（摄影：golftime·青山绿水）

Distinguished guests, sponsors, members of the Media, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning.
On behalf of the Asian Tour, I would like to welcome the return of the Midea China Classic to the Royal Orchid International Golf Club.
Golf in China is on the rise today and the staging of the Midea China Classic which is well into second edition this year, certainly reflects the rising popularity of professional golf in China.
China has always featured strongly on our Asian Tour schedule with a total of five events staged across mainland China.  
We are very delighted and honoured that the Midea China Classic will form a major part of the Asian Tour Schedule for the second successive year.
The success of local champions such as Zhang Lian-wei and Liang Wen-chong over the past decade has left an indelible mark for Chinese golf and it is very encouraging to see younger players in China working hard to achieve the same kind of success like they did.
Many young Chinese players are rising to the challenge and grabbing the opportunity to compete against the stars from the Asian Tour, much like how Zhang and Liang have done to develop their games early in their careers.
All these are also the result of the successful junior golf development programs in China, which has an enrollment of about 500 youngsters today.
On behalf of our players, I would like to extend our heartiest appreciation and thanks to Midea for title sponsoring the event and the China Golf Association for their kind support and cooperation.
Midea has been very instrumental behind the success of several sporting events, especially with its sponsorship of the Chinese swimming and diving teams at the recent summer Olympics.
We are confident that they will also go on to achieve the same amount of success with their sponsorship of this event.
Asia’s best will be back to battle out for the total prize fund of $500,000 in this event where Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant is the defending champion.
I’m sure it will be a spectacular week for golf and also a great sporting spectacle for all fans and television viewers.
Thank you for your time this morning and see you all again next month.