Liao Guiming wins Omega Order of Merit
Friday, 17th October 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Despite finishing 17th at the season-ending Omega Championship in Beijing last week, Liao Guiming (廖贵明) finished first in this year's Omega Order of Merit, the ranking system for China's pro golf circuit.Liao finished the season with 375,125 yuan in prize money, putting him about 45,000 yuan ahead of second place finisher Zhang Lianwei and more than 100,000 yuan ahead of third-place Zhou Jun. The 31-year-old from Guangxi has played in every Omega event since the tour's inception in 2005. He finished 10th in last year's rankings.
"I'm really happy. Winning the Omega Order of Merit proves I have the ability. I had a great career as an amateur but it took me five years to finally win as a pro," Liao said.
Liao's 17th place finish in the final event opened the door for Li Chao (李超) to overtake him in the Order of Merit, but Li placed fourth in the tournament, leaving him at fourth place overall in the rankings.
Zhou Jun, 24 years old, became the youngest player to win on the tour with his victory at the Omega Championship, which was played at Beijing Longxi Hotspring Golf Club. He shot a six-under total of 282.
Tags: golf, Li Chao, Liao Guiming, Omega China Tour, Zhang Lianwei, Zhou Jun
Golf in China: The view from the top
Monday, 1st September 2008 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Arthur Yeo at Spring City Golf & Lake Resort
Recently US magazine Golf Digest selected what it considered to be China's top ten golf courses, with three of the top six courses being in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan province.
Perhaps surprisingly for those unfamiliar with golf in China, the top two courses are both located at the same resort - Spring City Golf and Lake Resort in the Yangzonghai resort area, approximately 45 kilometers southeast of Kunming.
How did Kunming end up having the two best courses in China? China Sports Today spoke with Spring City General Manager Arthur Yeo - who has been involved in the Spring City project since its inception in the early 1990s - about the challenges and rewards of building a world-class travel destination in Kunming:
China Sports Today: Spring City's Mountain and Lake Courses were recently named the top two courses in China - what other awards has Spring City won in the last few years?
Arthur Yeo: In the last few years we have won many awards - we average about 10 per year – it would be too lengthy to mention all of them.
However, some of the more significant awards are: Best Golf Course in China and Hong Kong by US Golf Digest [1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007 - they rank once in every two years], Best 500 Holes in the World in 2000 [18th hole mountain course designed by Jack Nicklaus] awarded by US Golf Magazine, Best Golf Course in Asia awarded by Asia Golf Monthly from 2004 to 2007, 100 Best Courses outside US ranked by US Golf Digest in 2005 & 2007 [ranked once every 2 years] and Best Golf Resort in China by World Travel Award [London] from 2005 to 2007
CST: How does Spring City overcome the challenge of having the best courses in China but being far from the coast?
Yeo: The recipe is a combination of good design, good construction adhering strictly to USGA specifications, good greenskeeping practice, good service management, spring-like weather all year round and being located in a very picturesque location with mountains and a lake.
This unique combination entices people to make Spring City Golf & Lake Resort a specific must-visit destination. Once they have visited the resort, they always come back again with their friends.
CST: What regions do Spring City's guests come from these days? Where do local Chinese fit into the picture?
Yeo: Our overseas guests are typically from Southeast Asia, Japan and South Korea but we also have many local Chinese guests. We are also attracting a growing number of expatriates working and living in China – they tend to be from the USA, Australia and Europe.
Also, the number of golfers in Kunming is growing very fast and they form our bread-and-butter players.
CST: Yunnan has some of the best courses in China, do you think it can become synonymous with golf holidays like Florida in the US?
Yeo: Currently, no, as the number of golf courses in Yunnan is limited to seven at present.
However, this could happen in the future. Florida is a very established and developed golf community as compared with the Yunnan golf industry, which only started up 10 years ago.
CST: As golf becomes a more established sport in China and fewer new courses are built, what trends do you foresee for courses and golf as a sport in general around the country in the next few years?
Yeo: The development of golf has a positive impact on the economic and social development of the country - the current trend is that there are more and more golf courses popping up in China even with the central government clamping down on the development of golf courses nationwide. Also, there is a rapid increase in the number of Chinese learning and taking up golf.
Golfing in China will explode, however, the central government in my opinion should not curb the development of golf but rather monitor and control a healthy development of the golf industry in China. More emphasis should be given to:
1. Increasing education in golf maintenance and management to make sure that there are sufficient qualified people running and managing golf courses
2. Ensuring that minimal potential farmland is being used for golf development
3. Ensuring that quality golf courses are being built in a way that maximizes the use of land resources
4. Using 'green belts' within cities to develop public golf courses for public access at a reasonable price
5. Implementing strict environmental guidelines and controls for golf course developers in order to protect the environment.
Related article: China's top 10 golf courses: Kunming is king
Tags: Arthur Yeo, golf, golf course design, Jack Nicklaus, Kunming, Robert Trent Jones Jr, Spring City Golf & Lake Resort
Liang makes British Open cut
Monday, 21st July 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Playing in his third major, Liang finally made the cut at Royal Birkdale with an eight-over-par 148 over the first two rounds. Liang, currently number one on the Asian Tour, shot a 77 and a 74 on the last two rounds, ending with an overall score of 299, 19 over par. He finished in a three-way tie for 64th place.
"I'm happy overall. This is my first time at The Open and I made it through the weekend," Liang said, according to this report from the Omega China Tour. "A tournament like this is a great learning experience. You learn to be patient and I'll take this experience and apply it in future tournaments. I can become better."
Liang competed in last year's PGA Championship and this April's Masters, missing the cut both times. He is the first Chinese player at the Open Championship. This year, he will play in three US PGA Tour events, the Canadian Open, the Reno-Tahoe Open and the Wyndham Championship.
For more on Liang, see this recent Golf Digest feature: Golf in the Year of the Rat
Image: Omega China Tour
Tags: British Open, golf, Liang Wenchong, Omega China Tour, Open Championship
China's top 10 golf courses: Kunming is king
Thursday, 17th July 2008 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Kunming's Spring City Golf & Lake Resort
US-based Golf Digest magazine has released its annual list of what it considers to be the China's top ten golf courses. According to the magazine's editors, if you're looking for China's best courses, forget Shanghai, Beijing or Shenzhen – go west to the laid-back city of Kunming.
The laid-back city of Kunming in southwestern China's Yunnan province took three of the top six spots on Golf Digest's list, here are the results:
1. Spring City Golf & Lake Resort (Lake course), Kunming, Yunnan province
2. Spring City Golf & Lake Resort (Mountain course), Kunming, Yunnan province
3. Sheshan Golf Club, Shanghai
4. Shenzhen Golf Club, Shenzhen, Guangdong province
5. Tiger Beach Golf Links, Haiyang, Shandong province
6. Lakeview Golf Club, Kunming, Yunnan province
7. Jian Lake Golf & Country Club, Shaoxing, Zhejiang province
8. Trans Strait Golf Club, Fuzhou, Fujian province
9. Pine Valley Golf Resort & Country Club (Old course), Beijing
10. Mission Hills Golf Club (Norman course), Shenzhen, Guangdong province
Kunming ended up beating out the big coastal cities with the top two courses – both at Spring City Golf and Lake Resort. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr, Spring City's Lake course was named best in China, beating out Spring City's other championship course, the Jack Nicklaus-designed Mountain course.
Kunming reappears at the number six spot on the list with Lakeview Golf Club, which has been the site of the Yunnan stops of the Omega China Tour as well as the Faldo Series Asia.
Shanghai's Sheshan Golf course rounded out the top three.
Shenzhen is the only other city with multiple courses in Golf Digest's top ten – Shenzhen Golf Club was named number four, while Mission Hills Golf Club's Greg Norman-designed course came in tenth.
Image: Spring City Golf & Lake Resort
Related articles:
Lu Wins in Kunming, Young Amateurs Shine
Golf Emerging in China, and an Emerging Chinese Golfer
Tags: Faldo Series Asia, golf, Golf Digest, Greg Norman, Jack Nicklaus, Jian Lake Golf & Country Club, Lakeview Golf Club, Mission Hills Golf Club, Omega China Tour, Pine Valley Golf Resort & Country Club, Robert Trent Jones Jr, Shenzhen Golf Club, Sheshan Golf Club, Spring City Golf & Lake Resort, Tiger Beach Golf Links, Trans Strait Golf Club, Yunnan
Ou Zhijun takes Faldo Series Asia's Shanghai debut
Wednesday, 9th July 2008 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Last Friday, Ou Zhijun emerged victorious from the first Faldo Series Asia event to be held in Shanghai. The 17-year-old Ou shot a 36-hole total of 149 at Shanghai Silport Golf Club to edge number two Hong Wei by one stroke.
In round one of the Shanghai Championship Ou totaled an impressive one-over-par 73 in wet conditions, the lowest round of the tournament, to lead Hong by two. On the second day, the two were pitted head-to-head in the final group with Ou remaining steady enough to shoot a 76, compared with Hong's second consecutive 75.
Ou's winnings include the boys' under-18 gold medal, the overall trophy and the opportunity to spend time with six-time Major winner Nick Faldo at the Grand Final.
Ou, who has a handicap of two, only began playing golf seriously three years ago at the age of 14. His next stop is the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen.
"Nick Faldo is my idol and I can't wait to meet him." Ou said. "I was a bit nervous this week and not happy with my game but I'm very happy to win."
Ou will be joined at Mission Hills in March 2009 with five other qualifiers from the field in Shanghai: Li Motao (boys' under-21 winner); Li Haotong (boys' under-16 winner); Zhao Peiyun (boys' under-16 runner-up); Yuan Xiaojun (girls' under-21 winner) and Yang Jiangxin (girls' under-16 winner).
The Shanghai Championship was the second of 12 Faldo Series Asia events in 2008/2009, including four in mainland China plus one each in Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
In addition to the series' Grand Final, Shenzhen's Mission Hills will also host the Faldo Series Asia on the club's Faldo-designed course during the 23rd and 24th of this month. Last August, the Faldo Series Asia also made a stop in the southwestern city of Kunming, where Yunnan's top golfers battled it out at Lakeview Golf Club.
Ou Zhijun image: Faldo Series Asia
Tags: Faldo Series Asia, golf, Hong Wei, Lakeview Golf Club, Mission Hills Golf Club, Nick Faldo, Ou Zhijun, Silport Golf Club
The Ups and Downs of Sports Broadcast in China
Thursday, 26th June 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Looks like I spoke too soon in my excitement yesterday about watching the U.S. Open on CCTV's Golf and Tennis Channel. The playoff between Rocco Mediate and Tiger Woods was broadcast this morning. I started watching as the guys were teeing off at hole 13. Right after Tiger birdied 18 to force a sudden death round, CCTV cut to some tape of Phil Mickelson's chipping practice. We waited optimistically, thinking that they'd cut back to the 91st hole in a minute or two. Instead, up next was a report from the European Open, followed by Wimbledon news.This wasn't the first time I've seen CCTV cut off a major sporting event just before an exciting overtime finish. It is, pardon the pun, par for the course with the network. CCTV adheres to a strict broadcast schedule, and if your basketball game, golf tournament or tennis match isn't over in time, tough luck. It was about 10:55 when the U.S. Open cut off this morning. Sorry, sports fans—we interrupt this great moment in sports to bring you news of the early rounds of a two-week tennis tournament. I have heard that this exact issue is what has prevented Major League Baseball from securing airtime in China. Baseball games, like golf tournaments, aren't played against a clock and their run times are very inconsistent.
The CCTV Golf and Tennis Channel resumed its U.S. Open re-broadcast at 11:15... at the 12th hole. ESPN's video highlights are looking better all the time.
Tags: CCTV, golf, Tiger Woods, US Open
US Open and Wimbledon Broadcasts
Wednesday, 25th June 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Tiger Woods won the US Open last week in what's sure to rank as one of the most dramatic moments in sports this year. Playing on an injured knee and a broken tibia, Woods beat Rocco Mediate in a tournament that had to go 91 holes. After Woods forced a playoff round with 18th-hole heroics on Father's Day, he and Mediate had to go another 19 the next day to determine a winner. The day after his big win, Woods revealed the extent of his injuries and announced that he would take the year off for surgery and rehabilitation.If you thought you had to miss this instant classis because you're in China, you're only partly right. If you've got cable and a flexible work schedule, you can see the last round tomorrow. The US Open has been airing for at least the past two days on CCTV's Golf and Tennis Channel (CCTV 高尔夫网球), available if you have cable (in Beijing, it is Channel 170). Rounds 3 and 4 aired Tuesday and Wednsday starting at noon. We couldn't find a broadcast schedule online, but it seems likely that the playoff round will air at noon tomorrow.
CCTV Golf and Tennis Channel also aired live French Open tennis matches, and has been doing the same with Wimbledon.
Tags: CCTV, golf, tennis, Tiger Woods, US Open, Wimbledon
Golf Emerging in China, and an Emerging Chinese Golfer
Friday, 20th June 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
This video from Daedalum Films tells the story of Zhou Xunshou, a farmer turned security guard turned pro golfer. His story—he is entirely self-taught and club members laughed at him the first time he asked to hit a tee shot—is an extreme version of a pattern in China's professional golf world, which includes many players who took up the game relatively late in life.
Zhou is currently ranked 14th on China's Omega Order of Merit. He will be featured heavily in "Par for China," an upcoming book by Shanghaiist editor Dan Washburn. Washburn is an American journalist who has been in Shanghai for six years. When the book comes out, it should be the definitive title on the state of golf in China.
Here are links to some of Washburn's other golf stories, all written for ESPN:
Zhou makes remarkable leap into professional golf
Golf in China: All growing, all new, all raw
Golf still an elitist pursuit in China
Tags: golf, Omega China Tour, Washburn, Zhou Xunshou
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