Tournament offers 85 golfers a prize of competing in pro events

BEIJING - Most of them are probably much younger than you.

All of them are much better at golf than you.

Some of the sport's most promising amateurs have gathered for the Fangshan-Changyang China Amateur Golf Championship, which will tee off on Friday at the Beijing California County Golf Club.

The inaugural three-day championship is being promoted as China's highest level and most open amateur golf competition.

The championship has attracted 85 amateur golfers from home and abroad. Sixty-four locals will slug it out with their overseas counterparts.

Chinese national team members Zhang Weiwei and Wang Xinying spearhead the local legion, which features 32 golfers who have clinched crowns in various amateur tournaments.

The championship trophy is also up for grabs for promising youngsters like Chen Zihao, a member of the Chinese youth team. The 15-year-old has a slew of junior titles under his belt, including the 17th National Junior Golf Tournament in July.

Over half the golfers were born after October of 1993, which reflects the intent of the tournament - cultivating future champions. Some among the pack may emerge as China's future stars.

First, they will have to withstand a challenge from foreign golfers eyeing the crown.

Talented amateurs from powerhouses like Japan, South Korea, and Chinese Taipei are on hand to make the event more competitive.

Yu Okamura from Japan, Lee Hye-jung from South Korea, and Chi Hao Lu and Chia Mei Ma from the Chinese Taipei are strong contenders for the title.

Though China's golf development has enjoyed a huge boost since the announcement of the sport's addition to the 2016 Olympics, the country is still short on amateur tournaments and pro players.

"Before this championship, we only had three major amateur tournaments that higher-level international players could play in," Chinese Golf Association chief Zhang Xiaoning said in June.

The event features a 54-hole stroke play format. The men's winner will qualify for the OneAsia tour on the Chinese mainland, and the women's winner will enter the China Women's Open.

China Daily

(China Daily 10/12/2011 page23)