A total of 102 golf courses from around China have registered to take part in the inaugural Buick China Golf Club League (CGCL), which tees off in May.

The event, organized by the China Golf Association (CGA) and sponsored by Shanghai General Motors Co Ltd, will be a six-member team competition. Each team can have only one pro and one female player.

From April 20 to July 10, provincial level competitions will take place, with winners advancing into five zones - North, Mid-west, East, Mid-south and South. After approximately four months of competition, winners from different zones will battle it out in national finals in December.

Organizers are expecting a record 20,000 players to take part in the nine months of competition.

"We mean to make the league a strong engine for the rapid development of the sport. It is also a strong push for the sport's marketing development," said Zhang Xiaoning, secretary-general of CGA.

"The establishment of the CGCL is a new chapter in the sport's history in China. It will help change people's views of golf, which has been widely seen as a sport for wealthy people in China."

Sun Xiaodong, executive CEO of sales and marketing of Shanghai GM said: "We hope the cooperation between Shanghai GM and the CGA will make the event the biggest and most influential national golf tournament in the world's most populous nation."

China has more than 280 golf clubs and about 1 million golfers, out of a total population of 1.3 billion.

(China Daily April 18, 2007)