The qualification round for the 2024 Volvo China Open was held on April 17-18 at Shenzhen Yinxiu Golf Club. The organizing committee revealed that the competition was well registered, including 19 amateur athletes, and the name of swimming world champion Ning Zetao was also among them.
Founded in 1995, the Volvo China Open is the oldest international professional golf tournament in Chinese mainland. The 2024 Grand Event, which will be held in early May, will have a total prize fund of US$2.25 million, making it the highest-level and highest-money professional golf tournament held in Chinese mainland in 2024.
In the qualification round of the Volvo China Open, more than 100 players registered, including 19 amateur players, who will compete for 12 places in the main event.
Ning Zetao was born on March 6, 1993. In the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, Ning Zetao won four golds. In the men's 100m freestyle final, he set a new Asian Games record with a time of 47.70 seconds, becoming the first Asian to swim 48 seconds. A year later, Ning Zetao won the gold medal in the men's 100-meter freestyle at the Kazan Swimming World Championships, creating a new history for Chinese men's sprint.
On March 6, 2019, Ning Zetao announced his retirement and switched to golf courses.
Ning Zetao said that after retiring, he couldn't stop, but he still wanted to continue to stick to a sport, so he chose golf. After coming into contact with golf, I found that this sport is not limited by age, there will not be so many fierce confrontations, it is a sport that dialogues with oneself and nature, and can constantly challenge oneself and achieve oneself.
Ning Zetao believes that the unique charm of golf is that it has passion and precipitation, and becoming an amateur golfer has also given him different platforms and opportunities, hoping to experience the European Tour and the PGA Tour as an amateur player one day.
Regarding the qualification round of the Volvo China Open, Ning Zetao said that every time he participates in a professional competition, he hopes to break through himself, accumulate more experience, and strive to communicate and learn from professional players and make progress.
Interestingly, when staying at the official hotel of the stadium, Ning Zetao said that he had been in a trance for a long time. The video he posted on social platforms shows that there is a "2024 National Swimming Championships Reception" in the hotel lobby, and it seems that he is staying in the same hotel as the athletes participating in the 2024 National Swimming Championships.
The 2024 National Swimming Championships and Paris Olympic Trials will be held in Shenzhen from April 19 to 27, which is the most important domestic competition for the Chinese swimming team before the Paris Olympics.
(Michau Sports)