Exclusivity and golf are synonymous in China. And when BMW rolls into a golf club it's only for the saloon set.
No hoi polloi here, thank you. No walk-in admission. Tickets only by registering through a web site or from high-placed friends and other clubs.
The Tomson Golf Club already knows how many people will attend tomorrow's final day of the US$1.8 million BMW Asian Open - around 4,000, says general manager Chuang Hsiao-chen.
'This is reasonable considering the pace of the game's development here,' he said. It would be a few thousand higher if world number five Ernie Els returned to defend the title he won last year by a season-high 13 shots at 26 under par. The leader yesterday after the second round, Henrik Stenson, was light years away at five under when lightning stopped play for the day. Chuang played with Els in last year's pro-am and they hit it off immediately. 'We call it 'yuan fan' - a kind destiny,' Chuang said. 'I knew then I wanted him to design our second course here.'
This is despite Tomson signing a contract with Robert Trent Jones in 2001 to build the course. Trent Jones has since built the Anting Golf Club in northwest Shanghai, much to Chuang's disgust. 'They can sue us if they want,' he said.
Chuang makes no apology for keeping the tournament exclusive, which is in keeping with the BMW brand. But what they can't control is the weather, which left 42 players high and dry on the course because of lightning in the Pu Dong area.