Top American golfer Tiger Woods is redesigning a Chinese golf course and is being paid US$16.5 million for his efforts despite China's recent shutdown of several golf courses, according to Golf.com.

Due to the perception that golf is a game for rich people, Chinese President Xi Jinping is wary of the sport because in the past, a number of Chinese officials linked with corruption played golf and were members of golf clubs.

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As a result, China shuttered about 70 golf courses and also froze developments across the country in 2014. It also did lifestyle checks on golf-playing officials for possible links with corruption, reports USA Today.

According to an announcement on Monday from the National Development and Reform Commission, it closed 66 golf courses that were illegally built. Three of these fairways were in Beijing, six in Guangdong and three in Hainan. The number is about 10 percent of the estimated 600 to 700 courses in China.

The commission, which started the closures in July, did not give the reason behind the crackdown. In 2004, China banned new golf courses on the grounds that it uses arable lands, uses a lot of water and to cut pollution from the use of fertilizers and pesticides to maintain the courses' greens.

On Tuesday, the Commerce Ministry started investigation of Wang Shenyang, a senior official, who attended a golf event organized by a company. His attendance is viewed as violation of the Communist Party rules versus extravagance.

Last week also, Guangzhou City spokesman Mel Heqing said its anti-graft agency is targeting officials who play golf. Citizens could report online who among their city officials play the sport. Similar measures were made by officials of Hainan in February, to include ownership of golf club membership.

Jack Nicklaus, another famous American golfer has done the same, while Bubba Watson, the world's number 3, is slated to compete in the U.S. Master's US$2.5 million tournament in Shenzhen. The event will take place in Mission Hills which is the world's largest golf resort.

Dan Washburn, a golf analyst and author, explained these developments to China being full of contradictions. In the 1950s, the Communist Party banned the sport and destroyed golf courses. In the 1980s, golf was allowed again as the Chinese giant opened its economy.

However, Xi believes government officials should play golf because their salaries can't afford the sport.

To play golf in China, the fee for a weekend game is US$250 per round. According to BBC, Xi's basic monthly salary was increased to US$1,832 or CNY11,385, while the pay of the lowest-paid civil servant is US$212 or CNY1,320.

The pay hike of Xi, granted in January 2015, was 62 percent.

Tagstiger woods, golf course, golf course shutdown