The official signing ceremony of the 2015 Volvo China Open took place on Wednesday in Shanghai, underlining the fact that the tournament has now entered its third decade and that Volvo’s commitment to the Chinese market is stronger than ever.
The press conference was held at Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club, which will host the 21st edition of China’s national Open from April 23-26.
Per Ericsson, President of Volvo Event Management, said: “As we announced in 2014, Volvo’s strategy within its golf sponsorship is to focus on China, a really key market, and also on client golf.
“We are today involved at all levels of the sport in China, and the fact that we will be staging both the 21st Volvo China Open and the World Final of the Volvo World Golf Challenge, our global golf series for customers, in Shanghai in April shows our strong commitment to this market.”
Zhang Xiaoning, Director General, Multi-Ball Games Administrative Centre of General Administration of Sport and Vice President & Secretary General of the China Golf Association, said: “The Volvo China Open has always held a very special status, being our own open championship. It also provides many Chinese players with an outstanding opportunity to compete with the best and develop their game. Preparing for the Olympics in 2016, this is of course of utmost importance.”
James Jan, Deputy Chairman of Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club, said: “Our club is now very well established, having been founded in 1997, and we are constantly investing time and effort in order to keep our course at the very top level. That we are now going to host China’s open championship is a great return on all the work we have put into it, so we are very much looking forward to the end of April.”
Wang Jin-pei, Vice President & Secretary General of Shanghai Golf Association, said: “The Tomson Golf Club has a very central location in Shanghai, providing both tourists and locals with a fantastic opportunity to experience a world-class tournament on their doorstep. For Shanghai, it is of course also a wonderful way to showcase all that we have to offer, thanks to the global media coverage.”
The venues for the qualifying tournaments which precede the main event were also announced at the conference. There are three domestic and one international qualifier on the schedule, with the top three players at each event securing their berths in the Volvo China Open.
Guangzhou Nansha Qualifying 9 - 11 February
Shanghai Tianma Qualifying 9 – 11 March
Huiyang Palm Island Qualifying 23 – 25 March
Shandong Nanshan Qualifying 6 – 8 April
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