Faldo Course Tests Southern China’s Brightest Young Stars
(SHENZHEN, China) – Mission Hills Golf Club – the world’s largest collection of premier golf courses with 12 layouts designed by many of the greatest golfers and golf course architects from five continents – will host southern China’s best young golfers for the Faldo Series Asia China Championship, July 23-24, on its Nick Faldo signature course.
High finishers in the 36-hole tournament will receive invitations to play in the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final at Mission Hills in March 2009. The Grand Final will feature winners from the Faldo Series Asia’s four championships in China as well as its events in Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
“Mission Hills’ involvement with the Faldo Series Asia is an integral part of our strategy to grow the game of golf in China,” says Tenniel Chu, Executive Director, Mission Hills Golf Club. “Providing juniors who show promising skills with a platform to compete against the best in the region is essential if they’re to reach their full potential. These juniors will form the nucleus of a generation who we hope will one day regularly challenge for major championships.”
Built in 1999, the Faldo Course at Mission Hills is China’s first “stadium course,” measuring 6,892 yards from the tips and featuring mounding and earthen amphitheatres to improve the spectator experience. Its signature hole, the island green par-3 16th, will surely test players as action unfolds down the stretch.
“The Faldo Course serves as an ideal forum to host the tournament,” states Chu. “Its emphasis on precision over power should make a lasting impression on competitors, ingraining the importance of accuracy if one is to achieve success at the game’s highest levels.”
About Faldo Series Asia
Launched in January 2006, Faldo Series Asia exposes young people to competitive golf in an effort to nurture the game’s next generation of champions. Tournaments will be held in 11 different territories across Asia in 2008, with leading players advancing to the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final at Mission Hills in March 2009.
The Faldo Series Asia is modeled on the acclaimed Faldo Series Europe which currently features 30 annual tournaments and over 1,500 golfers. Former champions of Faldo Series Europe include PGA European Tour stars such as 2007 Omega Mission Hills World Cup winner Marc Warren, Nick Dougherty and Rory McIlroy.
About Mission Hills Golf Club
Since opening in 1994 and hosting the World Cup in 1995, Mission Hills Golf Club has emerged as one of the world’s leading venues for international golf events, hosting more than 50 tournaments including the 2001 Tiger Woods China Challenge. In a resounding statement about its place in the pantheon of international professional golf, Mission Hills and the Olazabal Course will be the permanent home of the Omega Mission Hills World Cup through 2018. In addition, Mission Hills has firmly entrenched itself as the epicenter of golf in China, one of the fastest growing markets in the world for the construction of new golf courses and grass roots growth of the game via junior golf programs.
Mission Hills seeks to create ‘International Goodwill through Golf.’ The Club occupies over 15 square kilometers of land and boasts 12 signature courses designed by golf legends from five different continents: Jack Nicklaus, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Jumbo Ozaki, Nick Faldo, Jose Maria Olazabal, David Leadbetter, Greg Norman, Annika Sorenstam, David Duval, Zhang Lian Wei and Pete Dye. Each course is reflective of the designers’ style, offering unique risk / reward challenges to the player. As a complete golf destination, the Club houses a five-star hotel and world-class spa and was voted Best Golf Resort in Asia by readers of Asian Golf Monthly in 2006 and Golf Resort of the Year in the Rest of the World category in 2005 by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO). In May 2004, the Club was accredited by the Guinness World RecordsTM as the World’s Largest Golf Facility, making a name for itself in the world of premier golf through its exceptional ability to deliver an unsurpassed level of service excellence.
The Chu family, true ambassadors for the game of golf, have also invested heavily in practice facilities and instructional academies in order to promote the sport through retention of players. There are three practice ranges on site – all with state-of-the-art amenities and TOUR-level conditioning. And Mission Hills has the rare distinction of having two teaching facilities from renowned instructors in the same location: the David Leadbetter Golf Academy and the Mission Hills Golf Academy by Cindy Reid. In conjunction with international golf star Nick Faldo, the club hosts the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final. The Faldo Series provides the best young golfers in Asia with grass roots level access to the game through a series of goodwill competitions.
Getting There: Mission Hills Golf Club is a short drive north of Hong Kong International Airport, www.hongkongairport.com. Flights on most major airlines from most major cities are available into Hong Kong. From the airport, Mission Hills transports golfers in luxury shuttles across the border to the resort hotel.
For more information about Mission Hills Golf Club, visit www.missionhillsgroup.com, email info@missionhillsgroup.com, or call (852) 2122 1616 (Hong Kong) — (86 755) 2802 0888 (Shenzhen) — (86-769) 8728 8888 (Dongguan).
Contact:
Shane Sharp
Buffalo Communications
704.519.8381 (cell)
ssharp@billycaspergolf.com
Stephen Reynolds
Buffalo Communications
703.761.1444
sreynolds@billycaspergolf.com
