Jack Nicklaus calls on China to invest more in golf

The Chinese government should invest in golf as it does in Olympic sports to help make more accessible a game that is available only to the wealthy, golfing legend Jack Nicklaus said on Thursday.

But whether it does or not, the sheer size of the pool of youngsters in China - 400 million people under 18 - meant that it was only a matter of time before a Chinese player took home a trophy from a PGA tour major, he said.

"The government needs to be involved," Nicklaus said in an interview with journalists.

"The government subsidises track and field ... the government subsidises all those sports in this country," he said. "There's no reason why they shouldn't be" subsidising golf.

China's state sports system sponsors some 23,000 athletes and the host nation of the Beijing Olympic Games in August hopes to reap a big crop in medals.

There are some 400 golf courses in China, almost all at private clubs where a round can easily run to 1,500 yuan (109 pounds), 11 percent of China's average urban per capita income last year of 13,786 yuan.

"Yes, in many areas golf is an expensive sport. It doesn't have to be," said the 68-year-old Nicklaus, who won 18 major titles during his career.

Nicklaus, who was in the south China city of Shenzhen to receive a lifetime achievement award from the Mission Hills golf club, where he designed the first of its 12 courses 14 years ago, lauded the U.S. example of inexpensive municipal courses.

"You've seen people from all walks of life who've been able to grow in the United States and learn how to play. It's largely because of caddie programmes (and) public facilities ... and giving kids access to these facilities," the American said.

"There's no reason that can't happen here."

Nicklaus also pointed to Russia's commitment to tennis, where many of the top players in the world trained under state sponsorship, and said it was an example.

But regardless of government commitment in China, the size of the population meant the emergence of a major winner was inevitable, especially with such a huge pool of youth.

"You're going to find one or two in there that are going to do pretty well if they are exposed to the game," Nicklaus said.


Left: Jack Nicklaus receives his Lifetime Achievement Award at Mission Hills Right: Nicklaus visits Mission Hills, where he created the first course 14 years ago

April 17, 2008

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