Spotlight shines on Chengdu, Chongqing

The 2018 PGA Tour Series-China will tee off its regular season with back-to-back events in the western China cities of Chengdu and Chongqing next month.

Luxehills International Country Club will host the Chengdu Championship from March 15-18 before Poly Golf Club stages the Chongqing Championship from March 22-25 as the PGA Tour Series-China resumes after a one-year hiatus.

Further tournaments in the series will be announced next month.

This year's slate features 14 tournaments, with each offering 1.5 million yuan - a 25 percent increase over purse levels from 2014-16.

The top five on the Order of Merit will earn status on the 2019 Web.com Tour, the path to the PGA Tour.

Li Haotong, the first Chinese to break in to the world's top 50, and current PGA Tour players Dou Zecheng and Zhang Xinjun are among the Web.com Tour graduates.

"We're excited to start our season with the Chengdu Championship at Luxehills International Country Club," said Greg Carlson, executive director, PGA Tour Series-China.

"We've previously played in Chengdu, but this will be our first visit to Luxehills. The players are going to love this course and the challenges and intricacies it offers. The fact we're a short train ride to the Chongqing Championship is also very appealing.

"Chongqing is a terrific city, and Poly Golf Club is a facility we know well. Our players who have played there previously will enjoy going back, and those heading to Poly Golf Club for the first time will like what they see.

"We're excited to start the 2018 season in Western China in two of the country's biggest cities. It's a strong way to start the season, and it will be fun watching the players compete all year in their quest to make it to the Web.com Tour."

Luxehills has hosted many prestigious events, including OneAsia's 2010 Luxehills Chengdu Open and the European Tour's 2011 Volvo China Open. Chendgu is the capital of Sichuan province, home to the majority of China's panda population, and is hosting a PGA Tour Series-China event for the second time.

"Luxehills has hosted many international pro golf tournaments and we are happy to work with PGA Tour China for the first time," said CB Fong, general manager of Luxehills International Country Club.

"As the Chengdu Championship is going to launch the 2018 PGA Tour Series-China season, we look forward to presenting our course in the best possible condition for players from around the world. We will continue to promote the sport of golf in Sichuan province, and will help the players experience the many highlights of Chengdu, one of China's iconic tourist destinations."

Luo Fei, vice-general manager of Poly (Chongqing) Cultural and Tourism Industry Development Management, said: "It's our honor to host a PGA Tour Series-China event in March and we will try our best to work closely with Tour officials to prepare well for this event. We are the only 36-hole golf club in Chongqing and can assure the professional golfers a top quality course. As this is our first time hosting a PGA Tour Series-China event, we are looking forward to this cooperation."