Shingo Katayama
The Championship was a single elimination match play event. The field consisted of the top 64 players available from the Official World Golf Rankings, seeded according to the rankings. Because it was played in Australia and also because it was very early in the year a large number of players chose not compete. These were: Tiger Woods (ranked 1), David Duval (3), Phil Mickelson (4), Lee Westwood (5), Colin Montgomerie (6), Davis Love III (7), Jesper Parnevik (11), Darren Clarke (12), Nick Price (13), Jim Furyk (15), Sergio García (16), Thomas Bjørn (20), Mike Weir (21), Loren Roberts (22), Carlos Franco (25), Miguel Ángel Jiménez (27), Paul Azinger (30), Rocco Mediate (32), Notah Begay III (33), José María Olazábal (34), Jeff Maggert (37), Fred Couples (39), Eduardo Romero (40), Greg Norman (42), Scott Hoch (46), Ángel Cabrera (47), Mark Calcavecchia (48), Shingo Katayama (53), Masashi Ozaki (67), Andrew Magee (73), Mark O'Meara (74), Lee Janzen (82), Ian Woosnam (83), Rory Sabbatini (85), Frank Lickliter (87), Stephen Ames (94), J. P. Hayes (95), Jarmo Sandelin (96), Bill Glasson (97) and Steve Elkington (101). The lowest player competing was Greg Kraft (104).