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China determined to dig up its own Tiger Woods
September-30-2009
China Daily September 30, 2009
South Korea has produced PGA Championship winner Yang Yong-eun and Japan boasts rising star Ryo Ishikawa.
Faced with the eye-catching achievements of these neighbors of China, the country's golf chief is determined to develop a local hero in a bid to give the sport a shot in the arm here.
"I call it the 'power of a golf icon'," said Zhang Xiaoning, vice-president of the China Golf Association (CGA), during the launch of China Amateur Golf Futures Tour (GFT) on Monday.
"When a player achieves glittering results in golf's biggest tournaments, it automatically sparks passion for the sport in his or her home country," Zhang said.
Yang held off Tiger Woods to win the 91st PGA Championship last month while, at about the same time, Ishikawa, 18, became the youngest golfer to reach the top 50 of the world rankings.
"Korea, Japan and even Chinese Taipei have produced a number of the world's top golf players who have inspired a great number of youngsters to follow. It's a good cycle of development for the sport."
Zhang said one of the major reasons behind establishing the GFT tour was to embed it further at the sport's grassroots level and discover a local hero as soon as possible.
"A great player emerges from tournaments for teens and amateurs. Tiger Woods is the best example," he said.

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