an interview after the game.

"Unfortunately the referee in our game with Adelaide did not deal with the situation competently and we are paying the penalty rather than the player who was guilty of simulation," Herbert said of the match review committee's decision.

He then opened old wounds by recalling referee Jarred Gillett's controversial decision to award a penalty to Brisbane Roar in the 94th minute of the 2012 A-League grand final against Perth Glory.

The Roar converted the spot kick to snatch the title when the Glory's Liam Miller was adjudged to have brought down Besart Berisha in the box.

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"This referee has been in the same situation in a Grand Final and did not deal with it competently there either," said Herbert who will have to do without Sigmund who will serve a mandatory one-match suspension against Melbourne Victory this weekend.

"It is very disappointing for both Ben and the club that he will miss the game against Melbourne Victory, and also wrong that the game is being ruined by players who dive and do not get punished for it."

Under the competition's rules on simulation introduced two seasons ago, any player found guilty of diving faces a standard two-match ban.

Durante still faces the prospect of breaching the A-League player code of conduct but he wasn't mentioned in the FFA statement on Monday night.

An angry Durante didn't hold back in comments made to a television interviewer on the field immediately after the match saying: "He has dived, he's a cheat."

He then qualified his comment by saying: "In my book, if he's dived he's a cheat."

Perth's Steve Pantelidis was also handed a mandatory one-match suspension on Monday after a more clear-cut incident in his side's 2-1 loss to Sydney FC.

The Glory defender was shown a red card for a blatant foul on Brett Emerton when he dragged the midfielder to the ground in the box in the 57th minute.

Pantelidis will miss this weekend's match against the Newcastle Jets.

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Marsh axed for form not discipline

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Shaun Marsh ... is under fire for poor behaviour in South Africa. Source: Stewart Allen / News Limited

Western Australia's cricketing bad boy Shaun Marsh has been dropped for the Warriors' Sheffield Shield game against Victoria but for no other reason than poor form.

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That's the official line coming from the WACA after its chief executive Christina Matthews denied a boozy night out in South Africa for Mitch Marsh's 21st birthday had contributed to the axing.

The Marsh brothers were hauled over the coals along with several teammates from the Perth Scorchers after they were out late drinking in the lead-up to their crucial last pool game in the Champions League Twenty20.

Shaun Marsh was left out of the side for that game - a heavy loss - and was not picked to take on Victoria this weekend after arriving back in Australia.

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Speculation had been rife that Marsh's Shield axing was also discipline related but speaking at a press conference in Perth, Matthews said that was purely a match committee decision.

"Shaun's ommission from the team today has been a match committee decision and there's been no official sanctions put on him as a result of anything that happened in South Africa," Matthews said.

Meanwhile, The Australian cricket journalist Peter Lalor says there is a culture problem in Western Australian cricket, with behavioural issues existing throughout the set-up.

Speaking exclusively to Fox Sports News, Lalor said Shaun Marsh will never play for Australia again, due mainly to where he's playing his cricket.

"There were six guys out that night (at Mitch Marsh's 21st in South Africa) and they all put in a pretty big effort," Lalor said.

"Shaun Marsh was one who struggled to get home but those two (the Marsh brothers) have been isolated and that's caused problems behind the scenes.

"... It's not just (the Marsh brothers) but these two boys do have a lot of priors in this area, especially Shaun and, you know, I don't think we'll be seeing Shaun in the national team again.

"Mitch has a chance cause he's young but I think everyone's got sick of where Shaun's at."

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Bid teams still keen despite snub

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Central Coast Bears ... are still keen to eventually be part of the NRL. Source: Dan Himbrechts / News Limited

Bid teams are vowing not to give up the fight to get a team into the NRL despite the ARL Commission effectively ruling out any expansion until at least 2017.

The ARLC on Monday handed down its strategic plan for the next five years, which included a new logo, a commitment to a $200 million investment into grassroots development and a goal of doubling club membership to 400,000 by 2017.

But those targets will have to be achieved without any new clubs, expansion taken off the agenda for the next two years - which in reality means no new teams for at least five years.

It's a blow for the seven organisations - including groups from Brisbane, Ipswich, Perth and the NSW Central Coast - that have already invested substantial money in battling for a berth.

But news of the extended time frame did not deter some.

"We've done a lot of homework and we're ready to go now. But if we have to wait until 2017, so be it," said Craig Davison, head of the Brisbane Bombers bid.

"Having a team in the NRL is a 100-year exercise so what's another few years when it comes to getting it right."

Chief executive of the newly united Central Queensland NRL bid group and Central Queensland Capras, Dennis Keeffe, said the expansion announcement had been flagged.

"It was expected," Keeffe said.

"Some projects take a long time to come out of the ground, this one is a bit longer than we would have liked.

"I still think there may be a twist and turn or two yet but if that's the case, we're happy do to that."

Disappointed Central Coast Bears bid chief Greg Florimo said while he would not let his dream die, he wasn't sure whether the would-be club's investors would be as keen.

"We'll have to assess whether we can fund another two or three years in the wilderness, sitting around not operating," Florimo said.

"That's going to be the biggest issue for us, whether the stakeholders want to sit around that long.

"We have to have to sit down with the members and the board to decide where we go from here. I feel we've put in too much hard work to this point just to let it drift away."

Florimo admitted that when he first started the push in 2009 he envisaged it becoming reality in 2013 to the point they even had t-shirts made up with the branding 'Here come the Bears in 2013'.

That target was based on the the new broadcast rights taking effect in 2013, but in truth it was the negotiation of those rights - during which Nine Network boss David Gyngell stated there was not an appetite for more games - that the chances of expansion nosedived.

ARLC chairman John Grant said it was vital that the league not only ensure the existing 16 clubs were on a strong financial footing first, but also that the game expanded for the right reasons.

"That's the purpose of doing a full review, which has not been done," Grant said.

"We have not undertaken as an administration a review of what does expansion mean for us, where should we expand, on what basis should we expand, what are the criteria for our footy clubs?

"There's a whole bunch of questions that remain unanswered."

First the ARLC wants to get its own house in order, as they take on greater control over clubs with payment to each franchise to be performance-based from 2014 onwards.

Clubs will find out on Wednesday just how much they will have to spend in 2013, but beyond that they will need to prove their growth as an entity to ensure their funding.

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Fan frenzy greets Woods and McIlroy

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One-on-one ... World No.1 Rory McIlroy (R) and world No.2 Tiger Woods have a laugh in China. Source:AFP

Rory McIlroy beat Tiger Woods by a single shot in their 18-hole "Duel at Jinsha Lake'' in China Monday in a high quality showdown before a frenzied audience that came to greet the world's top two.

Having flown in late on Sunday night after coming second and fourth that day respectively in the BMW Masters in Shanghai and the CIMB Classic in Malaysia, McIlroy and Woods had any tiredness quickly extinguished by a lavish opening ceremony.

They were greeted by drum majorettes, fireworks and speeches from local dignitaries before clanging a ceremonial Chinese gong and having their handprints and autographs immortalised in clay, Hollywood-style appropriately for McIlroy, who was brought up in Holywood, Belfast.

World number one McIlroy carded a five under par 67 on the 7,039-yard, par-72 layout at Jinsha Lake Golf Club, with world number two and 14 times major winner Woods registering a 68.

It was remarkable scoring given the chaotic crowds constantly taking photos, letting their phones ring and refusing to stand still or be quiet even as the players were swinging.

McIlroy grabbed an immediate birdie at the first hole, after struggling to keep a straight face in posing for photos staring Woods down boxing-style, and was never headed, thus gaining a modicum of revenge for his seven-stroke defeat when the pair last met in Turkey.

"I got off to a good start,'' McIlroy said. "And just tried to keep my nose in front.''

"We had a great match,'' Woods told reporters afterwards. "It was a lot of fun and a great exhibition. I think everyone enjoyed it.''

China is seen as the next great market for golf to conquer in its global expansion, and the fans clearly love it though are mostly oblivious to the etiquette of the game, demonstrated amply when they broke through the ropes and invaded the driving range as McIlroy and Woods warmed up.

"I wouldn't say it was crazy out there. The word I would use is 'enthusiastic','' said McIlroy. "It's good to see so many people out there. So many people that follow golf and want to watch us play. I hope that continues.''

The international golf media present were astounded at the never-before-seen antics on a golf course: leisure helicopters parked alongside putting greens; models in revealing evening gowns standing on tees; and enthusiastic spectators being tackled to the ground as they attempted to out sprint security guards.

A luxury yacht even sailed serenely across a lake in front of Woods playing an approach shot.

The sheer decadence of the occasion, coinciding with the launch of the multi-million dollar "Golf Villas'' to be built around the golf course, was in vivid contrast to the stark industrial conurbation of Zhengzhou just a few kilometres down the road.

It is home to around 10 million people, capital of Henan province and one of the eight ancient capitals of China. But the line-up of luxury cars parked around the clubhouse - including Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, Ferraris, Aston Martins and Maseratis - were pure Monaco.

The world's top two, though clearly here to spread the gospel of golf to a new and lucrative audience, did pick up a handsome pay day rumoured to be $2 million between them for a day's work.

Woods's next stop is Singapore, while McIlroy is off to Bulgaria. At least it should be quieter in Sofia.

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