Ghei joins strong challenge for Macau Open

India's Gaurav Ghei, Simon Yates of Scotland and Australian Scott Hend will be amongst the cosmopolitan line-up of stars who will chase for glory at the 10th Macau Open from May 17-20.

The talented trio, all ranked in the top-10 of the Asian Tour's UBS Order of Merit, will be joined by many of the region's winners including Thailand's Thaworn Wiratchant, Asia's number one in 2005, Malaysia's Airil Rizman and former Macau Open champions Wang Ter-chang of Chinese Taipei, Chinese star Zhang Lian-wei, American Jason Knutzon and title holder Kane Webber of Australia.

Europe's Ryder Cup star David Howell, ranked 29th in the world, and China's Liang Wen-chong, currently second on the UBS Order of Merit, will also headline the US$300,000 Macau Open next week.

Ghei will fly into Macau in buoyant mood after winning his second title in seven months when he claimed the inaugural Pine Valley Beijing Open two weeks ago. No Indian has won the Macau Open since its inception in 1998 but Ghei's superb ball-striking ability and soaring confidence could see him play his way into the history books.

“Last year was a great win (at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters) as it ended an 11-year drought. But I wanted to win another tournament to prove to myself that my win was not a fluke and to do it in such a short span of time is very satisfying indeed. I have put in a lot of hard work and it feels great to win it again,” said Ghei.

He credited recent swing changes with coach Claude Harmon as the key to his recent revival. "I had been struggling with my game but I worked hard with Claude. You slog for years and nothing happens and suddenly everything comes in a spurt."

While Ghei has enjoyed the pleasure of hoisting a trophy this season, Hend will be aiming to follow suit after coming agonisingly close in recent weeks. The talented Australian posted successive top-three finishes at the Volvo China Open and BMW Asian Open last month, showing that he was back to his best form after a spell out with a serious hand injury which scuppered his career on the US PGA Tour.

"I'm as close as I've been for a long time," said Hend, who is a five-time winner on the Australasian Tour. "I'm getting there. I haven't won for a long time. I would like to win this year, once or twice. I would really like to win. I've just got to do it," added the Australian, who is third on the UBS Order of Merit.

Other leading Asian Tour players who have signed up for the Macau Open, the 14th leg of this season's Schedule, include Korea's Lee Sung and Australia's Scott Strange, Tony Carolan and Scott Barr, who are ranked in the top-20 of the UBS Order of Merit.

Deaf-born Lee earned praises from Ernie Els who said the Korean had a bright future in the game. "Lee is very good. He putted really well and he's got a good golf swing. I'm not sure how old he is but he seems to be a very good player. He's a solid player. Keep working and he's going to have a big future," said the South African star.

Howell will be the favourite. The Englishman has won in Asia previously, winning the HSBC Champions in Shanghai when he beat none other than world number one Tiger Woods.

May 11, 2007

Bookmark page with:

Return to Top of Page