A total of 132 golfers from around the world will compete at the
inaugural China Ladies Open golf championship next month,
organizers said on Wednesday.
Song Bo-Bae, a two-time KLPGA Golfer of the Year in 2004 and
2005, is among a bunch of top-class golfers who have committed to
playing at the Nov. 16-19, 72-hole tournament in Xiamen, a coastal
city in southeast China's Fujian province.
"I hope that the China Ladies Open will grow into a brand event
in the near future," said Li Yong, deputy secretary-general of the
China Golf Association (CGA).
The China Ladies Open, sponsored by the Orient Golf Club
International Group, carries a prize money US$200,000, the most
lucrative pro women's event in China.
To promote and encourage more participation from the domestic
field, 60 Chinese golfers, including teaching pros and amateurs
will be on the starting list.
Over the last two decades, golf in China has soared to great
heights and the golf industry is growing by leaps and bounds,
especially with the mushrooming of new golf courses in the
country.
(Xinhua News Agency?October 19, 2006)
