Pine Valley Beijing Open to debut with $500,000 purse

The exciting growth of professional golf in China will see the launch of a new tournament, the Pine Valley Beijing Open, next month, officials announced today.

The latest addition onto the Asian Tour Schedule will see the event offer a lucrative US$500,000 in total prize money and will be played from April 26-29 at the Pine Valley Golf Club in the capital city of China.

The close cooperation between the China Golf Association and Asian Tour, in addition to the valued support from title sponsors Pine Valley, has been pivotal in the birth of the Pine Valley Beijing Open.

Chinese stars Zhang Lian-wei and Liang Wen-chong, who recently triumphed in the Clariden Leu Singapore Masters and presently ranked second on the Asian Tour's UBS Order of Merit, will lead the local challenge in the full-field Asian Tour tournament.

"The growing popularity of golf in China has been evident in recent years and on behalf of the China Golf Association, we are delighted to announce the launch of the Pine Valley Beijing Open," said Zhang Xiaoning, the China Golf Association's Vice President and Secretary General.

"With the strengthening of ties with the Asian Tour, we believe that this tournament has the potential to become one of Beijing's influential events. We hope with our joint efforts, this game shall maintain a stable growth in the years to come.

"I would also extend our heartfelt appreciation to Beijing Municipal Government, Beijing Sport Bureau, and especially Pine Valley Golf Club for their role in this exciting initiative which reinforces the strength and growth of professional golf in China."

Dr. Chanchai Ruayrungruang, owner of the Pine Valley Golf Club, said: "As the premier golf club in China, Pine Valley is honoured to title sponsor the Pine Valley Beijing Open. Our world-class venue has played hosts to many international class tournaments including the Volkswagen Masters-China and Johnnie Walker Classic but hosting our very own tournament gives us greater pleasure and honour.

"We will put in every effort to ensure its success for the years to come and we look forward to welcoming the best players from the Asian Tour as well as China's leading golfers in April for what promises to be a spectacular launch."

The inclusion of the Pine Valley Beijing Open will increase the number of Asian Tour tournaments in mainland China to five this season, said the Tour's Executive Chairman Kyi Hla Han.

The timely announcement of the new event will also create an exciting swing of tournaments in China in April as the Volvo China Open and BMW Asian Open are slated to be played in Shanghai in the weeks leading up to the inaugural Pine Valley Beijing Open, said Han.

"The launch of the Pine Valley Beijing Open is another huge boost for the game in Asia," said Han. "China continues to pave the way with new and exciting tournaments emerging in the mainland and I would like to express our gratitude to the China Golf Association and Pine Valley for their steadfast support towards professional golf in Asia.

"Sponsors are the lifeblood of the game and our players have responded superbly by producing world-class winning performances over the years. I have every confidence that the inaugural Pine Valley Beijing Open will enjoy a successful launch and subsequently feature very prominently on the Asian Tour Schedule," he added.

March 20, 2007

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