TCL Classic explained

TCL Classic
Location:Hainan Island, China
Establishment:2002
Final Year:2007
Course:Yalong Bay Golf Club
Par:72
Yardage:7172yd
Tour:European Tour
Asian Tour
Format:Stroke play
Month Played:March
Aggregate:263 Johan Edfors (2006)
To-Par:−25 as above
Final Champion: Chapchai Nirat
Map:China
Map Label:Yalong Bay GC
Map Relief:yes
Map Label Position:top
Map Size:200
Coordinates:18.232°N 109.628°W

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.

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

YearTour(s)WinnerScoreTo parMargin of
victory
Runner-up
2007 Chapchai Nirat266−223 strokes Rafael Echenique
2006 Johan Edfors263−251 stroke Andrew Buckle
2005 Paul Casey266−22Playoff Paul McGinley
2003–04: No tournament
2002 Colin Montgomerie272−162 strokes Thongchai Jaidee

External links