Upgraded junior tour tees up next-gen for success

Offering budding young putters an invaluable test to jump-start their careers, the HSBC National Junior Golf Championship swung by for its Beijing stop last week.

So young, yet so serious. Watching the action, it was sometimes easy to forget that the fresh-faced golfers who teed up at north Beijing's Topwin Golf and Country Club were all either elementary or secondary school students. However, they displayed focus, competitive drive and composure beyond their years to showcase their massive potential and suggest Chinese golf has a very bright future indeed.

The Beijing tournament, the fourth of six legs on the circuit, adopted an exciting match-play format — head-to-head contests scored hole by hole, with the winner declared when he or she leads the opponent by more holes than remain to be played.

A total of 113 juniors, aged from 6 to 18, signed up for the tournament. A stroke-play round determined each player's ranking before they were paired off for the match-play knockout stage.

As they stepped away from the sanctuary of their parents' supervision to tee up at the first hole, the players' kiddish demeanor disappeared as they switched to battle mode.

Three of the six match-ups went to the 18th hole to decide the winner in Friday's final round, with the girls' Group A (aged 13-18) contest requiring an extra hole to be settled, underlining the fierce competition among the juniors.

Han Jin, a seventh-grader from Beijing, stood out as a talent to watch, claiming a convincing 4-up victory over Wu Qiyou in the boys' Group A on Friday.

It was Han's third consecutive match-play win within the HSBC junior system, following victories in Group C in 2019 and Group B last year.

"Match play always brings out my best. Maybe it's my poise combined with my aggressiveness that helps me approach each hole with a sharp mindset," Han said with an eloquence befitting his pinpoint play on the fairways and greens.

"I really love the format because it's one hole at a time, and no matter how badly you played the last one, you can always catch up and turn things around on the next hole," he added.

"It's an exciting format that tests your nerve and consistency to the maximum."

Junior golf is picking up momentum in China, with more accessible courses being built and more grassroots events being staged. And for those that can afford it, the sport is also an attractive education tool and a potential career pathway.

The "HSBC Junior — Road to Junior Champions Promotion System", a partnership between the banking giant and the China Golf Association, is facilitating the youth surge with an upgraded project this year featuring a multifaceted junior competition structure, a series of training camps and a junior ranking system that covers three age groups.

The professional organization of the championship — from the selection of host clubs to details like tee settings and golf etiquette — give the youngsters a taste of what life is like in the pro ranks.

"This event was very well-organized and gave us the sense of playing seriously like a pro," said Cui Jingguo, the boys' Group B (aged 10-12) winner.

"More importantly, it gathers all the country's best juniors to compete together. This is really helpful for us to assess our own level against our peers," added Cui Jinghan, the twin sister of Cui Jingguo.

After swinging a club at a golf course the first time at the age of 5, Cui Jingguo instantly fell in love with the sport, and soon his sister followed suit.

The twins signed up for the HSBC junior program in 2019 and have since steadily climbed their respective Group B ranks.

"It's kind of an advantage for us as sister and brother to play the same sport, because we can practice together and play against each other frequently," said Cui Jinghan, who finished second behind Huang Jingying in the girls' Group B final by a one-hole margin.

"We enjoy our time together on the golf course, cheering each other up or even quarreling over a shot," said the sixth-grader who dropped her dancing classes at age 7 to switch to golf.

The junior championship next heads to Huzhou, Zhejiang province (July 19-21), with a final stop scheduled for Aug 8-10 in Guangzhou, Guangdong province.

The series' finale is set for Sept 6-8 in Nanjing, Jiangsu province before the season-ending HSBC China Junior Golf Open takes place in Shanghai from Nov 14-17.

A feeder circuit, the six-stop "Road to Junior Champions Challenge", is also in full swing, offering youngsters a pathway to the higher championship series.

"The promotion system helps significantly expand the pathway of junior golf talents, provides more opportunities for young players to hone their skills in competitions at all levels, and contributes to the country's goal of building an international sporting powerhouse," said a CGA statement.