Windy Shao

    windysjf@hotmail.com

    WEN HAORAN, a 12-year-old young golfer, won the 12th Mission Hills Golfathon Grand Final on Friday and his prize was two tickets to the 2016 Olympic golf final in Rio de Janeiro.

    Golf will make an historic return to the Olympic Games in Brazil after an absence of more than a century.

    The golfathon was dubbed as one of the most grueling tests of golf as a record 6,000 players took part in qualifiers that lasted six months.

    A total of 106 players made it to the final on the David Leadbetter-designed course at Mission Hills’ Dongguan venue Friday.

    They included representatives from eight countries and regions — Chinese mainland, Finland, France, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan.

    Wen topped the leaderboard with an 18-hole stroke play score of 77.

    “It’s a wonderful thrill to win the Mission Hills Golfathon Grand Final – and what an amazing prize. To be at the Olympics is an experience that I’m sure I will never forget,” Wen said.

    Launched in 2004 by Mission Hills, the golfathon has become an annual tradition that offers entrants the opportunity to play 10 of the club’s award-winning golf courses in Shenzhen, Dongguan or Haikou.

    Over the past 10 years, the Mission Hills Golfathon has attracted nearly 50,000 participants from more than 30 countries — males and females ranging in age from five to 80. All those who complete the 180-hole challenge are awarded a participation certificate.