GOLFZON Wraps Up ‘2025 GOLFZON China Open’ Successfully as China’s Zhao Zixu Wins ..Tournament Concludes Amid Cheers from On-Site Galleries and a Cumulative 160,000 Live-Stream Viewers

• From August 28 to 31, the ‘2025 GOLFZON China Open’ with a total prize purse of 1.9 billion KRW was held at GOLFZON CITY GOLF China’s No. 2 Yanji location, hosted by GOLFZON China and organized by the China Golf Association
• China’s Zhao Zixu won with a final total of 5-over-par 293, while Thailand’s Patcharajutar finished 2nd (7-over-par 295) and Korea’s Choi Un-jung finished 3rd (8-over-par 296)
• Major Chinese media outlets including Xinhua News Agency and People’s Daily reported on the tournament’s opening, focusing attention on GOLFZON CITY GOLF China’s No. 2 Yanji location and the event
• The live broadcast drew a cumulative 165,000 viewers across China’s WeChat GOLFZON China, Sina Golf, golf magazine, and Satellite TV Golf accounts
  
  

GOLFZON Co., Ltd. (Co-CEOs Park Kang-soo and Choi Deok-hyung) announced on the 1st that the ‘2025 GOLFZON China Open’, held at GOLFZON CITY GOLF China’s No. 2 Yanji location from August 28 to 31, concluded successfully amid enthusiastic response, with China’s Zhao Zixu taking the title and 160,000 viewers watching the live broadcast on local channels.

The ‘2025 GOLFZON China Open’ is the second tournament held since the inaugural event at CITY GOLF China’s No. 1 Tianjin location last year, organized by GOLFZON China and hosted by the China Golf Association. This year, the prize purse was roughly doubled to a total of 10 million yuan (approximately 1.9 billion KRW), and over about six months starting in March, the tournament progressed through qualifying and the main rounds to the final, which determined the overall champion.

GOLFZON CITY GOLF (CITYGOLF), where the tournament was held, is an innovative indoor golf facility that combines the strengths of screen golf and field golf based on cutting-edge digital golf technology. It features the world’s first 18-hole digital golf course that recreates an environment similar to an actual field, characterized by playing tee shots and iron shots on the screen, and short games around the green in the putting green area. Through digital simulation technology, it replicates the terrain of traditional golf courses while allowing players to deliver their best performance without being affected by weather.

In particular, this tournament drew attention as it was held at the recently opened GOLFZON CITY GOLF China No. 2 Yanji location in Yanji City, Jilin Province, China. GOLFZON CITY GOLF China’s No. 2 Yanji location is a complex space spanning approximately 25,000 sqm (about 7,500 pyeong) including commercial amenities, and it gained local attention as major Chinese media outlets such as Xinhua News Agency and People’s Daily evaluated it as an innovative digital sports platform and reported on its strengths in space efficiency and accessibility. Designed and built as a dedicated CITY GOLF venue, the No. 2 Yanji location offers an even more vivid and thrilling course experience with features such as open sightlines and island greens.

The tournament was conducted as 4 rounds of 72-hole stroke play on the Masters Club Lake Course. A total of 120 players competed across 4 rounds of intense play, including 100 qualifiers who advanced to the main draw, along with players invited from domestic and the Asia Golf Leaders Forum (AGLF), the China Golf Association, and official tournament partner FILA Golf. Players teed off in screen booths equipped with GOLFZON TWOVISION NX simulators, and once the ball came within a certain distance of the hole after a tee shot, the screen opened so players could move to the green area to perform approach, putting, and other green play.

The title was claimed by China’s Zhao Zixu with a final total of 5-over-par, 293, while Thailand’s Patcharajutar finished 2nd (7-over-par 295), and Korea’s Choi Un-jung finished 3rd (8-over-par 296). Champion Zhao Zixu shared her thoughts: “Over the 4 days of play, the pace was much faster and tighter than outdoors, so there were many tense moments. Competing alongside many overseas players made me nervous, but at the same time it was a joy, and it was a precious opportunity to learn from skilled players.” She added, “The Yanji CITY GOLF course was even more innovative and challenging than Tianjin. The bunkers, hazards, rough, and fairways of an actual course were well recreated, which was fascinating, but the greens had steep slopes and severe undulation, with complex speed and lines, so I felt it was much harder than actually being outdoors.”

Pro Choi Un-jung, who finished 3rd, said, “I had good memories of competing in a GOLFZON tournament 2 years ago, so I’m grateful to be invited again, and it’s even more meaningful to take part in this tournament as I prepare for my long-awaited return after giving birth.” She added, “This CITY GOLF had far more precise sensors than the screen golf I had experienced before, reflecting even small miss-shots exactly and demanding honest play. I’m amazed every day, competing in a challenging environment with green speed, undulation, and even wind just like a real course.”

In addition, Pro Choi Na-yeon, who participated as a Korean invited player, said, “I’m happy to compete in a tournament for the first time in a while after my retirement, and I experienced thrilling play for the first time in a long while in this novel format that combines the screen with an actual short game.” She added, “Since Korea has a vibrant screen golf culture, if CITY GOLF venues were to open, I think many golf fans would take on new experiences and challenges.”

The matches were broadcast live on Naver Sports and the GOLFZON YouTube channel, and the SBS Golf channel also scheduled a recorded broadcast. The live broadcasts carried on China’s WeChat GOLFZON China, Sina Golf, golf magazine, and Satellite TV Golf drew 165,000 viewers, generating great interest in this unique large-scale golf tournament held at CITY GOLF, and tournament highlights are also scheduled to be aired on China’s state broadcaster CCTV.

GOLFZON Group Chairman Kim Young-chan said, “Following last year, I find it meaningful to open the No. 2 Yanji location of ‘CITY GOLF,’ an eco-friendly urban golf course, and to host a CITY GOLF tournament where even more players can showcase their skills,” adding, “Building on CITY GOLF China’s No. 1 Tianjin location and China’s No. 2 Yanji location, we will do our best to expand the foundation of indoor golf, and to introduce CITY GOLF, an innovative urban golf course model that combines the strengths of the screen and the field, to various countries.”