MISSION HILLS, CHINA TO HOST WORLD LADIES PRO CHAMPIONSHIP

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR

By BETHAN CUTLER

Ladies European Tour Media Manager

Haikou, Hainan, China – Mission Hills China announced today it will host a new ladies’ professional golf tournament: the World Ladies Championships (WLC).

It will be played on Mission Hills Hainan’s Vintage Course, from March 2-4, 2012 and hosted by the China Golf Association (CGA) and Department of Culture of Radio, Television, Publication and Sports of Hainan Province.

With the inaugural World Ladies Championship, Mission Hills Group will have staged a ‘grand slam’ of major events in all competition formats.The World Ladies Championship, co-sanctioned by Ladies European Tour and China LPGA Tour, will adopt a unique three-in-one format, featuring 54-hole individual play, professional team play and individual amateur play. In accordance with the Women’s World Golf Rankings, two players from each of 18 countries or regions will be invited to participate in the team portion.

Results will be calculated by aggregating the total points scored by each golfer. In competing against the best players in the world, the host nation China will field two teams.

 Invitations for the individual category of the 108-player field are dictated by the Women’s World Golf rankings and 2011 European Tour Order of Merit. Participants will include top-ranked players from the Ladies European Tour (LET), China LPGA Tour, Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), Korean Professional Ladies Golf Association (KLPGA), Ladies Professional Golfers' Association of Japan (JLPGA) and Australian Ladies Professional Golf (ALPG). Amateur players will be drawn from winners of select R and A-sanctioned golf competitions in major countries. The WLC will award points to LET and China LPGA Tour members.

Mr Tenniel Chu, Vice Chairman of Mission Hills Golf Club said, “The stage has long been set for a brand new world women’s golf championship in the professional game and we are very glad to see it finally happen. We are very thankful to the CGA, LET, China LPGA Tour and all the other parties for their collaborative input and contributions to this new event. The World Ladies Championship is the only three-in-one game in world golf today.

“Mission Hills has always been devoted to popularising and promoting the sport through competitions. Golf is once again approved as an Olympic event and we proactively cooperate with different industry bodies to support the development of professional women’s golf and achieve breakthroughs in the women’s game,” added Chu.

Commenting on the new competition, Mr. Zhang Xiaoning, Vice Chairman & Secretary General of China Golf Association said, “For a long period of time, Mission Hills has made significant contributions to organizing world-class tournaments and creating international, competitive platforms for Chinese golfers. We are delighted to see the first World Ladies Championship and Mission Hills host another international event for our players. This time the stage will be larger, involving more local challengers. I believe it will definitely bring in a new era for the women’s golf industry in our motherland.

As Zhang pointed out, “the developmental strategy of the CGA is to set our sights on the Olympics, to further develop the professional game in China and to attain break-through in women’s golf development.”