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First entry to China Tour is Liu Qiang

Shaanxi golfer Liu Qiang has been confirmed as the first entrant for the inaugural event of the China Tour. The 29 year old returned his entry form the moment they became available online, explaining he is desperate to take part in the Beijing Leg, which takes place at the Elephant Club from August 17th to 19th.

"The China Tour represents the growth of golf in China. All the golfers are reacting very strongly and very positively towards it. All the professional golfers in China want to support the tour," said Liu.

"The China Tour is very, very important. It's the first event and I wanted to be proactive and get my entry in quickly. I am very eager to be part of it," he added.

Like many Chinese professionals Liu, who is based in Dongguan in Guangdong province where he is the captain of the Long Island Golf and Country Club team, has competed only sporadically in 2005. He has played just four tournaments, missing the cut in two of this year's European PGA Tour and Asian Tour co-sanctioned events in China - the BMW Asian Open and TCL Classic.

However Liu believes on the China Tour, which is designed to give the country's players a consistent platform of tournaments and a realistic level of competition, he can be among the top players and is hoping to challenge for the title at the Beijing Leg.

"Because the China Tour is focused on Chinese golfers and not world class golfers I am confident I can play well and perform well. My goal is to reach the top five. If I play to my normal level I am confident I can reach my target," he said.

If Liu does achieve his aim his share of the US$100,000 prize money on offer at each of this year's four China Tour events could dwarf his biggest pay cheque as a professional: the RMB 52,000 he won for finishing seventh in the China Unicom "Uni" Cup in Beijing last month.

"If I could finish first or second I would be able to hire a high-level coach to improve my skills even more. It would make a huge difference. A prize like that would allow me to improve so much. Having a top coach would really help. I think I have good talent, but that sort of money would allow me to work harder and concentrate even more on improving as a golfer."

August 3, 2005