The Los Angeles Post

The “NAAS Cup” Southern California Chinese American Golf Invitational Tournament held in Yorba Linda

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LAPost Yorba Linda (April 22, 2024) – On April 18, the 2024 “NAAS” American Chinese Amateur Golf Team Invitational Tournament began at the birthplace of President Nixon and the Black Gold Golf Club in Yorba Linda, Southern California.

(Photo by: Richard Ren/LAPost)

The tournament was sponsored by NaaS Technology Inc (NASDAQ: NAAS), known as the leading charging service company in China. It was organized by the Car World Advertising Company and co-organized by the Southern California Cantonese Golf Club. This event offered the highest prize pool in the history of Chinese amateur golf competitions in Southern California.

The tournament sponsor, NAAS founder and CEO Dai Zhen (Photo by: Richard Ren/LAPost)

The tournament brought together top amateur Chinese golfers active in the Southern California region. The players competed under the names of the provinces or cities where they lived before moving to the United States, or as teams formed by multiple provincial regions. The teams included representatives from Beijing, Sichuan-Chongqing, Hubei, Shanghai, Jiangxi, Hunan, Hong Kong, Tianjin, Guangxi, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, the three northeastern provinces, and the five northwestern provinces, Guangdong Team A, Guangdong Team B. Additionally, there was a women’s “Flying Fox” team. A total of seventeen teams and invited guest teams participated, with over 150 players.

The competition used a team stroke play format and aimed to award several individual prizes, including overall gross/net prizes for the top five places, and awards for the longest and closest drives for both men and women.

NAAS Group’s founder and chairman, Dai Zhen, who traveled from Beijing to San Francisco and then drove overnight to Los Angeles to attend the opening ceremony, spoke about the reasons for sponsoring the tournament. He stated, “As a public company, we aim to expand the influence of the company’s philosophy, contributing to the global green energy cause and speeding up the reduction of carbon emissions.”

The tournament chief convener Lin Litian (Photo by: Richard Ren/LAPost)

Lin Litian, the tournament’s overall convener, said, “This tournament stands out for three reasons: it’s the largest local Chinese golf tournament, the one with the most skilled players, and it offers the highest prize pool.”

David Chen, Honorary President of the American Cantonese Golf Club (Photo by: Richard Ren/LAPost)

Chen Dawei, honorary president of the Southern California Cantonese Golf Club, the co-organizer of the tournament, expressed gratitude for the support and efforts of the event’s sponsor and convener Lin Litian. “Thanks to the support and efforts of the naming sponsor and Lin Litian, Southern California not only has club competitions but also this invitational tournament showcasing the region’s diverse community.”

Sally Li Vice Chairman of Southern California Chinese University Alumni Association Golf Club and Team Leader of Qilu Shandong Team (Photo by: Richard Ren/LAPost)

The Vice President of the Golf Club of the Southern California Chinese University Alumni Association Alliance (CUAAASC) and the team leader of the Shandong Qilu team, Sally Li, said, “We are very willing to collaborate with such a capable and strong organizing institution to build a larger and better platform for Chinese golf enthusiasts in Southern California.”

Jiang Qing, captain of the Los Angeles Flying Fox women’s team (Photo by: Richard Ren/LAPost)

Group photo of all players (Photo by: Jay Jian)

The tee ceremony (Photo by: Jay Jian)

Event emcee: Yan Ziqi

Teams depart for the golf course

Player (Photo by: Jay Jian)

The tournament was held at the Black Gold Golf Club, designed by the talented designer Arthur Hills. This golf course is well-known in the inland area of Southern California for its excellent value and is famous for its challenging and complex greens on hilly terrain. The slight elevation changes between holes, rolling hills, strategic bunkers, and breathtaking scenery made for an intense and exciting 5-hour battle!

(Photo by: Richard Ren/LAPost)

Guangdong sent two teams with a total of 16 players to compete, achieving excellent results. Dr. Chen Dawei, the overall captain, secured the individual gross score championship with a score of 75 and led Guangdong A team to secure fifth place overall, distancing themselves from three other closely matched teams. Under the leadership of captain Ben Hong, owner of Peninsula Restaurant Group, the eight elite players on Guangdong B team performed outstandingly. Ultimately, they won the team gross score championship by a 19-stroke margin against the second-place Beijing team. More than half of the 152 participating players achieved scores in the 80s, and the top 11 players all had scores in the 70s.

The tournament’s celebration banquet and award ceremony were held at the Peninsula Seafood Restaurant in Rowland Heights, a Chinese community hub in Southern California. The banquet was attended by the founder, CEO, and chairman of Nengchain Smart Power, Mr. Dai Zhen, the overall convener of the tournament, Mr. Lin Litian, the president of the Southern California Cantonese Golf Club, Mr. Jack Lee, the owner of the Peninsula Dining Group, Mr. Ben Hong, and the participating players.

During the banquet award ceremony, Nengchain Smart Power chairman Dai Zhen and the tournament’s overall convener Lin Litian presented trophies and cash prizes to the winners of the “Longest Drive Award,” “Closest to the Pin Award,” “Net Score Award,” and “Individual Gross Score Award”:

  • The Men’s Longest Drive Award winner was Zhang Jinsong from the Hubei team.
  • The Women’s Longest Drive Award winner was Amy Ma from the Flying Fox team.
  • The winners of the Closest to the Pin Award on four par-3 holes were Peter Liu from the Northeast team, Zhou Gang from the Zhejiang team, Benjamin Zhao from the Northwest team, and Tiffany Zhao from the Flying Fox team.

The Net Score champion was Liu Guoliang representing the Jiangsu team, a veteran in amateur golf. The runner-up was Albert Li from Guangdong A team. Third place went to Tong Zhiqi from the Tianjin team. Fourth place was Lin Litian from the Guangdong team. Fifth place was Enbo Zhang from the Shandong team.

The Individual Gross Score champion was Guangdong team captain Chen Dawei. The runner-up was Xu Jianguo from the Sichuan team. Third place went to Ray Wu from the Guangdong team. Fourth place was Zhou Liang from the Hunan team. Fifth place was CJ Chen from the Guangdong team.

The biggest award of this tournament was the team prize, and the president of the Southern California Cantonese Golf Club, Jack Lee, announced the winners:

  • Guangdong B team won the team championship.
  • The Beijing team was the runner-up.
  • The Northeast team placed third.
  • The Sichuan-Chongqing team placed fourth.
  • Guangdong A team placed fifth.

Leo Lin, a 12-year-old Chinese youth player, won the “Best Improvement Award” (Photo by: Jay Jian)

It is worth mentioning that the all-female “Flying Fox of Los Angeles” team was awarded a “Special Award” by the organizing committee for their outstanding performance in the tournament. Chinese junior player Leo Lin, the youngest player in the day’s competition, was recognized as a guest player with the “Best Improvement Award.”

Dai Zhen delivered a keynote speech at the dinner (Photo by: Richard Ren/LAPost)

In his speech, NAAS Chairman Dai Zhen stated that since its debut on Nasdaq (NASDAQ: NAAS) in 2022, NASS has been committed to achieving the development vision of “enabling everyone to use green energy” in line with the trend of internationalization. NASS offers one-stop services across the entire new energy industry chain, providing charging station manufacturers, operators, OEMs, and businesses with comprehensive services while actively seeking partnership opportunities. This opportunity led to the organization of the “NASS Cup” Invitational Tournament.

Connection as a service! In the future era of energy transformation, Nengchain Smart Power Group, as a leading company in global new energy, is committed to adopting a more open and cooperative approach and working with like-minded partners to usher in a new era of global connectivity!

During the tournament, the organizing committee specially invited film director TanXuan Shi and his team to document the exciting moments of the competition throughout the event. They produced a professional video short film to share the charm of this grand event with more golf enthusiasts. (By: Richard Ren/LAPost)

(Photo by: Richard Ren/LAPost)