The tournament was first played in 2002, when, as an event sanctioned by the Asian Tour, it was won by ScotsmanColin Montgomerie. The event was not held in 2003 or 2004 but was reintroduced in 2005 with co-sanctioning from the European Tour consistent with the latter's expansion to China, in which more Tour events are played than in any other country save the United Kingdom. In 2007, the tournament offered a purse of $1,000,000, which fund was one of the smallest amongst those of European Tour events. The TCL Classic was dropped from the 2008 schedule.
Theodore Ernest Els is a South African professional golfer. A former World No. 1, he is nicknamed "The Big Easy" due to his physical stature along with his fluid golf swing. Among his more than 70 career victories are four major championships: the U.S. Open in 1994 at Oakmont and in 1997 at Congressional, and The Open Championship in 2002 at Muirfield and in 2012 at Royal Lytham & St Annes. He is one of six golfers to twice win both the U.S. Open and The Open Championship.
Vijay Singh, nicknamed "The Big Fijian", is a Fijian professional golfer. He has won 34 events on the PGA Tour, including three major championships: one Masters title (2000) and two PGA Championships. He is the first person of South Asian descent to win a major championship. He was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2006.
The Asian Tour is the principal men's professional golf tour in Asia except for Japan, which has its own Japan Golf Tour, which is also a full member of the International Federation of PGA Tours. Official money events on the tour count for World Golf Ranking points.
Dame Laura Jane Davies, is an English female professional golfer. She has achieved the status of her nation's most accomplished female golfer of modern times, being the first non-American to finish at the top of the LPGA money list as well as winning the Ladies European Tour (LET) Order of Merit a record seven times: in 1985, 1986, 1992, 1996, 1999, 2004 and 2006.
The WGC Invitational was a professional golf tournament that was held in the United States. Established in 1999 as a successor to the World Series of Golf, it was one of three or four annual World Golf Championships (WGC) until 2021, when the number of WGC events was reduced to two.
The Johnnie Walker Classic was a European Tour golf tournament which was played in the Asia-Pacific region. Johnnie Walker is a brand name and the owners have a long history of tournament sponsorship. They also sponsored the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles which was a European Tour event played in Scotland.
The Hong Kong Open is a golf tournament which is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the European Tour. It was founded in 1959 and in 1962 was one of the five tournaments that made up the inaugural Far East Circuit, later known as the Asia Golf Circuit. It remained part of the circuit until 1996, before joining the Asian Tour, then known as the Omega Tour, in 1997. It became co-sanctioned by the European Tour in 2001, as part of the 2002 season.
The WGC-HSBC Champions was a professional golf tournament, held annually in China. Inaugurated in 2005, the first seven editions were played at the Sheshan Golf Club in Shanghai, then moved to the Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen for a single year in 2012. It returned to Sheshan Golf Club in 2013.
The Volvo China Open was a men's golf tournament that was held annually in China since 1995 until 2021. The event was organised by the China Golf Association and was co-sanctioned by the European Tour from 2004 until 2019. It has also featured as part of the Asian Tour, the OneAsia Tour, the China Tour and the Asia Golf Circuit.
The Singapore Masters was an annual men's professional golf tournament which was played in Singapore from 2001 to 2007. It was co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the European Tour, and was one of many European Tour events established in East Asia since the early 1990s.
Andrew Nicholas Buckle is an Australian professional golfer.
Liang Wenchong is a Chinese professional golfer. He was the highest ranked golfer from the People's Republic of China and the first Chinese golfer to have reached the top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking. He succeeded his mentor Zhang Lianwei as the top Chinese player.
Chapchai Nirat is a Thai professional golfer.
The Ballantine's Championship was a European Tour golf tournament which was played from 2008 to 2014. It was the first European Tour event to be staged in South Korea.
The 2008 European Tour was the 37th golf season since the European Tour officially began in 1972.
The 2005 European Tour was the 34th golf season since the European Tour officially began in 1972.
Sheshan Golf Club is the first premier private golf club in Shanghai, China. Founded in 2004, the 18 hole golf course plays to a par of 72 and is designed by Nelson and Haworth Design, and spans over 7,266 yards. Every year, the club plays host to the WGC-HSBC Champions, and is currently the only club to host the Championship. Sheshan Golf Club was awarded the Best Golf Course in China by Golf Digest in 2013 and currently tops of the list of Top Clubs in China by Golf Magazine.
The 2011 PGA Tour was the 44th season since the Tour became independent from the PGA of America. The season consisted of a total of 49 sanctioned events running from early January to late November. The schedule was announced on December 2, 2010 and had four phases:
Golf in China is a growing industry, with numerous golf courses being established, especially in the province of Hainan. In 2011, there were around 358,000 core players among the Chinese population, with a growth rate of 7.5%, and that figure was projected to grow to about 20 million by 2020. For the general public, golf is considered to be prohibitively expensive. However, it is seen as the top recreational sport for businesspeople and officials.
The Thailand Classic is a professional golf tournament currently played on the European Tour. The tournament was created in 2015, as a co-sanctioned event between the Asian Tour and the European Tour.
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Chapchai Nirat 
