First World Ladies Championship: China makes another stride in women’s golf
China has proved its worth in women’s golf by staging the inaugural World Ladies Champion at the Mission Hills, Hainan Island.
Recently Mission Hills China grabbed the headlines when it released the statement regarding its plans to host the LET (Ladies European Tour) event.
The tournament was all the LET had promised, as it featured a number of competent players. The competitiveness is the glaring aspect of the tournament but there is more to it than just a strong roster.
China, which has long been seeking to find a foothold in women’s golf, has managed to gain the limelight by staging the event properly.
The media coverage was immense, as a number of entities chipped in to make things run smoothly.
CGA (China Golf Association) played a pivotal role, as it was the head organiser. Although the LET had a bigger role in bringing the $600,000 tournament to China, the media coverage was solely done by local entities.
At a time when women’s golf is demanding more coverage and more funds, China’s participation has made sure that the sport will see a huge boost in the coming years.
The tournament was unique in nature, as it pitted players against each other in three-in-one format, which is being regarded as a good initiative.
Tenniel Chu, who is Vice Chairman of Mission Hills Golf Club, said that the country has plenty of potential to stage even better events, and the World Ladies Championship is just one example.
He paid special tribute to LET, saying the event could not have been staged without the efforts of the Tour’s officials.
LET has managed to make its footprints in the world’s fastest growing economy.
Whereas, LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association), based in the United States, has been going through a rough time, as it recently had a couple of setbacks in the form of cancellations of its two events.
LET, on the other hand, appears to be in a stronger position, with her presence in the densely populated country.
Sharing his thoughts about the event, Chu stated, “The stage has long been set for a brand new world women's golf championship in the professional game and we are very glad to see it finally happen”.
He continued, “We are very thankful to the CGA, LET, China LPGA Tour and all the other parties for their collaborative input and contributions to this new event”.
CGA has been prominent for its role, as there are several programmes on the card. After the successful launch of World Ladies Championship, the Association is looking to find a foothold in the Olympics.
China has recently come out as the next destination for golf, especially women’s.
The country boasts a long a list of world-class golf courses. Moreover, amateur golf is rapidly growing across all of China, staging various events every season.
Another reason for the rapid growth of golf is that the government is taking keen interest in brining golf at par with European and American standards.
“The developmental strategy of the CGA is to set our sights on the Olympics, to further develop the professional game in China and to attain break-through in women's golf development," Zhang Xiaoning, Vice Chairman & Secretary General of China Golf Association
"For a long period of time, Mission Hills has made significant contributions to organizing world-class tournaments and creating international, competitive platforms for Chinese golfers,” Zhang added.
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