Chinese golfer Ma Chengyao competes at the BFA International Convention Center Golf Club in South China’s Hainan Province on December 8, 2022. Photo: Courtesy of the CGA

The 2022 Hainan Golf Open – China men’s professional tour teed off at the BFA International Convention Center Golf Club in South China’s Hainan Province on Thursday. Chinese golfers Ma Chengyao and Cao Senshou jointly led the first round, with Chen Zihao currently in third place.

Co-sponsored by the China Golf Association (CGA) and Hainan Provincial Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports, the event is composed of the “cloud challenge,” the amateur championship, and the professional competition, which will be held from Thursday to Sunday, with a total of 80 players competing for a prize of 500,000 yuan ($72,000).

“What a perfect day. I played well; the weather was good; and I was lucky,” Ma said after completing the first round. 

Ma shrugged off his initial success, and vowed to stay focused on the next three days of competition.  “This is only the first day of the tour, and today’s performance will not affect my following play in the next few days.”

The Hainan Golf Open is an international brand sports event established by the Hainan government, and the first event was held in 2009. Over the past years, the Hainan Golf Open has gradually grown from a single event to an international one with a complete event system and varied peripheral games.