More about the Faldo Series Asia grand final

Supported by Mission Hills, The R&A and UBS, the Faldo Series Asia grand final will be hosted by Nick Faldo at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China from 1 – 6 February 2007.

Sanctioned by the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation and the Guangdong Golf Association, the Faldo Series Asia grand final will bring together over 60 leading young golfers from across Asia, boys and girls aged 11 to 21, plus invitees from the Faldo Series grand final in Europe, for a unique tournament experience. Results will count towards The R&A’s World Amateur Ranking and the leading Asian finalists will receive an invite to compete in the Faldo Series grand final in Europe.

In addition, six-time Major winner Faldo will spend time with the finalists at Mission Hills in order to pass on his advice and experience from 30 years of playing at the highest level. Other experts will also be educating the finalists during the week through a series of player-seminars.

Local school-children will be attending the Faldo Series Asia grand final, during which they will watch the finalists in action and receive free coaching from Faldo himself in a bid by the golfing legend to create access to the game for a younger audience.

Commented Faldo: “I have been delighted by the response to our first Faldo Series Asia schedule in 2006 and very impressed by the performances. I look forward to spending time with the finalists, watching them compete on my course at Mission Hills and then passing on as much advice and experience as possible. I also look forward to meeting the younger children who attend – hopefully they will be inspired by the experience and perhaps even return to a Faldo Series Asia grand final one day as a competitor.”

The finalists
The field contains 62 players in total, boys and girls ranging from 12 to 20 in age and from +4 to 10 in handicap. 11 different Asian territories are represented, including seven that featured on the inaugural Faldo Series Asia schedule in 2006. The champions from those Faldo Series Asia events in 2006 include 19-year-old Anirban Lahiri from India; 18-year-old Jimmy Ko from Hong Kong; 17-year-old Ainil Johani Bakar from Malaysia; and 15-year-olds Huang Tao (Chinese Taipei), Matthew Turner (UAE) and Zhang Yi Ming (China).

10 Asian players have a scratch handicap or better, including 18-year-old Nakarin Ratanakul from Thailand (+3), 16-year-old Joshua Shou from Singapore (+1) and 15-year-old girl Demi Mak from Hong Kong (+1).

In addition, Faldo has invited six of the top performers from the 2006 Faldo Series grand final in Europe, including England’s Ben Evans (20), the 2006 Faldo Series champion in Europe, and Ireland’s Stephanie Meadow (14), the 2006 Faldo Series girls winner in Europe.

The venue
Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China – home of the Faldo Series Asia – is officially the world’s largest golf resort with 12 courses, each designed by a golf legend. The Faldo Series Asia grand final will be played on the highly-acclaimed Faldo course.

The format
The Faldo Series Asia grand final will be played over 54 holes with no cut. The format will be gross stroke-play with trophies awarded to the Boys Under-21 winner, the Girls U21 winner, the Boys U18 winner, the Girls U18 winner, the Boys U16 winner and the Girls U16 winner. The Faldo Series Asia trophy will also be awarded to the overall champion, regardless of age or gender.

The schedule
As well as competing, the players will spend time with Faldo himself, plus other experts from the golfing world. Player-seminars will be conducted throughout the week on topics ranging from media and PR, life as a professional Tour golfer and the mental, physical and technical aspects of the sport.

January, 2007

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