Award-winning Lakeview Golf Club will be the centre of attention when the eighth edition of the Faldo Series Kunming Championship tees-off next week.
An outstanding creation of Faldo Design, the par-72 parkland-style layout has frequently appeared on lists of China’s top-10 courses and is rated as one of the premier golfing venues in Yunnan Province.
In the heart of the Kunming Dianchi national tourism and vacation zone, the course nestles along the shores of Dianchi Lake and beneath a beautiful mountain area.
Six-time Major championship winner Sir Nick Faldo, Britain’s most successful golfer, said: “The golf course is very strategic in nature and requires well placed tee shots to allow for approach shots that will offer the best chance of making birdies.
“I’m delighted with how the course has matured in recent years and I’m especially proud that we are able to stage the Faldo Series Kunming Championship there.”
The Kunming event is the 19th and final stop in what has been a record-breaking season for the Faldo Series Asia.
It is the third qualifier to be held in China following tournaments in Shanghai and at Mission Hills in Shenzhen, where the 2014-15 Faldo Series Asia Grand Final, a World Amateur Golf Ranking event, will take place in March.
The winners of each of the age group categories from the Faldo Series Kunming Championship will earn starting spots in the ninth Grand Final, to be hosted by Sir Nick.
Likely to be among the front-runners at Lakeview Golf Club is 15-year-old Xiang Sui, who won a competitive Girls’ Division last year.
Sir Nick said: “The quality of play across all the Faldo Series tournaments this season has been exceptional – and I expect that trend to continue at Lakeview.”
Supported by The R&A and Mission Hills and endorsed by the Asian Tour and the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation, the 2014-15 Faldo Series Asia campaign stretches over 11 months and has been made up of 19 championships.
Recognised as the only global amateur series for boys and girls, the Faldo Series was established in 1996, expanding to Asia in 2006.
Today, 40 Faldo Series tournaments take place in 30-plus countries worldwide, touching more than 7,000 golfers each year. Past winners include Tseng Ya-ni and Rory McIlroy, who took his tally of professional Major titles to four with his wins at last year’s Open Championship and US PGA Championship.
Faldo Series http://nickfaldo.com/about-faldo-series
R&A www.randa.org/
Mission Hills www.missionhillschina.com/en-US/
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