CADDIE'S ROLE:I WAS trying to figure out just how the Chinese drive as we made the hair-raising four-minute car trip each day from the hotel in Sheshan, on the outskirts of Shanghai, to the golf course just down the road. Having arrived miraculously without incident on yet another morning, I ran into a fellow countryman of mine who lives there.

He had more experience than me of road travel, Chinese style. He created the image of driftwood flowing down a fast-moving river. In the wider part of the river the wood casually meanders by, but as it comes to the narrower part there is a battle for position which is won by the faster-moving bits of wood. Replace the wood with Chinese people in their cars and add the more complex issue of the river flowing both ways at once and you can visualise the free-for-all that is motoring in China; it’s chaos.

They drive like they are still riding bicycles; regularly going around roundabouts the wrong way if they get there first and the line in the middle of the road is to be driven along with a very late swerve to avoid a car with the same idea coming the other way.

I arrived in Shanghai’s Pudong airport last Monday on the same flight as the eventual winner of the HSBC World Golf Championship, Francesco Molinari. He was with his coach and his caddie. There was some confusion about the courtesy cars and we ended up waiting a while to sort it out.

When the first car came of course, as caddies, we let Francesco and his coach go first. We were in no rush and were happy to wait for another car.

As it happened, letting the first car go turned out to be lucky for us because the Italians were involved in a minor accident and they arrived at the hotel some four hours after leaving the airport.

As a Westerner sitting in a car on a road in China you constantly wonder how there are not more accidents, it is always a surprise you see so relatively few.

Francesco could see what was going to happen to their car before it happened, but, of course, it was out of his control.

It was a bad start for the younger Molinari to his eastern end of season, but his luck was balanced with an impressive victory by one shot from Lee Westwood and a considerable nine ahead of the third-placed players.

It was as if the two main contenders were playing a different golf course to the rest of the star-studded field.

The tournament has gained status since its initial staging six years ago. It is a reminder of how short lived a player’s form can be.

David Howell beat Tiger Woods for the inaugural trophy and a few years later he found himself back in Shanghai, but filling a very different role. He was the master of ceremonies for the annual Caddie of the Year awards hosted by the sponsors.

It was a stark reminder to us all involved in the professional game that success must be savoured and enjoyed because who knows how long it may last?

Thankfully for Howell, he is an excellent public speaker and his humility mixed with a deep understanding of the caddie psyche made his speech all the more enjoyable. HSBC went to the trouble of putting up a special marquee at the official hotel in order to host the Caddie awards.

Life-sized cardboard cutouts of many of us caddies adorned the marquee. There was a slide show of the bagmen at work during the week with their players on the course and a video was shown with humorous interviews and winning embraces from the successful partnerships throughout the season. If the quality and corresponding status of what was originally a casual get together of about 30 caddies and some players five years ago continues to increase at the current pace, it will be a red carpet and black tie event before too long.

The fact so many players attend, with no strings attached, is a testament not just to their appreciation of us, but also to their enjoyment of the night itself.

There were a few surprise winners, the worst-dressed caddie award which has been reserved since the awards began for KJ Choi’s caddie was instead given to Luke Donald’s man for the length of his socks and the shortness of his shorts, according to the adjudicators.

Andy Prodger, who was wearing a crisp, new fitted shirt in anticipation of the habitual award, came up to the stage anyway for a chat so that everyone would see his new attire.

The caddie of the year trophy went to Graeme McDowell’s bagman, Ken Comboy.

Graeme had been on stage as David Howell’s sidekick and prize giver. He spoke both humorously and graciously about Ken’s contribution to his most successful year ever, capturing just how fickle the business is and in particular, the caddie/player relationship.

Ken himself also said all the right things, including the fact that we as caddies are only as good as the guy hitting the shots.

His prize was a year’s worth of once-weekly treatments from Dale Richardson, one of the top physiotherapists on tour.

With 20 more million drivers anticipated in China by the time we return next year that trip from the hotel to the golf course will be just like the Wacky Races; a free-for-all where the objective is to fill the space in front of you as quickly as possible with a system that only a native could begin to comprehend.