'Victory means nothing and the Tour everything'

The 28-year-old, who is having the best year of his career, is making a rare appearance in his homeland to compete in the tour's season-ending tournament at Beijing's Tianan Golf Club.

But far from focussing on maintaining his 100 per cent record on the tour (he won the opening event of 2006 and also triumphed in his sole appearance in 2005) or adding to his impressive record this season, the Guangdong native says throwing his weight behind the tour itself is top of his list.

"Winning the Omega Championship or not is not that important to me. The important thing is to be here to support the Omega China Tour, because I think the Chinese golfers need their own tour. It's really, really important for the future of Chinese golf," he explained, adding that the plethora of showcase tournaments in China are not benefiting the sport in the same way.

"The big tournaments with large prize money are not doing golf in China much good. Only a tour like this can help Chinese golfers improve themselves. I really hope the Omega China Tour can continue to grow and grow. I hope it can really grow to give the players the stage to develop themselves on so they can then go on to become real, internationally-recognised golfers. The Omega China Tour is the only thing that belongs to Chinese golfers, those other events do not."

His comments are unusually outspoken for Liang, and, given that he finished fourth in the Asian Tour's richest event this year – the US$3 million Barclays Singapore Open, somewhat contradictory to his own personal interests. At his current rate of ascendancy it can't be long before a significant slice of the prize money at those 'big' tournaments ends up in his bank account. But his words are an indication of how he has matured quickly during a run of success that has also seen him finish in the top five four times on the lucrative Japan Golf Tour this year.

"It's essential for our players to have a steady, consistent tour. It's not about playing one tournament today and something else a few weeks later. It's about that consistent opportunity to improve themselves," he continued earnestly.

"I hope to see more and more younger Chinese golfers do well. One good Chinese golfer can not represent golf in China. We need a group of good players. Only when we have that group will golf in China really grow and develop. We need a good group to show the world that we have real golfers."

At the moment Liang would seem to be carrying the banner for China single-handed. Hailed, significantly, for the first time as China's best player by his friend and mentor Zhang Lianwei after his victory in April's Omega China Tour – Hainan Leg, Liang's hot streak in Japan has seen him earn over 46 million yen (almost US$390,000 and over RMB3 million), nearly double his winnings in Japan in 2005.

But it's not just the change in his fortunes that is striking. The native of Zhongshan in Guangdong, where China's first modern golf course was built a little over 20 years ago, seems to have acquired half a lifetime of wisdom and maturity in the space of half a year spent largely away from home.

"I've changed a lot in the last six months," he conceded.

"I've got to know a lot more people on the Japan tour and my view of the world has become wider and my vision of the future much clearer. My left wrist is a chronic problem caused by so many intense tournaments, but besides that everything has been fantastic. It's been really good, really good. It is easily my best season. Everything has gone according to plan. But the good performances this year have really been the result of the hard work of the last two years. Some people suggested that getting married at the beginning of last year might affect my game, but I never agreed with that. The good results are because of hard work, good planning and the support from my family and friends."

That success may also have come from choosing his friends wisely. Liang, who until this summer could from a distance seem to be quite a single-minded and insular character, has benefited from the experience of two veteran colleagues on the Japan Golf Tour. One is the 46-year-old Filipino Frankie Minoza, a father of four with six wins in Japan on his CV, the other is Ling Keng-Chi, the 40-year-old from Chinese Taipei who won the Asian PGA Tour's first Order of Merit way back in 1995.

"I've become quite close with Lin Keng-Chi. Because I'm the only Chinese player on the Japan Golf Tour, having a friend who also speaks Chinese has helped me feel warmer, safer and not lonely, because it was quite lonely when Zhang Lianwei left Japan (after the 2004 season). We've been able to talk about how to practice and how we should play in tournaments. He's provided a lot of help. He's always said if I need anything, that I should just ask him. Frankie Minoza has also been very generous and very patient too. He's taught me a lot about how a pro golfer should behave and about how to improve myself," Liang admitted.

"Frankie is 46 and very famous in Japan and all over the world, and yet he's very low key. He's taught me that you should love the game itself and that you should enjoy the tournament itself. He taught me that everyone should keep learning and improving. There's always someone you can learn from and there's always something you can improve.

"Frankie told me his life story. He told me how poor his family was when he was young and about how they hardly had enough to eat. When he turned pro he decided he'd save half of all his winnings. This taught me that a player has to have a long-term plan for his career. Chinese golfers should see this as the way forward – to plan far ahead, invest in your career and work hard."

That the topic should turn around full circle and return to Liang's concerns for his fellow Chinese pros, seems indicative of the broadening of Liang's horizons. Perhaps it's the wisdom gained from his mentors in Japan, perhaps some of it is the security and stability of married life. Maybe it's partly due to his growing into the role of being Zhang Lianwei's successor as the pathfinder for Chinese professionals, or it could be that his success has made him more comfortable in his own skin, but as a man he has clearly grown and clearly intends to keep growing.

"I feel next season will be even better. From knowing nothing about the Japan Golf Tour and operating alone, to understanding and getting to know everyone, that has helped me feel more confident. My vision is getting wider and wider. I feel I've become a real tour player. Last year and the year before I played a lot of tournaments, but, now I have got through the difficult part, it has really opened up for me," he declared.

"Once you're in a golf tour you have to learn how to plan your life around the tour. I'm playing over 30 tournaments a year now on the Japan and Asian Tours. It's easy to play one or two events. Coping with 30 is difficult. You have to have good planning and you have to know what is important and what isn't. You need to manage your body, your mind, everything. I hope the young players on the Omega China Tour can realise that this is their career. If they work hard they can gain from it. They need a sense of the responsibility that comes with being a real tournament golfer."

October 25, 2006

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