Liang makes Asia No. 1 spot his top priority

Chinese star Liang Wen-chong begins his chase for a maiden Macau Open title starting on Thursday armed with a new coach and a grand scheme of ending the year as Asia's number one.

The 28-year-old was undecided over his plans up until recently as he also has playing rights in Europe and Japan but Liang has now decided that winning the Asian Tour's UBS Order of Merit crown will be a top priority.

His confidence ahead of the 10th Macau Open is soaring high, thanks to one win and five other top-10s so far this year. He is just over US$4,000 behind leader Anton Haig of South Africa on the UBS Order of Merit but come Sunday, Liang hopes to see his name atop the ranking once more.

"That will be my goal, to be on top of the list by the end of this week," said Liang today. "I will play more on the Asian Tour this season, possibly nine more events, and aim to finish the year as number one. I think it'll be quite special if I can achieve it as no Chinese player has done it before. I'll give it a go."

The tenacious Liang has not played in Macau since 2002 but two previous top-10s at the challenging Macau Golf and Country Club plus his impressive form suggest that he will be amongst the favourites to dethrone title holder Kane Webber of Australia.

Liang will have to deal with several other candidates tipped for the Macau Open title, including Scott Hend of Australia, Simon Yates of Scotland, India's Gaurav Ghei and Malaysian Iain Steel, all ranked in the top-10 of the UBS Order of Merit.

Two-time Macau Open champion Zhang Lian-wei of China will chase for a record third title while perennial Macau contenders Scott Barr of Australia, who has finished second here twice previously and American Jason Knutzon, winner in 2004, are also tipped to contend. The 42-year-old Zhang will become the 13th player on the Asian Tour to earn over US$1 million in career earnings if he makes the cut this week.

Liang took last week off and hooked up with swing coach Kel Llwellyn, who has previously guided former Asia number ones, Jyoti Randhawa of India and Myanmar's Kyi Hla Han.

"I want to try to take my game to the next level. I have worked with Kel many years ago and we're trying to tighten the swing and eradicate unnecessary body movements," added Liang, who has a rather unorthodox golf swing.

"The last two years, I've looked after my own game but moving forward now, I will see Kel more regularly. He understands my game and ultimately, I want to reach a level where I can understand my own swing mechanics.

"I'll take it step by step. Hopefully, I can win the UBS Order of Merit and next year, I hope to play in the Majors and play more in Europe to test my game. If I can break into the world's top-50, it will be good as I can gain exemption into most of the Majors," said Liang, who is presently ranked 75th in the world.

Webber returns for his maiden title defence and knows that he must be on top of his game to triumph once more. Upon his return, the memories of his win came flooding back and the US-based Webber hopes it will push him into top gear once more.

"I'm feeling pretty good. Macau brings back a lot of good memories and it's a special place being my first win. We've got a great field and it'll be interesting. Winning last year showed that I belonged on the Asian Tour and I'm hoping that it will be another good week for me," said Webber.

Macau is like a second home for Zhang, China's greatest ever player, as he triumphed here in 2001 and 2002, the second victory probably the more memorable as he defeated Nick Price of Zimbabwe in a five-hole play-off.

"I always like to come back here. I've played in all the nine previous tournaments and have won twice but it's not enough. That's why I'm back here to try to win a third title again," said Zhang.

The Chinese trailblazer posted a first top-10 of the year at the recent Pine Valley Beijing Open which has given him a lift as he was struggling for a period of time. "That was a good encouragement for me. I hope to carry on from there," added the five-time Asian Tour winner.

Former US PGA Tour player Hend makes his first visit to Macau and hopes to roll out the right numbers to cap a return to form after a spell out with a hand injury. He has finished in the top-three twice in China last month and currently third on the UBS Order of Merit, the big-hitting Aussie is itching to lift a maiden trophy in Asia.

"I had a week off and it was good to recharge the batteries after three straight weeks. A top finish would be fantastic but what I really want to do is win which has been something I haven't been able to do yet. That's why I've set my goal to win this week."

May 16, 2007

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