The Volvo China Open, celebrating its 10th anniversary this week, will be showcased across China over the next four years with a commitment from the title sponsors to significantly increase the prize fund.

Volvo Event Management President and Chief Executive Officer Mel Pyatt said on Tuesday they have agreed to raise the prize money from US$1 million to US$1.3 million when the event cruises to Shenzhen Golf Club for the first time next year.

The championship, jointly sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour, will head to China's capital of Beijing in 2006 and will be played at the Nick Faldo-designed Beijing Hong Hua Golf Club.

Shanghai Silport Golf Club, hosting the event for the sixth straight year this week and a club that Pyatt termed as the Open's "spiritual home", will stage the championship in 2007. The highly-rated Beijing CBD International Golf Club has signed an agreement to host the championship in 2008, when Beijing will host the Olympic Games.

"This week is a big step for the Volvo China Open with US$1 million in prize money, being the opening event of the 2005 European Tour Schedule and jointly sanctioned by the Asian Tour," said Pyatt.

The decision to move to Shenzhen Golf Club, located in southern China and set to celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2005, will be a homecoming for Volvo.

Next year's Open will be played in the third week of November 2005, while the dates for the following three are yet to be finalized.

The announcement will also be welcomed by China's trailblazer Zhang Liangwei, who will defend his Volvo China Open crown this week. The Shenzhen Golf Club is his home course and was the venue of his maiden professional victory in that historic first event in 1995.