An indication of the growing strength in depth in junior golf in China is evident from the make-up of the entry list for the 54-hole event at Mission Hills Dongguan from which each of the five age-group winners will qualify for the 15th Faldo Series Asia Grand Final, to be hosted by Sir Nick Faldo at Vietnam’s Laguna Lăng Cô in 2022.
One of the brightest prospects is 14-year-old Zhang Zhenxian, who has enjoyed a steady rise in The R&A World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) on the back of a series of impressive domestic performances.
Winner of the overall boys’ title at last year’s Mission Hills Jack Nicklaus Championship, Zhang has continued to impress in 2021 with top-five finishes in the National Junior Championship, Zhang Lianwei Cup International Junior Invitational and the first leg of the HSBC National Junior Champions.
While Tong Yang is unable to defend his Faldo Series Shenzhen Championship due to prior commitments, other notables intent on making their mark this week include Huang Yuteng and Ruan Zishan.
Six-time Major champion Sir Nick, Founder of the Faldo Series, said: “It’s exciting to see so many talented young golfers coming through the ranks in China.
“I believe it’s only a matter of time before China becomes a dominant force in golf and we see Chinese golfers winning the great Major championships on a regular basis.
“It’s my hope that we’ll see some of those who are participating at Mission Hills this week go on to achieve great things in the game – and themselves become role models for the next generation of Chinese golfers.”
Sir Nick also praised the on-going support for junior golf in China of Mission Hills.
“I’d like to offer special thanks to the Chu family and Mission Hills for hosting the Faldo Series Shenzhen Championship – and for all their wonderful contributions to growing the game,” he said.
The 2020-21 Faldo Series Asia season is supported by The R&A and endorsed by the Asian Tour and the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation.
As well as a series of qualifiers in Thailand, events are planned in Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam over the next few months, subject to prevailing conditions and circumstances.
National finals in Chinese-Taipei, Hong Kong and Pakistan have already taken place this year.
Recognised as the only global amateur series for boys and girls, the Faldo Series was established in 1996, expanding to Asia in 2006.
