PGA TOUR Series-China has confirmed that the seventh and eighth events of the 2019 season will be played at Gary Player-designed golf clubs in Suzhou and Huangshan. Jinji Lake Golf Club, located slightly west of Shanghai, will host the second Suzhou Open from June 10-16, before Hidden Tiger Golf Club in Anhui province hosts its first-Tour event, the Huangshan Championship, from June 17-23.
Jinji Lake hosted the first Suzhou Open, in 2018, and was one of the highlights of the season, with over 3,000 fans turning up during the event, which Canada’s Richard Jung won. The course features 27 holes across three nines – ‘Forest Course’, ‘Wetlands Course’ and ‘Links Course’ – all designed by Player.
The Huangshan Championship at Hidden Tiger Golf Club was announced at today’s press conference, with many VIPs in attendance as the Tour looks forward to exploring a new city, famous for its scenic lake and mountain views.
Greg Carlson, Executive Director, PGA TOUR Series-China, said, “We are thrilled to announce the Huangshan Championship next month and look forward to working with Hidden Tiger Golf Club for the first time. The course appears to be in great shape, and I think the players will find it quite unique to play back-to-back courses designed by Gary Player, who is one of the biggest legends of the game.”
Now in its fifth season, the Tour is always looking for ways to play its part to help promote golf in the region and is proud to link up with like-minded golf clubs. The Tour continues to grow and offer players from China and throughout the region not only a path to the Web.com Tour but also to the Olympics by offering Official World Golf Ranking points.
“The Tour is committed to growing the game in China, and we look forward to working with Jinji Lake Golf Club again and with Hidden Tiger Golf Club for the first time to bring world-class events to these cities and to use our resources to best promote golf in the region,” said Carlson.
This week, the Tour is in the capital for the Beijing Championship, which will kick off a swing of three consecutive events and will be followed by the Qinhuangdao Championship (May 13-19) and the Nantong Championship (May 20-26). Through three 2019 tournaments, winners have come from Japan (Taihei Sato) and the United States (Trevor Sluman and David Kocher).
The top-five on this year’s Order of Merit will earn status on the 2020 Web.com Tour, the path to the PGA TOUR. Haotong Li, the first player from China to break into the world’s top-50, and former PGA TOUR players Zecheng Dou and Xinjun Zhang are among graduates from the Tour.
The PGA TOUR established PGA TOUR Series-China in 2014 as its third international developmental tour, following in the footsteps of PGA TOUR Latinoamerica and the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada. Since its inception, PGA TOUR Series-China players have received Official World Golf Ranking points for top finishes at official tournaments.
2019 PGA TOUR Series-China Partial Schedule
Date | Tournament | Course | Location |
March 25-31 | Chongqing Championship | Chongqing Poly GC | Chongqing |
April 1-7 | Sanya Championship | Yalong Bay GC | Sanya |
April 8-14 | Haikou Championship | Sunac Haikou 3KM GC | Haikou |
May 6-12 | Beijing Championship | Topwin G&CC | Beijing |
May 13-19 | Qinhuangdao Championship | Qinhuangdao Poly GC | Qinhuangdao |
May 20-26 | Nantong Championship | Yangtze River GC | Nantong |
June 10-16 | Suzhou Open | Jinji Lake Golf Club | Suzhou |
June 17-23 | Huangshan Championship | Hidden Tiger Golf Club | Huangshan |