"Why would someone even consider trying to open a golf club nearly one-and-a-half times the size of Manhattan?"

I'm not sure where to start with Dan Washburn's fascinating account of the secret Mission Hills development under construction on Hainan. Here's primarily what you need to know:

In reality, this will be the world’s only self-contained golf city. Its 22 courses will cover every style imaginable – from links to desert to Augusta-like perfection – and include some decidedly non-traditional designs. Picture yourself playing into a waterfall, through a cave, around a volcano, or over a replica of the Great Wall. There will be multiple town centres with luxury homes and apartments, hotels and spas, shopping malls and streets lined with restaurants and bars. The Chus are turning countryside into suburbia, no doubt raising surrounding property values and creating thousands of jobs along the way.

And why 22 courses at one development on an island where there are said to be 3000 golfers?

But such quibbles may be missing the larger truth about golf course development in Hainan, and throughout much of China: the number of golf courses built has very little to do with the number of golfers available to play on them. With few exceptions, golf courses exist to help sell luxury villas. Developers do not worry if a course sits empty, as long as the properties around it sell. And so far in Hainan, selling homes has not been a problem. Wealthy bosses from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and central China’s coal belt fly in and buy up the villas, sometimes several at a time, often paying in cash. In China, to own a home on a golf course does not necessarily mean you play the game. It’s more about prestige. Golf, like luxury sedans and handbags, is just another way to project your wealth.

The concept sounds familiar. Anyone know how it's working out?

China Planning "Major Crackdown" On Illegal Course Construction

Trent Baker reports for the Scotsman:

Construction of new courses has been so rapid, widespread and unregulated that Beijing officials can only estimate how many have been built. One guess, appearing in the China Daily newspaper yesterday, put the number at 2,700 by 2015 – up from none before 1984 and more than 500 today.

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"Until Sunday, the only World Cup that Italy was accustomed to winning was on the soccer pitch."

A shame the World Cup didnt' get much attention but Sean Martin does offer this post on the Molinari brothers and their impressive win.

And my head is still spinning from Nick Watney and John Merrick's final-round,10-under-par ALTERNATE SHOT 62 to finish at -20-under and tie for seventh. Needless to say that was a tournament record for the grueling final round format.

"The guy in the grandstand basically did a photo sequence. I flinched on it and hit it straight to the right"

I feel like we've done this before...excessive and ill-timed photo taking of Tiger in China. No?

"There's certainly a lot of people out there," said Woods, after shooting a five-under-par 67 to stand three shots behind the early leader, American Nick Watney. "There was a lot of people ... moving and things. We had to stay focused. I think it's a disadvantage because there are so many people with cameras here. The other groups probably don't have to deal with it as much as we do."

"11. Four Chinese players"

They finally got around to satisfying IMG's deal points to announcing the WGC-HSBC event in China and the field qualifications offer what I think may be a couple of buried ledes:

3. Winners from 23 PGA TOUR cosponsored events in 2009, which shall be identified as those 23 PGA TOUR events from 2008 with the highest Official World Golf Ranking Strength of Field Rating, having a rating of 40 points or more.

Bear with me. First this:

11. Four Chinese players

And? Nothing else? Just "Four Chinese Players" as a category?

So stringent!

Alright here's what I found interesting:

13. If necessary to fill the field to 78 players, additional Tournament Winners from the 2008 HSBC Champions through the event preceding the 2009 WGC-HSBC Champions, which shall be identified as those winners of events from the 2007 HSBC Champions to the 2008 HSBC Champions with the highest Official World Golf Ranking Strength of Field Rating, having a rating of 40 points or more, not listed in an above category:

2008/2009 Events    Winner
Bob Hope Chrysler Classic     Perez, Pat
Buick Open
Justin Timberlake Classic
John Deere Classic
Wyndham Championship
RBC Canadian Open
Fry's.com Open
Valero Texas Open
Turning Stone Resort Champ.
Casio World Open           Oda, Koumei
Viking Classic
BMW Italian Open
Madrid Masters
Estoril Open de Portugal           Hoey, Michael
Mitsubishi Diamond
US Bank Championship
Munsingwwear Open
Japan Tour Championship

World Ranking gurus out there, I'm wondering if this is the first time that the line has been so publicly drawn with event winners needing to come from events "having a rating of 40 points or more?"

If so, seems it could set an interesting precedent for other world events or majors?

China Unveils Its Evidence

That whole China invented golf story? Well the plot thickens, at least according to Reuters:

An exhibition of three replica paintings depicting nobility playing a golf-like game unveiled at Beijing's Great Hall of the People this week backs the claim that modern golf is derived from an ancient sport called Chuiwan.

The paintings are said to have been stored at Beijing's Imperial Palace Museum and date back to the Yuan (1271-1368) and Ming (1368-1644) dynasties.

"China's ancient Chuiwan, whether in the equipment, the course and the rules -- even in the etiquette -- is very similar to modern golf," Li Yong, deputy secretary of China Golf Association (CGA), told reporters.

"Not only was it played much earlier than (Scotland's) 15th century golf, it's also earlier than other countries' similar ancient golf games. Thus, we can absolutely say that China's ancient Chuiwan is the mother of modern golf."

The replica paintings depict scenes of imperial nobility standing near small, round balls and holding sticks reminiscent of golf clubs.

The other item of evidence offered was a copy of Wan Jing -- a book published in 1282 and reading like a beginner's textbook on golf, according to experts.

China Golf Boom?

John Huggan says "the business of golf that is booming in China rather than the game itself."

But what's really going on behind the Great Wall? Does the much-vaunted golf boom in China really exist? Or is the egalitarian game so beloved of we Scots doomed to be a mere plaything for a rich elite made up mostly of foreign-born temporary residents and tourists?

In the short to mid term at least, it would appear that the depressing answer is the latter. During a two-week, first-time visit to China, this correspondent saw little evidence that the average citizen has any idea that golf even exists, never mind feels any pressing inclination to give the game a try.