2008 China Tour Guangzhou Championship - Round 4: Zhang lifts season opener and defends title by four shots

Zhang Lianwei successfully defended his US$100,000 Guangzhou Championship title by holding off talented Chinese Taipei duo Chan Yihshin and Hsu Mongnan, both impressing in their debut appearance on the Omega China Tour.

Zhang started the day two ahead of Chan and stretched his lead to five with a birdie at the second hole, as Chan went on to suffer a bogey-strewn front nine.

After that, the Chinese star stayed clear in front and came home in one-over-par 73 for a three-under total of 285, four strokes ahead of his playing partners. Hsu also shot 73 while Chan carded a 75.

"I was always confident. Even if I compete against the number one player in the world, I believe in myself and play my game," said Zhang, who won RMB150,000 (US$21,000).

"I really hope the younger generation of Chinese golfers can have a similar attitude when they take to the course. The main competition in golf is yourself, so you should always be confident," he added.

Chan had led by three strokes after the opening round and by one from Hsu at the halfway stage, creating talk of the possibility of the Omega China Tour's first non-mainland winner.

However, at the weekend the Chinese Taipei duo, both special invites, were comprehensively outplayed by the 42-year-old Zhang over the tough Dragon Lake Golf Club layout, venue for the 2010 Asian Games golf event.

Chan, in particular, wished he could have shared Zhang's self-confidence, as he struggled to a six-over-par front nine.

However, he recovered to shoot three-under on the back nine, including a crucial birdie putt on the 18th to draw level with his compatriot and good friend.

"I was really nervous at the beginning of the round. I was too urgent and rushed my shots, so my front nine wasn't good. But on the back nine, I told myself to calm down and played better," said the stocky 30-year-old, a two-time winner on his domestic circuit last year.

"I'm really happy to finish second in my first event on the Omega China Tour, so the first thing I did was call my wife, as she's looking after our two-month-old daughter," Chan added proudly.

Hsu, 34, missed a makeable putt on the 18th for the third day running, but was also very positive about the experience, hoping for more invitations to the 10-event Tour.

"I played all right, scoring the same as Zhang today, and I'm happy with the final result. It's my first time on this Tour and I definitely want to play more in the future," said Hsu, who finished third in last year's Mercuries Taiwan Masters on the Asian Tour but didn't progress from this year's qualifying school for the regional circuit.

Li Chao, Omega Order of Merit winner in 2005 and 2007, finished fourth in Guangzhou on two-over-par after shooting a 72. It concluded an impressive comeback by the 27-year-old, who shot a 78 in the opening round.

There were also encouraging displays from teenage amateurs Su Dong, who finished tied for eighth, and Hu Mu, who shot a best-of-the-day 69 to finish 19th.

The Tour's next event is the Dell Championship, marking the first title sponsorship of a Chinese tournament by the computer giant, which is also the circuit's Official Computer Systems and Monitors partner.

The Dell Championship will be played from March 27-30 at the Orient (Xiamen) Golf and Country Club in Xiamen. This year's Omega China Tour features 10 events and total prize money of US$1.1 million.

Click here for final leaderboard

March 16, 2008