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Liang looks for winning spark at Firestone

China’s in-form star Liang Wen-chong will be hoping for Lady Luck to smile upon him when he tees off at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational on Thursday, which falls on his 29th birthday.

Liang, the current leader of the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit, will be driven for success against the world’s best at Firestone Country Club in Ohio, United States where Tiger Woods will return as defending champion.

Liang earned his place at the Bridgestone Invitational thanks to his triumphant run at the Clariden Leu Singapore Masters in March. The Zhongshan-born player is enjoying a stellar season where he has also posted six other top-10s.

During this time, he has been given the mantle as China’s flagbearer by his mentor and good friend, Zhang Lian-wei and he also played his way into the history books by becoming China’s first millionaire golfer when he surpassed the US$1 million mark in career earnings on the Asian Tour in May.

Liang’s appearance in Firestone should provide the spark for him to make an impression in America. After this week’s lucrative US$8 million event, the tenacious Chinese will make his Major debut at the US PGA Championship, the year’s fourth and final Major.

“To have two big tournaments in a row is simply perfect for me. 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,” said Liang, who is ranked 93rd in the world.

The other Asian Tour stars eager to leave an impression at the Bridgestone Invitational include India’s Jeev Milkha Singh, winner of the UBS Order of Merit last year, Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand, who qualified through his victory at the season-ending Volvo Masters of Asia last December, and South African Anton Haig winner of the Johnnie Walker Classic in March.

Singh, 36, will be hoping to regain the winning form that saw him enjoy a stellar 2006 season. He won four times across the world and broke into the world’s top-50 for the first time in his career.

Fresh from a first top-10 at the British Open and with two US PGA Tour victories under his belt this season, former Asian Tour regular Choi Kyung-ju of Korea will arrive in Ohio looking to snare the title. The 12th ranked player in the world will be joined by compatriot Yang yong-eun, triumphant last year at the HSBC Champions where he defeated Woods.

August 1, 2007