Ernie Els wins in China. But does it mean anything?

George White, writing on the GolfChannel’s website, says that Ernie Els’ 13-shot win in China over the weekend is worth noting.
White argues that Els’ win doesn’t get as much attention as a PGA Tour win because of “American prejudice.” Now I’ll be first on the list to point out that Americans are pretty insular and don’t always have a good grasp of geography, but let’s be clear: Els was playing against a nominal field in an event in which he was paid to play. Good for Ernie to head to China, where the game of golf is exploding, but let’s not overstate the significance of his win there. It is a footnote. Now if the event were, say, the US Open at Pinehurst, it would be a whole other matter.