Asian Open Draws Star Cast To Shanghai
Feb. 12, 2004

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

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

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

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

Zhang, China's No. 1 golfer, is another player sure to attract largegalleries at Tomson Golf Club. Zhang made history last season when hebecame the first Chinese player in history to win on The European TourInternational Schedule when he finished ahead of Ernie Els to win theCaltex Masters, presented by Carlsberg, Singapore 2003. He is also nostranger to success in China having won the Macau Open in 2001 andsuccessfully defending the following year.

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

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