Shanghai: Shanghai Silport’s commitment to excellence received one of its highest honors yet when the club was recently named one of the “China Top Ten Golf Course 2002-2003” at a ceremony held by Golf Magazine and Shanghai Dragon TV. The event was sponsored by the China Golf Association and Sina Golf Channel.

Silport owner Beta Soong who accepted the award at the Beijing ceremony, paid tribute to the club’s membership and staff, saying such an honor would not be possible without their participation, support and contribution.

He said the members and staff had sacrificed a lot to help achieve such an honor – namely in the club’s staging of the Volvo China Open over the past five years. Silport will again host the country’s national championship on November 25-28, the 10th anniversary of the tournament when it will be contested as a European Tour event for the first time.
“This is truly a great honor and we are indebted to our membership,” Soong said. “Without their support, none of this would have happened. We will continue to persevere in our goal of excellence to achieve the quality that our members know and expect in a great golf course. We ask them to take pride in such an honor as it is as much for the members as it is for our club.”

The ceremony, held at the Dongshan Villas, paid tribute to the growth of China golf in this the 20th anniversary of the return of the sport to the mainland. It was the first time the CGA, the country’s national golf body, had been involved in such an event.

The event was the culmination of 18 months work as golf fans voted for their 10 favorite China courses among 50 entries on sina.com. A group of 18 golf experts from the industry and the media then tabulated the results to find the winners.

Among the guests in Beijing were Hu Qi Li, National Committee vice chairman of the CPC, Rong Gao Tang, former director of the China Sport’s Commission and Chui Zhi Qiang, CGA secretary.