International golf returns to China with LPGA Shanghai

SHANGHAI: International golf returns to China after a four-year pandemic hiatus when the LPGA Shanghai tees off on Thursday (Oct 10), with the host city hoping a hometown hero might be crowned champion.

China has thrown itself back into hosting major competitions since the abrupt end of its strict zero-Covid policy in December 2022 in an attempt to cement a reputation as a sporting superpower.

International sports bodies have jumped at the chance to re-enter the world's second-largest economy.

"Having an event like this in a strategically important market for the LPGA is important not just from a commercial tournament standpoint, but also in terms of really growing the game," the LPGA's Sean Pyun told AFP.

"Having Shanghai, one of our key marquee events, back on our schedule makes us feel we're whole again."

The $2.1-million tournament had only been running for two years when the pandemic struck.

It suffered the same fate as most other major sports events in China and was called off for the next three years.

The headliners for its return include current world number two and Shanghai native Yin Ruoning.

Yin, 21, won the Women's PGA Championship in June, becoming only the second Chinese woman to win a major title after Feng Shanshan in 2012.

Competing against Yin will be Lilia Vu, the American who overtook her as number one last month.

Vu's compatriot Danielle Kang, who won in Shanghai in 2018 and 2019, will defend her title.

Yin was still a junior player and Vu wasn't able to qualify when Kang won four years ago.

The emergence of a potential Chinese champion is not the only thing that has changed since then, chairman of the China LPGA Tour (CLPGA) TK Pen told AFP.

"Actually, the pandemic was good for golf (in China)," he said.