Golf's Asian Tour in first China event since 2008

World
Europe

‍Golf's Asian Tour will sanction its first tournament in China in nine years in Xiamen next month, officials said on Monday.

The Asian Golf Championship will be the inaugural event under the Tour's strategic partnership signed with the China Golf Association in March.

The agreement is significant because the Asian Tour had been largely shut out of the giant potential market since China joined forces with the rival OneAsia tour in 2009.

The tournament at Xiamen's Kaikou Golf Club from November 30 to December 3 will have a purse of 350,000 US dollars and feature both Asian Tour and China Tour professionals.

Kaikou Golf Club. /Photo via qq.com

"My opinion is that Chinese golfers will rise in the world rankings through greater playing opportunities on the revamped China Tour, which will have both full-field events of its own and co-sanctioned events...including tournaments with the Asian Tour," Asian Tour CEO Josh Burack said in an interview with China Daily.

China has long been hailed as an important future market for golf and has produced players such as Zhang Lianwei, Liang Wenchong, Wu Ashun and Li Haotong, who have all won on the European Tour. But none of them is in the top 100 at the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).

The highest ranked Chinese player is Li Haotong, who was at No. 134 by the end of 2016.

Li Haotong attends a press conference prior to the start of the 2017 Volvo China Open on April 26, 2017 in Beijing, China. /VCG Photo

According to the agreement, all Asian Tour tournaments will receive OWGR points, which provides Chinese players more chances to elevate their world rankings.

Chinese golfers also get to have their results counted in the order of merit if they sign up for associate memberships on the Asian Tour before playing the new co-sanctioned tournaments.

Additionally, the top five players on the China Tour order of merit will earn exemption to the final stage of the Asian Tour's 2018 qualifying school, which is the gateway to playing a full tournament schedule across Asia.

Source(s): AFP