Korea-China-Japan Metaverse Golf National All-Star Match Sets a New Standard for Asian Digital Competition

On February 25 at 2:00 p.m., the ‘2024 Korea-China-Japan Metaverse Golf National All-Star Match,’ co-hosted by GOLFZON China and the Sports Channel Center of Beijing Radio and Television Station with Shinhan Securities serving as title sponsor, took place simultaneously across GOLFZON simulator platforms in three cities—Beijing, Tokyo, and Seoul. Six female professional golfers—Sui Xiang and Wang Xinying of China, Yumi Sasahara and Momoka Miura of Japan, and Kim Ha-neul and Yoo Hyun-joo of Korea—competed as their countries’ representatives, showcasing a new stage for digital golf competition.

This event is currently the only simulator-based international digital golf tournament held in China, with a total prize purse of USD 40,000. The competition followed the Skins format, in which holes and prize money are decided and distributed on a hole-by-hole basis, and the Mission Hills World Cup Course was used as the digital course.

The Chinese duo of Sui Xiang and Wang Xinying, last year’s champions, took on a title defense at the GOLFZON PARK flagship store in Beijing. Sui Xiang, known for her precise iron shots, and Wang Xinying, with her long-driving ability, recorded a birdie on the 2nd hole and also claimed skins on the 15th and 16th holes, finishing in third place.

The Korean team demonstrated strong concentration in the early part of the match and toward the closing holes, securing skins on a total of six holes to finish in second place. The Japanese team took control of the mid-game flow on the strength of Yumi Sasahara’s outstanding putting touch. In particular, by claiming skins on nine consecutive holes from the 5th to the 13th, the team secured the victory early and earned a total of USD 19,000 in prize money. It also marked Japan’s first-ever win in the tournament.

The Metaverse Golf National All-Star Match has been held successfully on multiple occasions, drawing attention from various sectors of society. This event likewise received support from a range of organizations and companies, including China Mobile Migu, the International Indoor Golf Association, the Sports Culture Industry Committee of the China Asia Economic Development Association, and the Metaverse Innovation and Development Committee of the Beijing Informatization Association. In particular, the participation of the Sports Channel Center of Beijing Radio and Television Station as co-host further amplified the media reach of the event.

Wei Qingfeng, Secretary-General of the China Golf Association, said in an interview, “A competition format like this allows more people to experience golf through television and digital media,” adding, “It naturally enables the sharing of each country’s golf development, and it carries great significance in that it can take root as a new sports and leisure culture.” He continued, “Through events like this, people will come to feel that golf is a more familiar sport.”

The Korea-China-Japan Metaverse Golf National All-Star Match has been held four times to date, generating wide-ranging social impact. Combining digital technology with sports diplomacy, the tournament is recognized for expanding sports and cultural exchange and cooperation among the three countries—Korea, China, and Japan—and for contributing to friendship among the peoples of Asian nations. In particular, the performance of the Chinese players is drawing attention as an example of the openness, innovation, and global competitiveness of China’s sports industry.

This event also demonstrated the new possibilities of digital sports. By allowing athletes from around the world to compete simultaneously without spatial constraints, while providing real-time interaction and an immersive viewing experience, it presented a new model of sports content. In fact, cumulative views of the live broadcast surpassed one million, and active viewer participation and engagement continued throughout.

GOLFZON China explained that, through this, golf is taking root as a lifestyle that goes beyond being simply a sport. As people come to understand golf, find it interesting, take part in it directly, and ultimately embrace it as part of everyday culture, their quality of life, level of health, and cultural experiences are enhanced together.

At a time when digital transformation and the digital economy are spreading rapidly, the Korea-China-Japan Metaverse Golf National All-Star Match is regarded as a leading example that combines digital sports, digital arenas, and digital competition. GOLFZON China emphasized that the event injects new vitality into China’s sports and cultural industry while also presenting new possibilities for the direction of China’s golf industry. The company further explained that, with digital technology as the foundation, sports, education, cultural content, and the service industry are being organically connected, forming a new digital economy ecosystem.

GOLFZON China plans to continue expanding its digital sports platform based on the roughly 300 GOLFZON PARK and GOLFZON stores established across China, the city golf courses to be developed in the future, and its ‘Hundred Cities, Thousand Stores’ plan. Through this, the company also anticipates the creation of around 50,000 to 100,000 new jobs and a consumption ripple effect of approximately RMB 35 billion. Going forward, GOLFZON China intends to expand a wider variety of digital golf tournaments throughout China and to propose a healthy and refined lifestyle through more advanced digital sports products.