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Noel Prentice

The Communist Party is relaxing its crackdown on golf – cast out in 2015 after being considered a tool to tempt officials into corruption – and will encourage kids to take up the game, says the US PGA Tour’s leading official in China.
Greg Carlson says the vibe is now positive and Feng Shanshan’s performance at the Rio Olympics, where she won a bronze medal, has helped put the sport back in a positive light.
“There is a report – that hasn’t been made public yet – that speaks to golf in China and there are positive things,” said Carlson, the executive director of the PGA Tour China Series.
“I do think it’s relaxing ... this year I get a different vibe.

“From the government perspective, golf being in the Olympics and China winning a bronze was very important.
“Yes, they have closed some courses and there has been a lot of confusion but I feel they are loosening up in the crackdown.”
50 more golf courses to feel the backlash of Xi Jinping’s crackdown
President Xi Jinping turned the game upside down in 2015 when he ordered nearly 90 million party members not to swing a club for fear of succumbing to temptation, like “fine liquor, tobacco, fancy cars and mansions”.
More than 60 of the 600-odd courses were closed in the purge, but Carlson believes the worst is behind them, that golf is now a recognised sport and there are initiatives to encourage kids to pick up the game at the grassroots.

“What China is grappling with right now is how they can open it up to the masses and make the game affordable and playable,” says Beijing-based Carlson.
Working with the China Golf Association (CGA) and taking the cue from that government body, the PGA Tour has ridden out the storm and has even expanded into Hong Kong with the Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club to stage a series leg in November, bringing the number of tournaments to 13.
The Communist Party has banned it, but key figures still believe ‘golf will grow in China’ – here’s why
“We have a very good relationship with the CGA and the partnership has strengthened over the years.
That is going to continue for years and years,” Carlson said.
“Sometimes they will tell us to hold it down a bit in the announcements we make like schedules because of certain things happening within the government.”

The PGA Tour gained a foothold in China in 2014, providing opportunities for elite mainland players and from other countries.
Highly touted 19-year-old Dou Zecheng is the order of merit leader, having won four of the nine events, and already qualifies to play in the US next year on the Web.com Tour, the feeder tour to the prestigious PGA Tour.


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Clearwater Bay Open

Mood swing: US PGA Tour boss takes encouragement from new golf ‘vibe’ in China after crackdown

China's Feng Shanshan poses with her bronze medal at the Olympic Games. Photo: AFP

Greg Carlson, the executive director of the PGA Tour China Series. Photo: SCMP

Dou Zecheng

(From L to R) New Zealand's Lydia Ko with silver, South Korea's Park Inbee with her gold medal, China's Feng Shanshan with Bronze pose on the podium of the Women's individual stroke play at the Olympic Golf course during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on August 20, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Jim WATSON

Hacked off: Jason Hak dodges questions after final round failure ruins chance of victory on PGA Tour China Series

Jason Hak during the fourth round of the Pingan Bank Open. Photos: PGA Tour China Series

Jason Hak

Charlie Saxon

Off the pace: Hong Kong’s Jason Hak suffers last day fade-out in PGA Tour China Series event

Dou Zecheng in action in the Yulongwan Yunnan Open. Photo: PGA Tour China

Hong Kong’s Jason Hak Shun-yat in action during the second round of the Yulongwan Yunnan Open in Kunming.

Revitalised Hong Kong golfer Jason Hak to compete in front of home fans at Clearwater Bay Open

Hong Kong pro Jason Hak Shun-yat speaks to the media.

Hong Kong pro Jason Hak Shun-yat (pictured right) and American pro Charlie Saxon shake hands at the Clearwater Bay Open Media Day, previewing Hong Kong’s first PGA TOUR China Series event. [IMGL8782] Hong Kong pro Jason Hak Shun-yat (pictured right) and American pro Charlie Saxon at the Clearwater Bay Open Media Day, previewing Hong Kong’s first PGA TOUR China Series event. [IMGL8971] Hong Kong pro Jason Hak Shun-yat speaks to the media at the Clearwater Bay Open Media Day. [IMGL8814] American pro Charlie Saxon talks about last week’s Ping An Bank Open in Beijing, where he secured his first PGA TOUR China Series title. [IMGL8742] David Hui, Golf Committee Chairman, The Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club, speaks at the Clearwater Bay Open Media Day. [IMGL8670] Greg Carlson, Executive Director, PGA TOUR China, speaks at the Clearwater Bay Open Media Day.

Show me the money: Hong Kong’s Jason Hak claims biggest cheque of professional career at PGA China Tour Series event

Jason Hak Shun-yat at the prize presentation for the Chongqing Jiangnan NewTown KingRun Open. Photos: PGA China Tour Series

The wait goes on: Jason Hak again falls short of breakthrough win after finishing fourth at PGA Tour  China Series event in Beijing

Jason Hak during the third round of the Pingan Bank Open. Photos: PGA Tour China Series

Sport

China

Golf

PGA Tour China Series executive director Greg Carlson hails Feng Shanshan’s bronze medal-winning performance at the Olympic Games as a key factor following numerous Communist Party forced course closures in 2015


Jason Hak Shun-yat