2006 China Tour Zhuhai Leg

Zhang Lianwei, the first Chinese golfer to win on the European Tour has called on the services of his rival’s brother in the hope of ending his two-and-a-half year winless streak. The 41-year-old has hired Liang Wenjian for the Omega China Tour – Zhuhai Leg which starts today (Thursday). Liang Wenjian carried the bags for his younger brother Liang Wenchong during his victory in last month’s Hainan Leg and in last year’s Zhuhai Leg.

“He helped Liang Wenchong win two titles. Since he’s available this time and I do need a caddy I brought him here to give both of us a chance to see if he really is the champion caddy,” laughed Zhang, who hasn’t won since the 2003 Volvo China Open and makes no secret of his desire to end his streak on the China Tour at the Golden Gulf Golf Club this week.

“This is my third time on the Omega China Tour. I finished second and third in the previous two events. I’m happy with that but I still believe I can do better,” he said.

No Chinese player has ever enjoyed the luxury of a full-time bag-man, and with Liang Wenchong, who only uses his brother in Chinese events, playing Japan’s PGA Championship this week, Zhang decided to road test Liang Wenjian with a view to a longer-term arrangement.

“I need a professional caddy and I’ve been looking for one for years,” said Zhang, who made history by beating Ernie Else to claim the Asian and European PGA Tour’s Caltex Masters in 2003. “Everybody knows if you’re hiring a professional caddy it’s makes the tournament twice as expensive. Because of this budget problem I’ve been trying to get myself in a position to do this for years. I believe one good caddy will definitely lead me to more success.

“There are three qualities I need. The first is that he must be a good English speaker. Secondly he needs to be familiar with the rules. The last one is that he has to have played golf. It’s really hard to find the one guy who is qualified like that. I’ve been trying a lot of pros as caddies. I’ve tried local golf course caddies. They are either good at reading the greens or good golfers, but none of them have good English. I’m going to try and solve this, this year. Hopefully I can find one. Liang’s brother doesn’t speak English, but at least he is qualified in the other two factors. So I’m giving him a try this time to see how he works.”

While Zhang will be trying to establish his new relationship with Liang Wenjian, his closest rival in the Zhuhai Leg is an increasingly familiar one. 26-year-old Li Chao has emerged as a remarkably consistent player since the China Tour launched last year. On top of his two victories in 2005 he finished second in Zhuhai, ahead of Zhang and behind Liang. He followed that up with a third-place in the 2006 Hainan Leg while sandwiching that performance by being the only Chinese player to make the cut in the Asian and European Tour co-sanctioned TCL Classic and Volvo China Open.

“I’m glad to be playing this beautiful golf course, because I know it was the best venue in 2005 since it has great equipment a great set-up and all the facilities are high class. And of course the condition of the golf course is excellent too,” Li said. “I love to come back here and play and to tell you the truth I’m ready for this. I’ve certainly noticed a lot of changes, especially the rough. They’ve left it really long. Once you get in there, it’s really hard to get out. This is one of the factors we have to face, plus the wind direction is totally different from last year. Many of the par fives are playing into the wind at the moment, unlike last year. It adds a lot of distance to the course. This will definitely be another challenge for the tournament.”

The challenge for the rest of the field is to produce four consistent rounds. There are at least 20 players on the Omega China Tour capable of challenging Liang and Zhang on any given day, but they have yet to master the indefinable art of producing four quality rounds.

“This is the problem I have to change, because I know we’re playing four rounds of golf, not one round,” said 26-year-old Yuan Hao, who led the field in the Hainan Leg after a first round 66, but finished fourth.

“If I can go low for one round I should be able to keep it going. That’s the game of golf. That’s why Zhang Lianwei, Liang Wenchong and Li Chao do so well, because they always keep their game going. I turned pro in 2004 and in two years of practice and tournament experience I’ve started to realise that keeping a stable tempo and an attacking approach are the two things I have to work out. I believe I can do better at the Zhuhai Leg this time. This is the third year of my professional career. I’m going to make the most of it.”

Another playing to show a fleeting glimpse in Hainan was Wu Weihuang, the runner-up in the 2005 Beijing Leg, who forced his way into the top 10 after a disappointing tournament with a flawless 65 on the soggy final day.

“I’m always aggressive. I never think about laying up or backing off. That’s probably the reason why my scores can be very unstable,” said the 38-year-old from Fujian, who discovered the game through his work managing a construction company.

“It’s good to be aware that I have this kind of problem. One day I can shoot 66 and the next day it can be 76. I’m working on this and I’m going to change this. That is the only way to win.”

Consistency is going to be particularly important with Golden Gulf’s lush rough as punishing as any the players have faced so far on the Omega China Tour.

“It’s a good challenge for the players to perform here, with the course in such good condition but with the wind, the rough and all the sand traps,” declared Song Liangliang, the Deputy Secretary General of the China Golf Association (CGA).

“I’ve noticed the quality of the maintenance of the course and the excellent condition of the fairways, plus the difficult green set-up. These are all good factors for a high-class event and the kind of tournament the CGA wants.”

May 10, 2006

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