Asian Open Draws Star Cast To Shanghai

Greg Norman, Alex Cejka, John Daly, Padraig Harrington and Lian-wei Zhang are among the star players confirmed for the BMW Asian Open, which moves to mainland China for the first time in its three year history in May.

Harrington will be defending the title at Tomson Golf Club, Shanghai, from May 13-16 following the Irishman's victory at the Ta Shee Golf and Country Club, Taiwan, which launched The 2003 European Tour International Schedule.

Daly, winner of two major championship titles, is also a BMW tournament winner having won the BMW International Open in Germany in 2001 while Cejka gave the German fans plenty to cheer about last year when he finished runner-up on home soil in last year's BMW International Open.

Norman, the legendary Great White Shark, will also feature in the $1.5 million BMW Asian Open in 2004. The Australian, twice a winner of the Open Golf Championship, was inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2001 and remains the only golfer to top both the Volvo Order of Merit and the US PGA Tour money list.

Zhang, China's No. 1 golfer, is another player sure to attract large galleries at Tomson Golf Club. Zhang made history last season when he became the first Chinese player in history to win on The European Tour International Schedule when he finished ahead of Ernie Els to win the Caltex Masters, presented by Carlsberg, Singapore 2003. He is also no stranger to success in China having won the Macau Open in 2001 and successfully defending the following year.

Ulrich Thum, Managing Director, BMW Group Greater China, said, "BMW is excited to be bringing some of the best professional golfers to China with the historic first playing of the BMW Asian Open in Shanghai. With its blend of performance and style, world-class golf shares many similarities with the world-class automotive engineering of BMW."

On the decision to hold the event in Shanghai, Mr Franz Jung, Senior Vice President, BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd, said, "Among the many dynamic cities in China, Shanghai stands out for many reasons. Not only is it the financial and economic center of China, this city is also developing into a major sporting venue worldwide with its first Formula 1 race this year, where the BMW Williams F1 team will be involved. For BMW, Shanghai has evolved to one of the most important regional markets in China, which will play a key role in the future development of BMW in China."