The Fifth Greater Bay Area (GBA) Golf Team League officially kicked off Wednesday at Mission Hills Dongguan, drawing 36 amateur teams to compete across multiple courses. Nearly 300 guests attended the opening ceremony, including Han Zhishan, General Manager of Mission Hills Golf Club, representatives from golf associations throughout Guangdong Province, and team players. Participants pose for a photo during the opening ceremony. Courtesy of Mission Hills Group The ceremony featured a vibrant parade as all 36 teams marched in proudly carrying their flags. Established teams such as the Mission Hills Membership Elite Team, Shenzhen Original Residents Elite Team, and the Greater Bay Area Designers Alliance Shenzhen Youth Design Team made strong showings, while newcomers like the Red Grass Team and Huiyanhui Women’s Golf Team brought fresh talent to the field. Despite their varied backgrounds and styles, all players shared a palpable excitement and eagerness for this year’s league. “This year’s finals will be held at the Norman Course, widely regarded as one of the toughest golf courses in Asia,” said Han Zhishan. “With 17 new teams joining us this season, the competition is more unpredictable than ever — it truly could be anyone’s game.” Players march into the venue of the opening ceremony. The league structure includes 30 teams divided into four groups for the preliminary round, while last year’s top six teams automatically advance to the playoffs as seeded contenders. The competition will run over a three-month period. During the preliminary phase at Mission Hills Dongguan’s Leadbetter Course, teams will compete in an 18-hole team stroke play format, with scoring based on the combined results of their top 10 players. Successful teams will move on to the playoffs in August where a 36-hole team match play format will be held at the Rose-Poulter Course. The championship finals are scheduled for August at the challenging Norman Course, where the top eight teams will battle for the title. he overall champion will be awarded 12 guest tickets to the 2026 Mission Hills Marathon along with a coveted Phase II Blackstone Card from Mission Hills Haikou as part of an impressive grand prize package. Han highlighted the broader significance of the league, noting, “The GBA carries the historic mission of developing a world-class city cluster. Our league aims to establish itself as a leading brand showcasing the highest level of amateur golf in China. We also encourage participating teams to foster ‘soft connectivity’ that enhances sports and cultural exchanges across the region.” He added, “This year marks the 15th National Games, which the GBA cities will host jointly for the first time. As a long-standing cultural and sports enterprise in the region, Mission Hills is proud to host events like the Mission Hills Golfathon, the GBA golf league, and the PIF Series Shenzhen Championship. Through these activities, we celebrate the National Games and demonstrate the vibrancy and unique appeal of our region through sports.”

Marco Penge secured his maiden DP World Tour title after signing for a closing 67 to win the 2025 Hainan Classic by three shots. The Englishman started the day in a share of the lead with home favourite Bowen Xiao but found himself one shot behind a charging Sean Crocker as he began the back nine on Sunday. Penge then produced a timely hat-trick of birdies at the 12th, 13th and 14th to race clear of the chasing pack and wrap up victory on his 47th Tour start. The 2023 HotelPlanner Tour Number One finished the tournament on 17 under par after making a total of seven birdies and two bogeys in the final round. American Crocker finished in a tie for second alongside Norway's Kristoffer Reitan on 14 under, with Dane Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen another shot further back. Penge, who secured his playing rights for this season with a nerveless display at the Genesis Championship in October last year, said: "This obviously means the world to me. "It's something that I've always dreamt of achieving - winning on the biggest stage. "After my time off (an enforced break during the winter) it was the thing that I wanted to really prove to myself and prove to everyone, to show what a player I am. "My caddie, through that time, has been my rock. And my wife and my whole team - I wouldn't be where I am without them. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." An emotional Penge added: "We spend a lot of time away from home. All of us lads are doing this for our wives, our families, our kids - to be able to say that I've won on the DP World Tour when my son's a little older and kind of be a hero to him... "I walked to the tee, I watched some videos of him laughing and smiling and it gave me a bit of that inner strength today." Penge also booked his ticket to the US PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club after coming third on the Asian Swing standings. Keita Nakajima topped the Rankings after finishing in a tie for 11th at Mission Hills Resort Haikou, while Eugenio Chacarra was second and Penge third, with all three players now heading to the second Major Championship of the year next month.

A final round birdie blitz proved the difference for Wang Zixuan on Saturday as the rookie pro out-dueled overnight leader Lin Xin’en down the stretch to win the rain-delayed Golfjoy Women’s Open by a stroke in Guangdong province. After starting the day four shots off the lead, the 17-year-old Wang closed with a six-under 66, the best round of the tournament, for a 54-hole score of seven-under 209 to claim her maiden pro win. The victory was worth RMB75,000. Lin, who led the CLPG Tour tournament through the first two rounds, had to wait nearly an hour to make her birdie putt on the 18th green after play was stopped for a thunderstorm at the Leadbetter Course at Mission Hills Golf Club. When play resumed, she missed the 15-footer that would have forced a playoff, carding a one-under 71 to finish runner-up. Li Menghan closed with a two-under 70 to finish as the top amateur at four strokes back in equal third place with Cai Danlin (73). Pan Yanhong (70), Fang Shuanshuan (72) and He Jiaying (73) were equal fifth at six strokes off the pace. Wang, who turned pro last year, stumbled out the gate with a bogey five at the first hole. At the fifth hole, she made her first birdie and then picked up further strokes at the eighth and ninth holes to make the turn at two-under. Following birdies at holes 11 and 12, the teenager drew even with Lin at the 14th when she put her approach to within a foot of the hole for a tap-in birdie. With Lin shooting nine straight pars over the back nine, Wang went ahead for good on the par-five 17th where she sank a 20-foot putt to move to the top of the leaderboard. With the win, the Beijing native also receives a Golfjoy Spica 3 launch monitor valued at RMB37,888. “I watched Lin Xin’en from the clubhouse trying to make her final putt and honestly, I felt nothing about it. I wasn’t that nervous. I was prepared for a playoff. When she missed the putt, I was happy to achieve my first victory on the China LPGA Tour,” said Wang, who was second in Tianjin last year and runner-up to Ye Lei at the 2023 Women’s China Open. “Over the last two holes I told myself to be more daring and aggressive than last year. My goal for this tournament was to finish in the top 10, which would help me qualify for next week’s Mitsubishi event. I’m thrilled that I accomplished my mission.” Lin, who led the tournament by a stroke through 36 holes, lamented a missed opportunity to capture her maiden win. Her round included two birdies and a bogey, all coming on the front nine. “This is my first time to finish in the top 10. The road ahead is long with many more tournaments to come this year. My pro career is just beginning. Let’s wait and see,” said the Guangzhou native, a student at Shenzhen University. “Knowing I had a 15-foot birdie putt (at the last hole) I didn’t feel it as pressure, but more so as motivation. I tried to be aggressive with that putt, but I just didn’t execute it as well as I could have.” Li, who finished 17th at the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship last week in Vietnam, rebounded from a 75 on Friday to close with two-under-par round featuring four birdies and two bogeys. “I feel like I could have a better score because I had a lot of birdie chances on the front nine. But I didn’t due to some careless mistakes. My mindset wasn’t good, either,” lamented the Weihai teenager. “This result could definitely have been better, but my putting really wasn’t up to par. There’s still room for me to improve.”   The Leadbetter Course at Mission Hills Golf Club Dongguan is a 6,368-yard, par-72 layout. Players are from mainland China unless indicated               * denotes amateur Golfjoy Women’s Open third round leading scores 209 – Wang Zixuan 71-72-66 210 – Lin Xin’en 67-72-71 213 – Li Menghan* 68-75-70, Cai Danlin 70-70-73 215 – Pan Yanhong 74-71-70, Fang Shuangshuang 73-70-72, He Jiaying 71-71-73 216 – Zeng Liqi 70-73-73 217 – Wang Zhixuan – 71-76-70, Punpaka Phuntumabamrung (THA) 72-73-72,           Parinda Phokan (THA) 72-72-73, Tang Rongze* 69-74-74,           Ornnicha Konsunthea (THA) 69-73-75 218 – Supamas Sangchan (THA) 74-71-73, Wannasiri Sirisampant (THA) 71-71-76 219 – Nemittra Juntanaket (THA) 74-76-69, Ng Jing Xuen (MAS) 77-71-71,           Chonlada Chayanun (THA) 74-73-72, Xue Zixuan 73-72-74,           Nanthikarn Raksachat (THA) 71-73-75 220 – Panitta Yusabai (THA) 76-73-71, Shi Yuli 76-72-72, Zhao Yihan 75-72-73,           Phisitkhwan Pooratanaopa (THA) 72-75-73, Pan Xingyi 73-73-74,           Senno Yasufuku (JPN) 72-74-74, Li Dongmei 71-73-76