Liang targeting 4th OneAsia win at Midea China Classic
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China's Liang Wenchong, the most successful player in the short history of OneAsia with three victories to his name, will bid for a fourth title at this week's US$1 million Midea China Classic, which tees off on Thursday.
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China's Liang Wenchong, the most successful player in the short history of OneAsia with three victories to his name, will bid for a fourth title at this week's US$1 million Midea China Classic, which tees off on Thursday. |
Liang won the Midea tournament last year and this season added the Luxehills Chengdu Open and Thailand Open to his growing list of triumphs. The 32-year-old charged to top spot on OneAsia's Order of Merit with winnings of US$493,200 before Y.E. Yang took over after his victory in last week's Kolon Korea Open.
Liang, the former Asian number one, lifted the Midea title last year by four shots from his mentor Zhang Lianwei and is confident of retaining the crown at the Royal Orchid International Golf Club in Shunde, south of Guangzhou.
"It's a good course at Royal Orchid and I played well last year to win," said Liang. "I really hope to defend the title this year – that is my aim."
"The course is not so long but you have to be accurate with your drives. I am comfortable on the greens as I can read the grain. I have a good feeling coming back to defend my title."
Liang enjoys hero status in China and is assured of great support during the Midea China Classic.
"It is always good to play, and win, in China. I get great backing from the spectators there," Liang added. "A lot more people are watching and playing golf than before. Things are coming good in China."
Liang showed his class with an eighth-place finish in the US PGA Championship in August at Whistling Straits, where he shot a course record eight-under-par 64 in the third round. His performance in the final Major of the year has boosted his confidence.
"It was a huge learning experience," he said. "I always learn a lot from playing in the big events but the US PGA Championship gave me even greater experience. It was a great week playing with so many world-class players and gave me more confidence in my game."
The Midea China Classic is the eighth of 10 OneAsia events in the circuit's second season. The tournament purse has doubled to US$1 million on the OneAsia platform due to the continued sponsorship support from the Midea Group for the sixth consecutive year.
The Midea China Classic will be showcased on OneAsia's television platform with live coverage for four hours a day across all four tournament days, and broadcast to over 260 million homes in more than 40 countries.
Full coverage of the event is available internationally on ESPN Star Sports, Jupiter Golf Network, SBS Golf Channel, Fox International, Network Ten, Sky Sports NZ, ESPN3 and America One in the USA, ViaSat and Bloomberg Television among others in Europe.
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