China's domestic golf tour is to offer total prize money of more than one million dollars for the first time next season, organisers said on Wednesday.

The China Tour will grow to 10 events in its fourth year, with purses totalling 1.1 million dollars, they said.

Liang Wenchong, a three-time winner on the tour, proved its worth by becoming China's first Asian Order of Merit winner this year.

"Liang Wenchong gained a great deal of experience from playing on the Omega China Tour and of course this year went on to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit title," said Chinese sports official Zhang Xiaoning.

The first tournament will be held in Guangzhou in March and the tour will wind up in Beijing in October. Li Chao, this year's merit winner, and Chinese trailblazer Zhang Lianwei will both compete, organisers said.

© 2007 AFP/sid