Zhang looks for second Singapore success

China’s Zhang Lian-wei is hoping that lightning strikes twice when he tees it up in the Lion City next week for the Barclays Singapore Open, dubbed the “Major of Asia.”

Zhang’s biggest win to date came at the 2003 Singapore Masters when he birdied the last hole to edge Ernie Els for the title and become the first Chinese to win a co-sanctioned Asian Tour and European Tour event.

That victory resulted in a dream invitation to the 2004 US Masters and cemented Zhang’s reputation as the player who has had the biggest influence on the rapid expansion of golf on mainland China.

The 42-year-old has played a limited schedule this year but his third victory of the season last Sunday on the fast-developing Omega China Tour proved that he still has a lot of game.

Zhang was the only player under par in the Omega Championship in Beijing and his 14 birdies in the last two rounds showed that he can shoot low when it matters.

“The win has put me in a really good mood for the Barclays Singapore Open,” said Zhang. “It was a good season-ending performance and showed that I can still produce despite my age.

“I enjoyed finishing in red numbers and being the only player under par.”

He credited a new set of Honma clubs for giving him the edge over the field that included Asian Tour winners Wang Ter-chang and Lu Wen-teh of Chinese Taipei.

“It surprised me a bit that I played well with the club change. I used the same brand but the drivers and irons were new,” he added.

Zhang said that he was not going into the star-studded Barclays Singapore Open at Sentosa Golf Clbu from November 1-4 looking for big-name scalps but wanted to put on a good show.

“I will be looking for a top-10 finish in Singapore,” said Zhang, who has won five times on the Asian Tour. “I have good memories of Singapore having won the Masters title and feel good there.

“I hit the ball really close in the Omega Championship. I had a lot of birdies because of that but I was not really satisfied with my putting. I had three three putts during the final round. I will need to improve my putting if I am going to do anything in Singapore.

“The Serapong Course (at Sentosa Golf Club) is undulating and also it is right beside the sea. There are a lot of factors that can affect your score. I will try and keep my momentum and perform well.

“Hopefully Liang Wen-chong (current leader of the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit) and I can do well and fly the flag for China.”

World number two Phil Mickelson of the United States, two-time defending champion Adam Scott of Australia, last year’s runner up Ernie Els, who picked up a million pounds sterling for his recent victory in the World Match Play Championship over his home course at Wentworth, prolific winner Vijay Singh of Fiji and Korea’s Choi Kyung-ju who is coming off a successful season with two wins on the PGA Tour, are among the main draw cards for the Barclays Singapore Open.

October 28, 2007

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