The TCL Classic was a men's professional golf tournament which was played on a course designed by American Robert Trent Jones, Jr. at Yalong Bay Golf Club in Sanya on Hainan Island, People's Republic of China four times between 2002 and 2007. The first tournament was held at Haiyi Golf Club in Dongguan on Guangdong, China, in 2002. It was the first tournament sponsored by the Chinese company TCL Corporation.

TCL Classic
Tournament information
LocationHainan Island, China
Established2002
Course(s)Yalong Bay Golf Club
Par72
Length7,172 yards (6,558 m)
Tour(s)European Tour
Asian Tour
FormatStroke play
Prize fundUS$1,000,000
Month playedMarch
Final year2007
Tournament record score
Aggregate263 Johan Edfors (2006)
To par−25 as above
Final champion
Thailand Chapchai Nirat
Location Map
Yalong Bay GC is located in China
Yalong Bay GC
Yalong Bay GC
Location in China

The tournament was first played in 2002, when, as an event sanctioned by the Asian Tour, it was won by Scotsman Colin 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.

Winners edit

Year Tour(s)[a] Winner Score To par Margin of
victory
Runner-up
2007 ASA, EUR   Chapchai Nirat 266 −22 3 strokes   Rafael Echenique
2006 ASA, EUR   Johan Edfors 263 −25 1 stroke   Andrew Buckle
2005 ASA, EUR   Paul Casey 266 −22 Playoff   Paul McGinley
2003–04: No tournament
2002 ASA   Colin Montgomerie 272 −16 2 strokes   Thongchai Jaidee

Notes edit

  1. ^ ASA − Asian Tour; EUR − European Tour.

External links edit