Chinese Players Making Waves
August 12, 2011

Chinese players are beginning to show their huge potential on the OneAsia and the opening round of this weeks Thailand Open is a good example.

In the absence of countryman Liang Wenchong, who is not defending his title here after qualifying for the PGA Championship with a superb eighth-place finish last year, several players have emerged from the shadow of last year's OneAsia number one.

Young gun Hu Mu, who played college golf in the United States before
embarking on his pro career this year, shot a six-under-par 66 to lie second behind Australia's Ryan Haller after the first round.

Then Wu Ashun, currently the highest placed Chinese on the OneAsia moneylist at 23rd, stormed into contention with a 67 in the second round on Friday.

Wu has claimed two top-15 finishes in the six tournaments he has played and won US$50,772.

The 21-year-old Hu, a product of the David Leadbetter Academy in Florida, is convinced that regular competition on OneAsia has helped Chinese players improve their games.

"OneAsia provides Chinese golfers with a lot more tournament opportunities than they had before. There is no doubt about that," he said.

"As a result, everybody is getting better and better and playing well in
tournaments. Golf is still young in China and the professional players are
still getting used to the travel and the courses.

"But you can see they are improving and playing better golf which is
encouraging for Chinese golf."

The displays by Chinese players at the Thailand Open follow landmark
achievements at the Indonesia Open Presented by Jakarta and the Nanshan Chinese Masters.

An unprecedented 26 Chinese players teed it up at last month's Indonesia
Open, the seventh leg of OneAsia, with a record 10 professionals from the
mainland making the cut for an event outside of China.

Thirteen Chinese reached the weekend play at the Nanshan China Masters an accomplishment that observers pointed to as quietly heralding the dawn of a new age for the professional game in the world's most populous nation.

It also negated unsubstantiated criticism from some quarters that Chinese
golf was suffering because of its association with OneAsia.

"On the evidence laid before us at OneAsia's inaugural Nanshan China Masters it would seem that it is a case of when and not if the world's most populous country will produce its first Major golfing winner," wrote Asian Golf Monthly editor Spencer Robinson, one of the most respected voices in Asian golf.

Trailblazer Liang also predicts great things for China golf with a medal at
the 2016 Olympic Games a real possibility.

"I think the young Chinese golfers are motivated and inspired to play well.
What we need is a strong platform to develop these golfers and hone their skills to another level.

"I am happy that a tour such as OneAsia is here to provide us with that kind of platform, where Chinese players are exposed to more playing opportunities overseas," said Liang.

"With this in place, I hope that China will at least win a medal at the 2016
Olympic Games."