Luxehills prepares for China Tour's first Chengdu stop
(Editor's note: This story was published shortly before news of the devasting earthquake in Chengdu. The China Golf Association and relevant parties involved with the Omega China Tour are now in ongoing discussions as to the status of the Luxehills Golf Championship in Chengdu. Meanwhile, the Luxehills International Country Club, the event’s host venue, has postponed its Grand Opening, which was scheduled for May 18.)
The lavish Luxehills International Country Club is counting down to its Grand Opening on May 18 as it prepares to host the inaugural Luxehills Golf Championship on the Omega China Tour from June 5-8.
The RMB800,000 tournament will be the Omega China Tour’s sixth event of the year and the first visit to Chengdu by the fast-growing circuit since its inception in 2005.
The Luxehills Golf Championship will follow the upcoming Shanghai Championship (May 15-18) and the Sofitel Golf Championship in Nanjing (May 22-25), and conclude the Tour’s six-event ‘southern swing’.
Chengdu is the capital of the western province of Sichuan, home to about four-fifths of China’s giant pandas, and the city is renowned for its world-famous Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Center.
Chengdu-born Huang Mingjie, who has finished in the top five of the Omega Order of Merit for the past two seasons, is among the many players excited to see the Tour heading to the city known in China as Tian Fu Zhi Guo ('heavenly state’).
“I’m really happy the Omega China Tour will be going to Chengdu, my home, for the first time,” said the 27-year-old, who has played every single event of the Omega China Tour, which has added two tournaments a year since hosting four legs in 2005.
“Chengdu is a beautiful city. The people here have a wonderful passion for life and they love their golf, so people can expect a great tournament. Luxehills is a high-quality course, so I hope all the players will enjoy it and score well. I know they’ll enjoy their time in Chengdu.”
Huang, who has finished runner-up four times on the Tour, also had one personal wish for the week. “I’ve never won on the Omega China Tour, so I’ll try my best to change this, especially as I want to play well in my hometown.”
Luxehills announced its title sponsorship of the event earlier this year at a press conference in Beijing and since then the club, which is attached to an expansive residential community, has been fine-tuning its 18-hole layout for the arrival of China’s top players.
“The Omega China Tour has visited many of the most important cities in China and Chengdu deserves to be on the circuit,” said C.B. Fong, General Manager of Luxehills International Country Club.
“New clubs like ours know that hosting an event on the Omega China Tour is an ideal way of benefiting from the associated brand awareness and upgrading its reputation.”
Zhang Xinjun, the 20-year-old amateur who made the cut at last week’s Pine Valley Beijing Open on the Asian Tour, believes the Omega China Tour players will appreciate the Luxehills layout.
“I’ve played twice at Luxehills and it’s a really impressive course,” said Zhang, who is basing himself in Chengdu to develop his game. “The design is very challenging and is in very good condition.”
The club features a 7,335-yard championship layout by Mark Hollinger, a driving range and multi-function practice facilities designed by JMP Golf Design Group. Other facilities include seven tennis courts, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, and a gymnasium.
The club is part of the larger Luxehills community, which includes residential villas of varying styles, including Tuscan, French, Italian and Spanish. Luxehills is developed by Chengdu Wide Horizon Real Estate Development Co Ltd (established by the Baoguang Langjiu Group), which won the bid for the 200-hectare site, the largest land-development project in western China.
Chengdu is renowned for its leisurely lifestyle and beautiful natural scenery, and locals often say: “If you come, you never want to leave.”
Certainly, the players will be able to remain in Chengdu longer than at most Omega China Tour stops as the circuit then takes a three-month break for the Olympics. The 10-event Tour resumes with the second Yanji Golf Championship in Jilin province, bordering North Korea, from September 4-7.
The lavish Luxehills International Country Club is counting down to its Grand Opening on May 18 as it prepares to host the inaugural Luxehills Golf Championship on the Omega China Tour from June 5-8. 
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