Liang moves up to second in Order of Merit

The 28-year-old Liang, whose prodigious talent is matched equally by his tenacity, is a strong candidate to claim a long-awaited victory after he moved into joint second place on the Asian Tour's UBS Order of Merit on Sunday.

The protégé of Zhang Lian-wei, China's all-time great with five titles in the region, Liang displayed his growing maturity once again by taking on the game's best players at the Commercialbank Qatar Masters, finishing tied ninth and five shots behind winner Retief Goosen.

The Zhongshan-based Liang enjoyed the pleasure of playing alongside three-time Major winner Ernie Els of South Africa in the final round and the unorthodox swinger did not bat an eyelid in his chase for a maiden triumph.

At one stage, Liang moved to within one stroke of the lead on the back nine in Doha before a bogey on the 11th knocked him his stride. He settled for a closing 70 to share the honour of being the region's best performers in the co-sanctioned event with Europe alongside two-time Asian Tour number one Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand.

“I'm always thinking about getting my first win in Asia, but I have to take it one step at a time,” said Liang, who earned US$46,640. "I'm pleased with how my game has progressed."

Malaysia's Airil Rizman Zahari, winner of the season-opening Pakistan Open, still leads the UBS Order of Merit race on US$47,550 after two legs of the 2007 season but certainly, much can be expected of Liang this season.

Growing up in Zhongshan, the home of China's first modern-day golf course designed by Arnold Palmer, Liang's progress has been closely monitored since he burst onto the scene by finishing fourth at the 1999 Volvo China Open as an amateur.

Over the past seven seasons, Liang has accumulated 16 top-10s in Asia and has also established himself in Japan in recent years where he delivered five top-10s last season. Liang, who earned a slice of history by shooting the Tour's 100th hole in one in 2002, knows that the experience gained while playing alongside great names like Els will provide invaluable lessons.

"I've got more experience now at the top level after my two years in Japan as well. So when I look at the leaderboard now, I'm not nervous at all,” he added.

"It was great to have the opportunity to play with Ernie. We talked a bit out there, I was asking if he would come back to play again in China this year. I was relaxed and played really well on the front nine.

"I concentrated hard on my own game and did okay. I overshot the green on the 11th with a strong five iron. That stopped my momentum. I think I have learnt a lot by playing with Ernie. You can see that if they miss a shot, they always bounce back at the next shot," he said.

The young Chinese has shown that he has a heart of gold as well. After winning the final event of the Omega China Tour last year, he returned the winning cheque of US$19,000 to the local governing body, requesting them to create a fund to allow aspiring pros to venture abroad.

From Doha, Liang will this week head to Wack Wack Golf and Country Club for the Philippine Open starting on Thursday. If the likeable Liang does not win this week, it'll be only a matter of time before the door to victory opens for him.

UBS ORDER OF MERIT – TOP-20

Pos. Name Winnings (US$)

1. Airil Rizman ZAHARI (MAS) 47,550
2. Thongchai JAIDEE (THA) 46,640
2. LIANG Wen-chong (CHN) 46,640
4. Simon HURD (ENG) 32,600
5. Scott HEND (AUS) 32,550
6. Jeev Milkha SINGH (IND) 23,540
6. Edward MICHAELS (USA) 23,540
8. Shiv KAPUR (IND) 19,580
8. Chawalit PLAPHOL (THA) 19,580
10. Chris RODGERS (ENG) 18,935
11. Thaworn WIRATCHANT (THA) 16,500
12. SUK Jong-yul (KOR) 14,300
12. Scott STRANGE (AUS) 14,300
12. Jason KNUTZON (USA) 14,300
15. Rahil GANGJEE (IND) 11,235
16. Mardan MAMAT (SIN) 11,220
16. Chinarat PHADUNGSIL (THA) 11,220
16. Terry PILKADARIS (AUS) 11,220
16. Anton HAIG (RSA) 11,220
20. Anthony KANG (USA) 10,290

January 29, 2007

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