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Exemption for Volvo China Junior Champion

In a bold new move, China’s top junior event, the Volvo China Junior Championship, has announced that the senior boy champion will automatically receive an exemption into the Volvo China Open.

This will start with the forthcoming championship at Golden Elephant GC, Beijing from 2nd to 5th October and will be awarded annually to each new champion.

“The top tier of junior golfers in China is now very good,” said Mel Pyatt, President and CEO of Volvo Event Management.

“One example is of 15-year-old Yeh Jiang-feng, who won the Volvo China Open North China Qualifying Tournament against a full field of professionals. It will also bring added pressure into the boy’s final which is something that players have to be able to master if they are going to break through at the top level internationally.”

The championship marks the grand finale of the junior season in China with just the leading eight juniors in each category playing off for the coveted title.

“The Volvo China Open has adopted the junior championship like a junior relation. We want to nurture it upwards so that junior golf gets more recognition and more support. The exemption for the boy champion is hopefully a step in that direction,” said Pyatt.

August 23, 2007