The first day of the 2026 Guojiao 1573 World Corporate Golf Challenge World Final opened today, 21 October, at Beijing Qinghe Bay Golf Country Club. Business leaders from around the world competed in demanding wind conditions, and the Chinese contingent set the pace.
A spectacular start
The day began with a Trick Shot Show by Jeremy Dale, Global Ambassador of WCGC. He energised the players and guests with a display of skill and showmanship.
The Opening Ceremony followed, bringing together all World Final participants and the Sports Legends. Zhang Liang, General Manager of Guojiao 1573 sales, welcomed the delegations from around the world. Jeremy Dale then gave the players his final advice before the first shots of the competition.
China leads in testing conditions
Strong winds made scoring difficult across the course, rewarding patience, course management and teamwork. The Chinese teams handled it best.
In the Fourball Stableford competition on Course A, Guojiao 1573 Highlight Team (Sen Cao and Wuzhen Bi) leads with 44 points. SENKO Co., Ltd. (Yuuki Yamazaki and Takumi Nakagawa) is second with 41. Guojiao 1573 Spotlight Team (Liang Zhu and Wen Liu) is third with 39, and Pooltechnika s.r.o. (Petr Foral and Lukas Bryksa) is fourth with 37.
In the Scratch category, Guojiao 1573 Taste Team (Zuoyun Li and Xinqiang He) leads on 4 under par. They are ahead of Calão Mello Sports Development (+6) and Eternoivica (+7).
On Course B, the Sports Legends Cup, played as a Scramble Stableford, was led by the team of Li Xing with 52 points. Zhu Shimao’s team follows with 51. The teams of Ge Yanping and John Devereux are level on 50.
An evening of living heritage
In the evening, participants gathered for the Welcome Dinner at Prince Jun’s Mansion Hotel. Guests took part in symbolic cultural experiences: traditional sugar figure blowing, personalised fan painting and traditional dance performances. The programme offered the international delegations a closer look at Chinese heritage.
The competition continues tomorrow with the second and final round of the World Final, followed by the Black-Tie Gala Dinner.
Madrid: Premium Partner of the World Final
Madrid is present at the World Final as Premium Partner of the event, reinforcing its positioning as a destination for international business and sports tourism. Héctor Coronel, Director of Tourism at Madrid City Council, spoke about the opportunities Madrid offers as a destination:
“Madrid’s positioning relies mainly on business tourism, particularly MICE, everything related to corporations and how to bring opportunities to Madrid. Golf is a very good opportunity because you can relax and enjoy the sport in the open air, while meeting people from every part of the globe. That gives us the chance to talk about Madrid, get to know each other and encourage people to come to Madrid to explore more business opportunities.”
Héctor Coronel, Director of Tourism, Madrid City Council
About the World Corporate Golf Challenge
The World Corporate Golf Challenge is a global corporate golf competition that brings together business leaders under the motto “Bringing the World of Business Together.”
Since its foundation in 1993 in the UK, in partnership with The Times, the World Corporate Golf Challenge (WCGC) has offered companies a unique platform to strengthen their internal and external relationships through golf. With a high media impact, this event combines prestige and sophistication, establishing itself as a strategic corporate communications channel.
Rapid success in the UK prompted its global expansion in 1997. Today, more than 30 countries participate in the WCGC, making it the largest corporate golf tournament in the world. This growth demonstrates both the quality of the event and its ability to adapt to different markets and corporate cultures.
Each year, national winners come together at the WCGC World Final, representing their companies and countries in an environment that fosters sporting talent and, above all, international networking. It is a unique opportunity to strengthen business relationships in a competitive and professional environment.
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