Shanghai, China: The ninth running of the country’s national Open championship, a major feature on the Asian PGA Tour calendar, is scheduled to return to Shanghai Silport for a fifth consecutive year, September 4 -7.

Mel Pyatt, President & CEO of Volvo Event Management, said the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome was understandably a concern for the Swedish auto giant, a company with numerous ventures in China. However the enormous efforts made by China’s health authorities to eliminate any danger to health has given them more confidence.

“Hopefully, the virus will be brought under control soon and we can hold the event as planned. We remain committed and will take guidance from the World Health Organisation and the Chinese authorities.” he said.
“We have big plans for the Open to move up to a new higher level. This year we will put more emphasis on promotion in and around Shanghai that should result in increased spectator attendance. We also want to build more awareness among the golf media in the US and Europe. This is, after all, the Open golf championship of the most dynamic economy in the world.

“Something which is beyond my control, but which I would hope to see, is Zhang Lian-wei and Liang Wen-chong (the China number one and two respectively) in a good position to win on the final day. That would be a boost for golf in China in general and support the China Golf Association's view of developing golf to the masses,’’ he said.
Pyatt (pictured with Silport owner Beta Soong) called Volvo’s relationship with Silport a strong one as both parties shared the same vision of helping the tournament to steadily grow into a world-class Open championship.

“For the Volvo China Open to return to Silport five years in a row clearly means that there’s something special here. It's not only about the golf course but it's also about the club and how it's run.

“Originally we didn't plan to keep returning but Silport's understanding of how the championship should evolve and the way they produce a course in first-class condition for the players just kept us coming back. We also share the same insistence on consistently high-quality standards.

“The huge level of effort the club puts in each year is a very important ingredient in the overall success of the Open. The real plus factor of Silport for me is the club's total and unswerving conviction that the Volvo China Open will eventually take a place in the top rank of open championships in world golf. It's difficult to express in words just how much that means to us. It's fantastic inspiration to us all.”