Imperious Ye Enjoys Runaway Success at Faldo Series China Championship

Ye Wo Cheng’s burgeoning reputation was further enhanced with a runaway victory in the Faldo Series China Championship.

Tipped by many respected observers as China’s brightest golfing prospect and a fu-ture star of the professional game, the talented teenager posted rounds of 68, 70 and 67 over the Annika (Sorenstam) Course at Mission Hills’ Dongguan site.

His 11-under-par aggregate of 205 was seven strokes clear of second-placed Jin Man in the fourth leg of the record-breaking 2014-15 Faldo Series Asia season.

“Clearly, Ye is a young man of exceptional potential,” said six-time Major champion-ship winner Sir Nick Faldo, Britain’s most successful golfer, referring to the 14-year-old who created history last year when he qualified for the Volvo China Open, be-coming the youngest player in a European Tour event.

“In recent years, we’ve seen several outstanding mainland Chinese golfers partici-pate in the Faldo Series Asia. When you consider that golf is still in its infancy in China, it’s obvious that it’s just a matter of time before players from the country are dominant forces on the world’s premier professional Tours.

“I very much look forward to spending time with Ye and other promising players from all over the region during the Asia Grand Final at Mission Hills next March.”

There were a total of four age group divisions at the Faldo Series China Champion-ship, two for boys and two for girls.

As well as topping the overall standings, Ye triumphed in the Boys’ 12-16 segment, while American Thomas Tan (Boys’ 17-21), Chinese Taipei’s Chang Yu-hsin (Girls’ 17-21) and China’s Jin Man (Girls’ 12-16) were the other category winners.

The overall winner in both boys and girls categories along with the top three players in each division receive invitations to play in Faldo Series Asia Grand Final 2015.

While Ye was sweeping to victory, defending Faldo Series China Championship win-ner Shih Chun-yu endured a tough week.

The Chinese Taipei teenager was unable to recover from an opening 84, eventually having to settle for fourth place in the boys’ 17-21 age group.

Extended from 36 holes to 54 holes this year, the event attracted a field of 105 play-ers, representing no fewer than 10 nationalities.

As well as 69 players from mainland China, there are representatives from Belgium, Canada, Chinese Taipei, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, the United King-dom and the United States.

Results from the Faldo Series China Championship will be entered into the World Amateur Golf Ranking system and the China Golf Association Junior Ranking sys-tem.

Supported by The R&A, ISPS and Mission Hills and endorsed by the Asian Tour and the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation, the 2014-15 Faldo Series Asia campaign will stretch over 11 months and be made up of a minimum of 20 championships.

Recognised as the only global amateur series for boys and girls, the Faldo Series was established in 1996, expanding to Asia in 2006.

Today, 40 Faldo Series tournaments take place in 30-plus countries worldwide, touching more than 7,000 golfers each year. Past winners include Major champions Rory McIlroy and Tseng Ya-ni.

Faldo Series China Championship, leading final scores: Boys’ Under-21: 232 – Thomas Tan (80-77-75). 232 – Feng Minhao (77-80-75). 234 – Tan Peiyi (76-79-79). Boys’ Under-16: 205 – Ye Wo Cheng (68-70-67). 213 – Liu Ziwei (76-67-70). 215 – Bryan Teoh Wiyang (70-72-73). Girls’ Under-21: 221 – Chang Yu-hsin (73-73-75). 228 – Wang Xiyue (76-76-76). 250 – Cheria Heng Cheuk-sze (79-82-89). Girls’ Un-der-16: 212 – Jin Man (70-71-71). 213 – Sui Xiang (72-68-73). 214 – Lin Jiaxin (69-70-75).