Jakarta, June 30: Globetrotting golfer Liang Wenchong tees-off tomorrow in the Indonesia Open presented by Enjoy Jakarta bidding to win his third title on OneAsia.Despite a hectic travel schedule over the past month which has seen him play in Europe, the United States and Japan, the Chinese number one said: “I am in good condition and ready to compete against a strong field.”
The US$1 million tournament is being played at the Damai Indah Golf - Pantai Indah Kapuk Course.
The 31-year-old was in good form last weekend finishing joint fourth in the Mizuno Open Yomiuri Classic in Japan. His high finish was soured by the fact that he narrowly missed out on qualifying for this year’s Open Championship. The top four in the event made it through to St. Andrews but Liang was one of six players who tied for fourth and lost out on count back.
“It is hard to describe how disappointed I am. I played well and was tied second with one round to play. The most important thing is to learn from such experiences,” said Liang.
Liang won the season opening Luxehills Chengdu Open in China on OneAsia in April. He also claimed the tour's Midea China Classic last year.
“I am playing well. At the Memorial Tournament in America last month I was leading the greens in regulation statistics for the first two rounds but putted poorly and missed the cut. I have been trying a different putter and putting style recently but that was a mistake so I have now gone back to my old style,” added Liang.
His career continues to go from strength to strength as he adds more titles to his impressive resume. Asia’s number one in 2007 he also won the Singapore Masters that same season and in 2008 he triumphed in the Hero Honda Indian Open.
“I am getting a bit older and the travelling is tiring but so far it is not too bad. I have learned a lot from Jeev Milkha Singh who I have travelled with and who travels more than most. The great thing is that we have more and more opportunities to play in tournaments like this week's Indonesia Open, where the players you're up against are doing well in their home countries," added Liang.
Other top players competing this week include Japan’s Shingo Katayama, former winner Thaworn Wiratchant from Thailand, and Singaporean Mardan Mamat.
Katayama is enjoying his first trip to Indonesia and was not too disappointed today having watched Japan lose to Paraguay on penalties last night in the World Cup.
“I watched the game until the very end. The games have been very exciting and what I have really liked is the feeling of national pride it brings out in everyone,” said Katayama.
Stetson-wearing Katayama, dubbed the “Cat in the Hat”, has been Japan’s number one on five occasions and has won 26 events on the lucrative circuit during a brilliant career.
The Japanese star has not won a tournament this season despite a string of top finishes in Japan.
He said: “I keep asking myself why I have not won this year. I am not too worried as I am confident I will win a couple of times. I have not won overseas before so it would be great to win here in Indonesia.”
The popular golfer is one of the few top Japanese players to compete overseas and has twice come close to winning a Major. He was equal fourth in the 2001 US PGA Championship and came fourth in last year’s US Masters.
The Indonesia Open presented by Enjoy Jakarta is the fifth leg of the burgeoning OneAsia - which will stage 11 tournaments with a total of more than US$12 million in prize money this season.
This week's event 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 this week's event will be available domestically on ESPN Star Sports, as well as internationally on ESPN3.com, Network Ten, America One and Bloomberg Television among others.
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About OneAsia
OneAsia is a non-profit organisation developed to maximize elite tournament opportunities in Asia-Pacific. The Founding members of OneAsia are the China Golf Association, the Korea Golf Tour, the Korea Golf Association and the PGA of Australia. The mission of OneAsia is not just to allow the region’s best players to gain access to more events, but to ultimately provide them with an alternative pathway to the PGA Tour and the European Tour, thus retaining the best golfing talent in the region without compromising their development.
For more information, please contact:
Janice Lee Fang
PR & Media Manager - OneAsia
Mobile: +65 8268 8155
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Simon Wilson
Media Manager - World Sport Group
Mobile: +65 9127 5419
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