The world was surprised when China leapfrogged the United States to top the gold medal table at last year's Beijing Olympic Games.

The world might not be so surprised if a Chinese golfer stands on the podium at the Olympic Games from 2016 as the country's strong state-support system will be used to develop the game.

"There is unbalanced development between Olympic sports and non-Olympic sports in China. Golf had been restricted to a small group of people," said Zhang Xiaoning, vice president of China Golf Association (CGF). "Things will change now as history tells us China is able to lift an Olympic sport from nowhere to the world's top level once it is included in the state-support system."