DP World Tour announces Strategic Partnership until 2025
The DP World Tour and China Golf Association (CGA) today announced a Strategic Partnership that expands the pathway for China Tour players.
The DP World Tour has today confirmed a new Strategic Partnership with the China Golf Association (CGA) to help expand the pathway for China Tour players on the former European Tour circuit.
Both the DP World Tour and CGA have confirmed the co-sanctioning of tournaments until at least 2025.
The news falls on the eve of the first DP World Tour event of 2024 at this week's Dubai Invitational where Rory McIlroy lines up as a warm tournament favourite at Dubai Creek.
Related: Golf fans divided over what awaits McIlroy at Dubai Invitational
The formalisation of the long-term association between the DP World Tour and CGA will provide the leading player (not otherwise exempt) on the CGA-sanctioned China Tour with an exemption in category 17 on the DP World Tour for the following season.
In addition, the next player from the China Tour’s Order of Merit will earn an exemption in category 12 on the Challenge Tour for the following season, while the leading entrant to the DP World Tour’s Qualifying School will be exempt into Final Stage, with further exemptions for the second to fourth placed entrants into Second Stage.
While some golf fans have welcomed the new stratetgic partnership between the DP World Tour and CGA, other fans are not quite so sure about it.
Golf Lover UK tweeted:
As part of the DP World Tour’s commitment to supporting professional golf in China, the co-sanctioned Volvo China Open will return to the Race to Dubai in 2024 after an absence of four seasons, with this year’s tournament taking place at Hidden Grace Golf Club in Shenzen from May 2-5.
Two Challenge Tour events will also take place in each of the 2024 and 2025 seasons, with the Hainan Open (October 10-13) and Hangzhou Open (October 17-20) already announced as part of the Challenge Tour’s 2024 Road to Mallorca last month.
Ben Cowen, the DP World Tour’s Chief Tournament Business Officer, said:
Tian Xiaojun, Deputy Vice Chairman of the China Golf Association, said:
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