Always adding to the colour at this week’s 10th anniversary WGC – HSBC Champions event is the countless banners promoting the event at Sheshan,

Sergio Garcia as a 14-year old in Spanish Golf Association team colours. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)

Last year it was colourful cartoon-like head cover images of the world’s top players.

This year event organisers have worked hard to obtain early photographs of some of the leading 30 players in the world’s top-40 competing in this week’s $US 8.5m event.

Among those is 2013 US Open winner, Justin Rose along with American Rickie Fowler and Spain’s popular Sergio Garcia.

And Garcia was asked what he thought seeing pictures of himself as a 14-year on banners all about Shanghai.

“It’s quite funny to see myself with the national Spanish team shirt when I was probably 14 or 15,” he said.

“So it kind of brings back some old memories. I think it’s a nice little thing that HSBC is doing. You know, it’s funny and interesting to see those pictures.”

And Garcia, who is a winner around the globe of 25 professional event and recently competed in a seventh Ryder Cup, was asked if he ever gave consideration what career he may have followed had he not been a golfer.

“I would have loved to be involved with sports no matter what,” he said.

“So either football player or maybe a tennis player, one of the two would have been nice.

“But anything involved with sports, and if not, I’ve always liked animals, so maybe a vet or something like that. I have to study a lot for that, though (laughing).”

Garcia, who captured the 2008 HSBC Champions and a year before became a WGC event, this week will be looking to cut into the Race to Dubai lead of World No. 1 Rory McIlroy.

McIlroy has elected not to contest two events in China while Garcia skipped last week’s BMW Masters to compete in the PGA Tour’s CIMB Classic in Malaysia.

In his absence in Kuala Lumpur Garcia was knocked back to third place on the Race to Dubai by Welshman Jamie Donaldson.

And at nearly Euro 3.5m adrift of McIlroy Garcia is virtually resigned to fighting with Donaldson for the No. 2 Race to Dubai position.

If successful, it would Garcia’s highest European Tour season finish since joining the Tour full time in 2000.

“I think that if I win all three tournaments and Rory doesn’t play, then I have a chance,” he said.

“But really, not really ‐‐ I’m not really thinking about that much. I just want to have three good tournaments to finish with, you know, try to finish second there and it would be a nice way to close out the year.

“At the end of the day, the most important thing is to keep playing well and keep enjoying it and try to do the best we can these next few weeks.”

Teenager Justin Rose among those featuring in promotion for this week’s WGC – HSBC Champions.