bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Reuters

The US PGA Tour continued its growth into Asia yesterday with the announcement of a new developmental circuit to be launched in China next year.
PGA Tour China will feature 12 events with fields, not restricted to Chinese players, expected to be between 120 and 156 players and purses around US$200,000.
Qualifying events will be played early next year, with details still being finalised.
The new venture was launched by PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, China Golf Association (CGA) chief Zhang Xiaoning and China Olympic Sports Industry (COSI) president Sun Liping at the WGC-HSBC Champions event.
"We are very pleased to announce the establishment of PGA Tour China, which builds upon our longstanding relationship with the China Golf Association," Finchem said.
"We plan to provide access to the Web.com Tour for the season's top players."
"We know from looking at the history of golf that the growth of the game is driven first and foremost by the development of elite players. Having the opportunity to grow the elite players … will also translate into the acceleration of the growth of the game in China, which is in all of our interests."
Zhang, the executive vice-president of the CGA, said the partnership would develop the sport and golfers in China.
The PGA Tour already owns and operates two tours outside the United States - PGA Tour LatinoAmerica and PGA Tour Canada - but a move into China could upset its rivals.
Finchem, though, dismissed concerns that the new tour would pose a threat to the European and OneAsia Tours, which have had a presence in China for several years.
"We don't see any effect on either OneAsia or the European Tour's interests in co-sanctioning events in certain places," he said.
"Matter of fact, if we're just talking about China, the extent to which they accelerate those things would be a positive. It is an avenue for elite player participation."
The European Tour has been playing official money tournaments in China since 2004, holding two events this year, while the OneAsia Tour is scheduled to hold four of its 11 in the country this year.
PGA Tour China will not be an immediate threat to the European or OneAsia Tours because of the small purses, but that might change should it prove successful and grow.
PGA Tour China will stage its dozen events in established golf centres with international standard facilities such as those in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hainan Island and Shenzhen.
The new Tour follows the introduction of the PGA Tour's first fully fledged event in Southeast Asia at last week's US$7 million CIMB Classic in Malaysia.
Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat came close to winning that event and has received invites to play in further PGA Tour tournaments.
China will be hoping for similar opportunities for their players such as Guan Tianlang, who made the cut at this year's US Masters at 14, and Ye Wocheng, who became the youngest player to take part on the European Tour when he missed the cut at the China Open in May.
"We have seen great advancements in Chinese elite golfer development in the past few years, and the creation of this tour is the next positive step forward for this sport in China," Zhang said.
"This will raise the level of golf in China even further and prepare players from China to participate in the Olympics and other significant global competitions. We are happy to partner with the PGA Tour."
Reuters, Associated Press


PGA Tour plans ambitious new circuit in China

Sport

Golf

The new venture, which will be launchedin 2014, will feature 12 events with fieldsnot restricted to mainland players


PGA Tour plans ambitious new circuit in China

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The new venture, which will be launchedin 2014, will feature 12 events with fieldsnot restricted to mainland players

The new venture, which will be launchedin 2014, will feature 12 events with fieldsnot restricted to mainland players