ZHANG Lianwei, the defending champion known as "China's Tiger Woods did not live up to his legend in the Volvo Golf China Open held at the Shanghai Silport Golf Club from November 23 to 26. Zhang ended in 28th place in the four-day tournament.

　　The chilly weather and high wind affected his performance, according to Zhang. Nevertheless, four Chinese players entered the final round.

　　"It was a big accomplishment. Only two Chinese players made the final round of the BMW Asian Open held a few months ago," said Zhang.

　　Another Chinese player, Liang Wenchong, shared the spotlight after taking 15th place in the final.

　　Shang Lei and Huang Mingjie, both from Shanghai, ranked 64th and 71st respectively in the final.

　　"They are the hope for a breakthrough in Chinese golf. As long as the young players have more opportunities to participate in world class golf events, they will gain more experience and a championship is not far behind," said Zhang.

　　"The Volvo China Open has made a great contribution to the sport of golf in China. It provides opportunities for excellent Chinese players like Zhang Lianwei and Liang Wenchong," said Hu Jianguo, director of the China Management Centre for Mini-ball Sports.

　　The Volvo Golf China Open marked its 10th anniversary by increasing the total prize from US$500,000 to US$1 million. It has become Asia's top golf event. One hundred and two players, 40 of them from Europe, participate in the event, which is held at the Shanghai Silport Golf Club.

　　Golf, the sport which used to symbolize bourgeois luxury and decadence, is burgeoning in China.

　　"Only about 10 golf courses were available when the first Volvo China Open was held in 1995. The number has reached 200 now," said Hu.

　　Privileged sport

　　The construction of golf courses has picked up pace in China. The number is estimated to reach 1,000 by 2008.

　　The number of people playing golf already tops one million, according to Golf Magazine, a Bejing-based periodical.

　　"There will be a definitive shift of golfing power in the future, the only question is when," said Mel Pyatt, president and chief executive officer of Volvo Event Management. "Market forces will determine how quickly the game will expand in China."

　　"It has a long way to go to match the 15,000 golf courses of the United States but, with more and more Chinese companies moving into the Fortune 500 and the executive ranks swelling so rapidly, it won't be far behind in the next 10 to 15 years."

　　However, in China, a nation of over 1.3 billion people, golf is still a sport for the rich and privileged.

　　According to Cui Zhiqiang, the secretary-general of the Chinese Golf Association: "It is actually a high-priced sport and most eople in China cannot afford to play golf. But with the rapid development of the Chinese economy, the market for the sport will grow. We only had a few spectators when the first Volvo China Open was held. But more than 2,000 spectators flocked to see the tournament this year."

　　Following Volvo, Beijing is to host the 2005 Johnnie Walker Golf Classic which counts towards the European, Asian and Australian tours.

　　It will be the first time the event, one of the top tournaments in the early part of the year, is held in Chinese mainland. Hong Kong first hosted the tournament in 1990.

　　"The tournament will give Chinese professional golfers the chance to compete alongside some of the best golfers in the world and will showcase our strength in attracting and hosting world class events leading up to the Beijing Olympics in 2008," said Hu.

　　As the number of golf courses mushrooms, concerns have arisen about the development of young golfers who will bring popularity to the game.

　　"Because of a lack of sponsorship and financial support, most of China's golfers have only 10 professional golf events behind them. That is far from enough," said Zhang Lianwei.

　　"In fact, the gap between Chinese players and European players is not especially wide. The key lies in the lack of experience and the players' ability to adjust themselves to various courses," said Thomas Bjorn, a world ranked golfer from Denmark who participated in the Volvo Open.

　　By Li Jian