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Liang invited to play first Major at US PGA

Chinese star Liang Wen-chong, the current Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit leader, has received a special exemption to compete in the 89th US PGA Championship from August 9-12.

Liang has never played in a Major previously and was delighted to receive his invitation from the PGA of America to play at Southern Hills Country Club for the year’s fourth and final Major.

His mentor and close friend Zhang Lian-wei was the first Chinese player to feature in a Major when he was invited to play in the US Masters in 2004.

"I am very surprised. I was in Japan fighting for a place to the British Open at the Mizuno Open last week when I received the good news on Saturday evening. I am very happy and I am glad to be given this opportunity following a lot of hard work," said Liang in a statement through his management company.

"It will be my first Major and it's an important step for me and somewhat of a consolation to the weekend's result (where he missed out on his place at the British Open)."

Liang, 28, has enjoyed a stellar season so far on the Asian Tour, winning the Clariden Leu Singapore Masters and posting six other top-10s to lead the UBS Order of Merit where he is bidding to become the first Chinese to lift the prestigious crown.

Last week, the tenacious Liang missed out on a date with the British Open following a rain and fog plagued Mizuno Open, a specially designated event on the Japan Tour in which the top four players earned automatic entry into the Open.

The event was reduced to 54 holes which halted Liang’s charge as he had climbed to as high as eighth place before play was suspended on Sunday and eventually cancelled. He ended up tied 13th where he had finished on Saturday.

Liang, who is currently ranked 83rd in the world, will also feature in the World Golf Championship-Bridgestone Invitational in Ohio, the week before the PGA Championship thanks to his victory in Singapore.

"My manager told me shortly after my win in Singapore that I'd earned entry into the Bridgestone, which will be my first big tournament since it is a WGC event and just as big as the Majors in terms of prize money and top players.

“To have two big tournaments in a row is simply perfect for me. I have started preparing for the trip to the US. These two tournaments will be great opportunities for me to improve on my world ranking and to further test my game against the very best players in the world."

June 29, 2007