The PGA Tour will announce Sunday in China that it will create a 12-event series in the world's largest country and golf's greatest developing market.
Commissioner Tim Finchem will announce the formation of the China Tour-PGA Tour China Series, a venture created with the help of the state-run China Golf Association and promoter China Olympic Sports Industry. The announcement will be made at midnight ET on Sunday at the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, China (noon local time).
The formation of PGA Tour China was first reported by Wei Under Par on Oct. 29.
The series will begin in 2014 with its dozen-event docket with the hope of further expansion. Fields will range from 120-156 players with purses of approximately $200,000.
It is unclear if PGA Tour China will offer status on the Web.com Tour to its top money earners, similar to how PGA Tour Latinoamerica and PGA Tour Canada do. Both of those tours offer feeder status to the top five players on the season-ending money list.
PGA Tour China is unique in that the PGA Tour did not purchase or take over operations of any already existing tour, like it did with the Canadian Tour and the Tour de las Americas in forming PGA Tour Canada and PGA Tour Latinoamerica, respectively.
What this means for the PGA Tour's intentions to further develop its presence in China is unclear. With the likes of the European Tour, Asian Tour and OneAsia Tour already with a hold in the region, PGA Tour China will likely be a developmental tour almost exclusively for players under the umbrella of the China Golf Association.
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