CHINA TOUR - HAINAN LEG RELATED STORIES Hainan Leg Preview Round 1: Tan leads but first round unfinished Round 2: Liu Qiang two clear for final day Round 3: Li wins Leg and OM in play-off Final Scores & Prize Money Li aims to consolidate Order of Merit lead ASIAN GOLF TODAY TOP STORIES Bae clinches home win Tanihara takes Panasonic title Su Dong's lead cut to two Hole-in-One Jeev shares the lead Korea, Philippines, Italy for World Cup Lu wins record 4th Taiwan Masters Aussie PGA rethinks 'One Asia' GOLF TODAY TOP STORIES Fred Couples to enlist some unusual help Paula Creamer seeking another home town win Jay Haas on brink of another senior money title Justin Leonard looking to break Texas Open record Father & Son event sign up with Sky Sports

China Tour to round off in tropical paradise

The fourth and final event of the inaugural China Tour season is to be held in China's southernmost corner, on the beautiful holiday island of Hainan. The host venue of the US$100,000 China Tour Hainan Leg will be the Kangle Garden Spa & Golf Club in Wanning on the eastern coast.

The 7,201 yard course - the longest the China Tour has played on in 2005 - was designed by the American Robert McFarland, who is renowned for harmonizing his layouts with the natural environment.

"In building the Kangle Garden Course, he went up and down the land to ensure that interference with nature is minimal and emphasizes the natural beauty and character of the geographical layout. The course is decorated with canopies of trees, lakes and hills," said the club's General Manager Wang Hexin of his championship course, which winds its way through a former rubber plantation.

The end of season finale will be a welcome migration south for many of the China Tour's professionals, many of whom will be feeling the first bite of winter. The Hainan Leg will also be the scene of the China Tour's 2005 Gala Dinner, which will be staged at the Hainan Kangle Garden Hna Resort on Saturday 5th November and will feature the presentation of the Order of Merit trophy as well as awards for Best Shot, Best Stroke Average, Birdie Leader and Host Venue of the Year.

"We're delighted to end our first season in one of the prime golfing resorts in China, and to be going somewhere famous for its climate at this time of the year," exclaimed Nick Mould, the Senior Vice-President of World Sport Group, the China Golf Association's partners in the China Tour.

"The Kangle Garden Spa and Golf Club, just like our previous hosts the Elephant Golf Club, the Kunming Country Golf Club and the Zhuhai Golden Gulf Golf Club, has made a firm commitment to support the China Tour and everything it stands for," he added.

"Their support is evidence that there are a growing number of golf clubs who are grasping the possibilities of the China Tour. These clubs understand the benefits the China Tour brings. In playing a part in the growth of China's professional golf they are also proving their ability to host events of a high calibre."

The Kangle Garden's enthusiasm for the China Tour is so strong that they have insisted on a two-year arrangement, guaranteeing the Tour another trip to the tropical paradise in 2006.

"Staging a professional tournament can make Kangle Garden Spa & Golf Club be recognised by more golf-lovers," explained Mr Wang, whose course attracts visitors from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong as well as from Japan and Korea.

"We believe China Tour will help to improve our own managing level and promote our brand and business. The China Tour is the newly emerging big circuit for golfers and the final leg will be the most exciting part. Therefore, we are happy to participate and let both the famous golfers and the future stars experience the beauty of the Kangle Garden Spa & Golf Club. Meanwhile, we hope we can serve and promote the success of China Tour in one way or another. I do believe China Tour has a promising future."

October 26, 2005