Big-time players in need of some big-time events

The recent success of Chinese youngsters abroad has highlighted the importance of more elite and competitive tournaments for amateurs at home.

"The United States has systematic and complete training and competition formats. People can get high-level competitive experiences at a very young age," said Chinese Golf Association boss Zhang Xiaoning. "China has to set up more competitions - that is the best way to test and train a golfer."

The Fangshan Changyang China Amateur Golf Championship (CAGC), which was established last year, is one of Zhang's initiatives to provide an elite platform for young players.