HONG KONG, 25 July 16, (HK Golfer News Wire) - The Clearwater Bay Open will be the first PGA Tour China Series event held outside the mainland.
Hong Kong golf took another significant step today with the announcement that Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club will hold a leg of the PGA Tour China.
The Clearwater Bay Open will be the first PGA Tour China Series event held outside mainland China.
The tournament, worth 1.2 million yuan (HK$1.39 million), will be held from November 3-6, featuring a 120-player field, with an eligibility component similar to that used at other PGA Tour China Series events. It will be the penultimate leg on the 2016 schedule, which features 13 tournaments.
The game in Hong Kong is already riding high after local amateur Tiffany Chan Tsz-ching qualified for the Rio Olympics – described by local officials as the greatest day in the history of Hong Kong golf.
Wyman Li, chairman of the Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club, said they were “delighted and proud” to be the host and title sponsor of the Clearwater Bay Open.
“In the past, we have been actively promoting sports development in the community, particularly junior golf.”
Last October, Clearwater Bay attracted worldwide attention when it staged the 2015 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, won by Chinese teenager Jin Cheng, who is the only amateur to win a PGA Tour China Series event – the 2014 Nine Dragons Open.
“The 2015 Asia-Pacific Amateur was a resounding success on and off the golf course,” Li said.
“It is an honour for us to play host again, this time for such an important and highly acclaimed professional golf tournament in Asia.
“We’re very much looking forward to putting on a world-class sporting event at Clearwater Bay,” he said.
Greg Gilligan, PGA Tour vice-president and Greater China managing director, said of the three-year agreement: “We are excited about the upcoming Clearwater Bay Open in Hong Kong. This new tournament marks further development of the PGA Tour China Series’ presence and its impact in the greater China region.
“We’d like to thank the Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club for its commitment to the PGA Tour China Series. I am sure the players will love the spectacular course and enjoy the tournament experience in Hong Kong, truly one of the world’s great cities.”
The Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club, established in 1982, offers an 18-hole course divided into two parts: the Highland Nine and the Ocean Nine.