The China Golf Association (CGA) has declared that every winner in the inaugural season of the China Tour will automatically qualify to play alongside the world's top golfers in Asia's richest-ever golf tournament. The CGA has chosen to dedicate up to four of the eight places allocated to Chinese players at November's US$5 million HSBC Champions Tournament to the China Tour's champions.

The immediate beneficiary is Li Chao, the 24-year-old whose victory in August's China Tour-Beijing Leg guarantees him a berth at Shanghai's Sheshan Club, the venue for the Champions Tournament in November and Li's golfing home.

"It's another excellent development for the China Tour," said Nick Mould, Senior Vice-President of World Sport Group - the CGA's partners in the new series. "The China Tour's primary aim is to create more opportunities for China's tournament players. Giving our winners a place in the Champions Tournament presents them with the opportunity to build on the new-found confidence they will get from winning on the China Tour."

Li has witnessed first hand how such a success breeds more success. The youngster immediately followed his China Tour win at Langfang's Elephant Golf Club with his best ever performance on the Asian Tour. His ninth place in the Volkswagen Masters at Beijing's Jinghua Golf Club equalled his highest ever finish in an Asian competition, but this time it was achieved in a field that included US Open winners Retief Goosen and Michael Campbell, and he put it all down to the confidence he gained from winning China Tour's first event.

"Absolutely! My best result achieved at the VW Masters is based on my previous experience in the China Tour," said Li who has described that victory as the "start" of his career, and whose play at the VW Masters led Campbell to describe him as "a huge talent".

"The valuable experience gained on the China Tour helped me to perform so well in the VW Masters. It is another significant achievement. It is also a milestone in my career development."

Li acknowledges that, on the other hand, the promise of a free pass into the HSBC Champions Tournament will make his bid to record back-to-back wins at next week's Kunming Leg - the second stop on the China Tour - even harder.

"Of course, it isn't easy for everyone to win at other legs, because the conditions of each course are quite different, the player has to face the challenges that a new course brings, demonstrating their capabilities with full confidence," Li said before considering the benefits of having the achievements of the China Tour's winners recognized in an elite field that will include Tiger Woods.

"Certainly, if the China Tour is linked with some famous international tours, it will be helpful to strengthen the awareness of the China Tour, as well as enabling Chinese golfers to compete with world-class professionals."

China Tour - 2005 dates

August 17th to 19th Beijing Leg - Elephant Golf Club: Winner - Li Chao.

September 22nd to 24th Kunming Leg - Kunming Country Golf Club

October 13th to 15th Zhuhai Leg - Zhuhai Golden Gulf Golf Club

November 3rd to 5th to be announced.

Source: China Daily