HK’s Clearwater Bay to host first PGA TOUR China Series event outside mainland China
HONG KONG (July 25, 2016)—The PGA TOUR and The Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club announced today that the Ping An Bank China Tour – PGA TOUR China Series is adding The Clearwater Bay Open to its 2016 official schedule. The 72-hole event will be held at The Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club in Hong Kong and will be the first PGA TOUR China Series event held outside Mainland China.
A three-year agreement is in place, running through the 2018 season. The 2016 Clearwater Bay Open will take place from October 31-November 6, featuring a 120-player field, with an eligibility component similar to that used at other PGA TOUR China Series events. The purse will be RMB 1,200,000 (approximately U.S. $184,000). The Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club will also serve as the tournament’s title sponsor.
Greg Gilligan, PGA TOUR Vice President and Greater China Managing Director, said, “We are excited about the upcoming Clearwater Bay Open in Hong Kong. This new tournament marks further development of the PGA TOUR China Series’ presence and its impact in the greater China region. We’d like to thank The Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club for its commitment to the PGA TOUR China Series. I am sure the players will love the spectacular course and enjoy the tournament experience in Hong Kong, truly one of the world’s great cities.”
The Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club, established in 1982, offers an 18-hole course divided into two parts: the Highland Nine and the Ocean Nine. The Club is located in the New Territories and is situated on a peninsula with stunning views of the South China Sea and Hong Kong.
After its initial opening, the team of Thomson Perrett redesigned the course layout to its current specifications. Australian Peter Thomson, a principal in Thomson Perrett, is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, a five-time winner of The Open Championship and a three-time captain of The Presidents Cup International team. Thomson Perrett has designed or redesigned golf courses in 12 countries.
Since 2003, The Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club has been fully committed to its Community Outreach Program, an initiative aimed at strengthening neighborhood ties, preserving the environment and upholding family values while working with charity partners to organize and raise funds for different sectors of people in the community. Caring for the community is a commitment that develops and grows with effort and time, and this dedication has become one of the club’s core values.
“We are delighted as well as proud to be the host and title sponsor of the Clearwater Bay Open this year. In the past, we have been actively promoting sports development in the community, particularly junior golf,” explained Wyman Li, Chairman of The Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club.
In October, The Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club was the host venue for the 2015 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, a tournament won by China teenager Jin Cheng, who is the only amateur to win a PGA TOUR China Series event—the 2014 Nine Dragons Open. By virtue of his Asia-Pacific Amateur victory, Jin, from Beijing, played in the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
“The 2015 Asia-Pacific Amateur was a resounding success on and off the golf course. It is indeed an honor for us to play host again, this time for such an important and highly acclaimed, leading professional golf tournament in Asia,” Li added. “We’re very much looking forward to putting on a world-class sporting event at Clearwater Bay.”
The PGA TOUR China Series is in its third season as a home and quality Tour for elite players from both China and other countries. The Series also offers players the opportunity to advance to higher levels of the world stage. Similar to PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada, the PGA TOUR China Series provides access to the Web.com Tour—the pathway to the PGA TOUR—for the season’s top players. The Series also awards Official World Golf Ranking points at every event, which is the eligibility mechanism to participate in golf at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Australia’s Bryden Macpherson was the 2015 Player of the Year, while China’s Li Haotong was the 2014 Player of the Year. Both Macpherson and Li are current Web.com Tour members.
