Woods is the No. 1 taxpayer in Shenzhen

BEIJING -- Tiger Woods is a record setter in China.

The world's No. 1 golfer paid 4.2 million yuan ($500,000) in taxes on his fee for an appearance in the southern city of Shenzhen in November, the official Xinhua News Agency said Wednesday.

That made him the biggest taxpayer last year in Shenzhen, a prosperous center for finance and high-tech industry near Hong Kong, Xinhua said, citing local tax officials.

Woods, in Miami for the Genuity Championship, declined to say how much he was paid for the two-day exhibition, or how much he paid in taxes. But he was surprised to hear that he was the top taxpayer.

"That's actually pretty funny," Woods said. "But it's not that funny."

The exhibition matches in Shenzhen were the first Chinese appearance for Woods, known in China as "Lao Hu," or "Old Tiger."

Enthusiasts from Hong Kong reportedly paid up to $18,000 to play a hole against him.

Xinhua didn't say who ranked second among Shenzhen taxpayers, but the city is one of China's richest. Personal income taxes collected there last year totaled 3.6 billion yuan ($429 million), Xinhua said.