This past weekend, Shanghai Sheshan International Golf Club was full of stars.
Liang Wenchong, Feng Shanshan, Li Haotong, Wu Ashun, Lin Xiyu... China's most recognizable golfers have gathered here for a new golf tournament, the HSBC China Golf All-Star Pro-Amateur Match.
The stars gather for the HSBC China Golf All-Star Pro and Leisure Match.
Organised by HSBC Bank (China) Co., Ltd., the two-day tournament brought together 22 of China's top professional golfers, led by Liang Wenchong and Feng Shanshan, to compete for team honors in a four-man four-ball best-of-the-ball match.
The Pro-Amateur Tournament is not the first of its kind in golf, but most of them appear as a "mat field" before professional events, and it is surprising that the HSBC China Golf All-Star Pro-A-Pair Tournament appears as a stand-alone event.
The participants cover the most powerful and representative professional golfers of different ages of China's post-70s, post-80s, post-90s and post-00s, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is the carnival of Chinese golf.
Lin Xiyu in the game.
Dream linkage
As soon as the list of this event was announced, the Internet was full of jubilation, "the lineup is exciting to watch", "I am looking forward to star players and amateur masters competing together", "The novel format, so many stars, it's so cool".
In fact, not only the fans, but also the star players have mixed feelings.
"Being able to pair or play against players of different ages and backgrounds is very fun and challenging, and it is also a rare opportunity to reunite with old friends and communicate with rookies," Feng said. ”
Lin Xiyu, who just won the bronze medal in the women's golf team with her teammates at the Hangzhou Asian Games, described the competition as a "dream linkage": "This All-Star Game makes me feel a very fantastic linkage experience, as if going back in time, such an event reunites our old friends, not only enhances everyone's friendship, but also inspires more people's enthusiasm for golf." ”
As a professional golfer, there are also "groupies" here - the rising star Ding Wen of the 00s is still unfinished playing in a day or two, and he vigorously said that "this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity".
"It's really nice to be able to communicate with so many big coffees and good hands, and to learn from my role models and industry seniors."
Li Haotong.
Where the dream begins
A ball game connecting each other is also a microcosm of how golf in China has been forging ahead over the past 20 years – it's worth mentioning that most of these bright planets have similar growth trajectories, and the HSBC Junior Golf Development Programme is where their dreams began.
Li Haotong, one of the pillars of men's golf in China, recalled his golf career and admitted that the HSBC Junior Golf Development Programme was the key to helping him achieve his dreams.
"My four wins in the HSBC Youth Development Programme have laid a good foundation for me and provided me with a platform to go global."
Up-and-coming star Munee Ho joined the HSBC Junior Golf Development Programme at the age of 6 and two years later became a top player of her generation, now playing for the LPGA.
He Muni.
Commenting on HSBC's Junior Golf Development Programme, she said: "This is an important starting point in my golf journey, which has exposed me to high-level coaching and facilities since I was a child, cultivated my love and dedication to golf, and provided a great platform and opportunity for our young golfers to interact and learn from world-class golfers. ”
Similar voices are heard in the mouths of too many players, looking back at the development of Chinese golf in the new century, "HSBC China" is an inescapable word.
Since 2005, HSBC China has supported the development of golf in China, and in the same year the "Asian Grand Slam" World Championship – HSBC Championship was held in Sheshan, Shanghai, where Chinese spectators saw the world's best golf tournament on their doorstep for the first time.
In 2007, HSBC China joined hands with the China High School Association to launch the "HSBC China Junior Golf Development Programme", which is committed to providing a professional, sustainable and high-level golf competition platform for young players and helping outstanding young players to enter the international stage.
Since the launch of the HSBC China Junior Golf Development Programme, more than 110,000 Chinese children have been exposed to golf, and in the past 16 years, those young players who have emerged from the program have grown into the backbone of golf in China.
Yuan Yechun.
In 2016, Li Haotong and Lin Xiyu represented the Chinese team in the Olympic Games, and Lin Xiyu became the first female player to score a hole in the Olympic Games.
In 2017, Dou Zecheng successfully entered the PGA Tour, creating a precedent for Chinese mainland player; In the same year, Li Haotong finished third at the British Open, setting the best result for a Chinese player's Grand Slam tournament.
In 2018, the Chinese team won 2 silvers and 2 bronzes at the Asian Games in Jakarta.
In 2019, Lin Yuxin won the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship again, becoming only the second player in the history of the tournament to win the cup twice.
In the past 10 years, a large part of the star left by Chinese golf on the international stage is related to this group of players, and it is precisely because of the fertile soil formed by the youth training program, which has promoted the emergence of a large number of talents, and China Golf can try to frequently attack the international stage.
"Big Brother" Liang Wenchong in the game.
Laying the foundation for golf in China
Today, the first batch of "graduates" in HSBC China's junior golf development plan, Li Haotong, Dou Zecheng, Lin Xiyu and Liu Yu, have successfully entered the PGA Tour and European Tour, which represent the highest stage in the golf field, and players such as Ding Wenyi and Tong Yang after 00 have also shown their sharp corners.
As Li Haotong described in the pairing match, "There is a sense of inheritance and carrying on the past and opening up the future. ”
This inheritance refers not only to the post-90s players such as Li Haotong, but also to the emergence of the next generation of young players in the HSBC youth training system.
As a big brother, Liang Wenchong of the 70s has become famous as early as the first 10 years of this century, but he sees the continuous growth of the new generation of Chinese golf, Liang Wenchong said: "Thanks to such a youth training system, it provides a systematic training path for young golfers in China, and provides a platform for talented junior golfers to develop their potential and chase their dreams." ”
Feng Shanshan, a flagship figure in women's golf in China, has a similar view, saying that HSBC plays an important role in the development of both young people and adult players.
"Most of these juniors grew up from the HSBC Junior Golf Development Programme, and I have participated in the HSBC Women's World Golf Championship 12 times, and these high-level events have also laid the foundation for me to become the world number one later."
Along the way, Shanshan Fung, who has developed an international perspective, understands the importance of building a youth training system, and she has personally collaborated with the HSBC Junior Golf Development Programme on many occasions to mentor young players and help golf enter the campus.
After retiring, Feng Shanshan became the head coach of the women's team of the Chinese national training team, using her years of experience in first-class tournaments to create the "Feng Shanshan China System" suitable for Chinese players, and her personal golf academy is also contributing to the development of golf in China.
He Muni.
More possibilities for amateur players
Through the bits and pieces of these professional players, we can see the accumulation of Chinese golf, and behind it is HSBC China and China Golf all the way.
To this day, the youth development program continues to provide the source of life for golf in China, and the newly created All-Star Pro-Amateur Tournament is clearly another beneficial attempt.
During the event, Wang Yunfeng, President and CEO of HSBC China, said: "HSBC and the China Golf Association have long cooperated with China Golf Association, from supporting professional tournaments, developing junior players, to organizing new all-star matching tournaments, contributing to the construction of China's golf tournament system and jointly promoting the vigorous development of golf in China. ”
Ding Wenyi, who participated in the event, had the most intuitive feeling, "This event is more friendly and very popular for amateur groups, which can provide more opportunities for amateur groups to communicate and communicate, and also create more possibilities for some of them to open up (professional) careers." ”
Tong Yang.
The story of professional player Tong Yang is perhaps the most telling on this issue.
In 2019, at the age of 15, he and idol McIlroy completed 18 holes together in the pro-amateur match of the HSBC Championship.
"It was an unforgettable experience that made me feel the charm and level of a professional golfer, and he told me, 'You remind me of myself as a child. As long as you have a dream of golf, whether it seems possible or not, put in the effort. You just have to stick to your dreams and move forward towards the goal in your heart'. ”
In March last year, the 18-year-old turned professional and now stands on the course of the HSBC China Golf All-Star Pro and Am Match, where he also completed 18 holes as a professional with amateurs.
"For me, this change of identity is more about pride and gratitude, which not only marks my personal growth, but also the harvest of the continuous seeds of the HSBC golf system."
Tong Yang's experience can undoubtedly infect young people who have a dream of golf like him, and with the successful holding of the first HSBC China Golf All-Star Pro and Amateur Matchmaking, the domestic golf tournament system has been further enriched.
The gathering of generations of professional players has contributed to the effective grafting of information and resources in the industry, jointly contributed to the development of golf in China, and provided a new communication bridge between amateur groups and professional golfers.
At present, the China Golf Association has fully affirmed the HSBC China Golf All-Star Pro and Amateur Match.
The China High School Association said that it is hoped that this innovative event will help improve the level and influence of Chinese golfers and promote the further popularization and promotion of golf in China.