Windy Shao

windysjf@hotmail.com

THE three-day 2023 Faldo Series Shenzhen Championship concluded at Mission Hills Dongguan on Oct. 3. After three rounds of competition, Chinese player Zhang Mijia won the overall championship with a total score of 219 strokes.

As one of the Mission Hills Youth Series tournaments, the Faldo Series has attracted nearly 100 players from China and Japan.

The opening day of the championship coincided with the final day of the golf event at the Hangzhou Asian Games. Han Zhishan, general manager of Mission Hills Golf Club, said that the many Mission Hills’ “old friends,” such as Yin Ruoning and Chen Guxin, were playing at the Asian Games.

Yin, who is now ranked among the top players in the world, participated in the 2016 Mission Hills Jack Nicklaus Junior Championship and the 2019 Annika Youth Invitational, wining championship and third place respectively.

Chen has participated in Misson Hills events multiple times. In the 2018 Faldo Asia Series, Chen won the runner-up prize in the boys’ 14-16 age group.

Tenniel Chu, Mission Hills’ vice chairman, said, “Yin Ruoning, who finished third in the Annika tournament four years ago, has become one of the world’s top female players. Chen Guxin, the youth series prize winner five years ago, is now wearing the national team jersey to represent the country. This shows that as long as everyone works hard and strives for success, there is unlimited potential.”

Six-time Major championship winner Sir Nick Faldo, Britain’s most successful golfer, founded the Faldo Asia Series in 2006. To date, more than 40 Faldo Series events have been held in over 30 countries.