SHENZHEN: The Shenzhen Genzon Golf Club will be the venue for the 25th staging of the Volvo China Open when China’s National Open Golf Championship returns to the city from May 2-5, 2019.
Although the tournament was originally scheduled to be held in Chengdu, the Volvo China Open committee has decided to change the venue in order to avoid any possible inconvenience to the event. The move follows much communication and consideration as well as discussions with the relevant authorities.
The 2019 Volvo China Open will now be the first event to be staged at the Shenzhen Genzon Golf Club since it became the first Chinese venue to join European Tour Properties’ portfolio of destinations earlier this year. The Club’s track record of staging high-quality tournaments – it also hosted another European Tour event from 2015 to 2017 – has paved the way for its second staging of the Volvo China Open.
Organized by the China Golf Association and sanctioned by the European Tour, the RMB 20 million tournament makes a welcome return to the Neil Haworth-designed course in the Longgang district for the first time since Frenchman Alex Levy won the 20th staging of the Volvo China Open in 2014.
And five years after it first staged the flagship professional golf tournament of the world’s most populous nation, the Club’s track record of staging high-quality tournaments has paved the way for its second staging of the Volvo China Open.
“After celebrating the 20th anniversary at the Genzon Golf Club in 2014, it feels particularly poignant to be returning to the venue once again for the 25th anniversary of the Volvo China Open,” said Sven De Smet, Chairman of the Volvo China Open Board.
“It seems like only yesterday when Alex Levy won his first European Tour title at the 2014 Volvo China Open and since then he has gone on to become the only player to win twice in the history of the event. Today the city of Shenzhen is one of vitality and innovation and I believe that with the full support of the Genzon Group the 25th anniversary of the Volvo China Open will be both successful and memorable at Genzon Golf Club.”
Allen Fei, Vice President of the Genzon Group, said the countdown is well underway for the return of the Volvo China Open to Shenzhen.
“Genzon Golf Club and the Genzon Group are committed to supporting the game of golf and the sports industry in China,” he said. “It’s great to be able to bring the Volvo China Open back to the city of Shenzhen and to the Genzon Golf Club.
“Our members and golf fans in Shenzhen are already looking forward to watching the best international and Chinese players competing here again. Over the next three months or so, we will work closely with the management team of the Volvo China Open to prepare for the 25thanniversary of the event and present the best-ever National Open Golf Championship of China.”
The 25th anniversary will be a major milestone for the Volvo China Open, which has developed into a top professional tournament over the past 24 years. With the support of the China Golf Association, the tournament has welcomed many of the biggest names in golf including Alex Levy and 2018 champion Alexander Bjork of Sweden as well as Chinese home-grown stars and former champions such as Haotong Li and Wu Ashun. Sport Desk
