Welcome Return to Action for Chinese Players

Hangzhou, China: The China LPGA Tour swings back into action this week with a clash against the men of the China Tour at the Hangzhou International Championship.

With the Covid-19 pandemic resulting in the cancellation of a raft of events on both Tours in the first half of 2022, the staging of the RMB1.2 million tournament at Moganshan Gowin Golf Club in Zhejiang Province is being welcomed by the country’s young golfers, pros and amateurs.

The format this week features 78 players – 39 players from each Tour – in four rounds (72 holes) of stroke play. The men and women in the no-cut field go head-to-head on the same course, competing for one prize purse and one trophy, but from two different sets of tees.

“This is my third time playing in Hangzhou, and also my first tournament in the 2022 season,” said Pan Yanhong, the China LPGA Tour legend who in October captured her sixth career title with a win at the Guowei Centre Plaza Zhuhai Challenge.

“This week is a great physical test for me,” said the 39-year-old former powerlifter. “Many of the players who are competing with me are post-2000 born players, and they are all very energetic. I have my work cut out for me.”

Zhang Jienalin recorded her first professional win in November 2020, the last time the event was held.

“I’m so glad we finally have a tournament,” said Liu Yanwei, the world number 735 who captured the Zhengzhou Classic last year for his first win after seven years as a pro.

Two-time former Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship contestant Liu added: “I’ve been preparing for this week for a long time. Compared with the girls, I have an advantage in the driving distance, but the same possibility of making mistakes will also be increased. This week I hope I can play at my true level.”

Zhao Zhimeng, another first-time winner in 2021, is also playing in the tournament for a third time and is looking to significantly improve her standing after finishing equal 17th last time out.

“This event gives me a very good feeling, and I have a lot of good memories here. The quality of the course is very high; it is both interesting and challenging, and strategies need to be made intelligently,” said the 19-year-old from Shanxi.

“At the end of last year, I won the first championship in my career. This is the first tournament since I won the championship. I hope I can get a good result.”