Liang Wenchong returns home to headline this week's US$500,000 Midea China Classic in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, with every intention of securing a back-to-back victory here.
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Fresh off his victory in India, Liang Wenchong (R)gives golf tips to an amateur player during a meeting with fans in Shunde, Guangdong Province, yesterday, ahead of 2008 China Classic in Guangzhou. |
Fresh from his second Asian Tour triumph in India last week, the 2007 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion is looking forward to demonstrate that winning form all over again in front of his home fans.
"It's always an honour to play in front of your home fans. Last week was a great week for me in India and I definitely hope to repeat the same winning performance here again," said Liang, who fired a record breaking 12-under-par 60 in the opening round of last week's Hero Honda Indian Open in New Delhi, en route to winning the title.
It will be an emotional homecoming for Liang as this will be the first time since the start of the season that he is back competing in city he grew up in.
With a partisan home crowd behind him, a victory for Liang will fan further scenes of joy and euphoria, especially after China's record-breaking feat at the recent Beijing Olympics.
China topped the medal standings along with its greatest haul of gold medals ever and expectations of their sporting heroes are now at an all-time high.
"As Chinese, we are all very proud of our country's glorious achievements at the recent Olympics games. It'll be fantastic if we can raise the standards and profile of golf on the global stage, very much like what our other fellow country sportsmen have done," said Liang.
While a win for Liang this week will certainly reward his adorning fans, it will also ignite Liang's Asian Tour's Order of Merit challenge, currently led by Mark Brown of New Zealand.
"There are enough big-money events from now till the end of the year for anyone to narrow the gap, so the race is far from over. As for myself, I'm focusing on one event at a time and with a good performance each week, the race is definitely going to get very interesting," said Liang, who is presently ranked fifth on the rankings.
Fellow Chinese compatriot Zhang Lianwei, long regarded as the flag bearer of golf in China is also upbeat about Chinese prospects this week.
While he is also expected to put up a good showing in front of the home crowd, he believes that if any of the local Chinese wins this week, that win will stir the hearts of a billion people and go a long way towards raising the stature of the golf in the country.
(Agencies via Shanghai Daily October 16, 2008)