Swimmer Phelps to tee off in Chinese Pro-Am event

Beijing: Swimmer Michael Phelps will be among the celebrities at the inaugural Mission Hills Star Trophy Pro-Am golf tournament in China`s Hainan Island, where professionals will compete for a USD 1.28 million individual prize, the richest in Asia.

Phelps will be given tips at the Oct. 28-31 Pro-Am tournament by Hank Haney, former coach of Tiger Woods, when the American returns to the country where he grabbed eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympics.In the professional tournament, 20 male and female golfers will play a 36-hole event for a winner-takes-all pot of USD 1.28 million. Former women`s world number one golfer Lorena Ochoa and Japan`s U.S. PGA tour winner Ryuji Imada are among the entrants along with European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie and former British Open champion Greg Norman of Australia.The tournament takes place at the new Mission Hills Resort Hainan, which will also host the USD 7.5 million World Cup of Golf in its new biennial format. Bureau Report