Chengdu, 12 April 2011 - China’s Liang Wenchong and Korean Noh Seung-yul - the number one players on OneAsia and the Asian Tour respectively last season - will go head-to-head in a contest for the ages at next week’s OneAsia and European Tour co-sanctioned US$3 million Volvo China Open.
The talented Asian duo will be among the favourites for OneAsia’s second tournament of the season at Luxehills International Country Club from April 21-24.
They will face strong challenges from defending champion Y. E. Yang of Korea, Asia’s first Major winner, two-time British Open winner Padraig Harrington of Ireland and resurgent Spaniard Sergio Garcia.
Liang is hoping that local knowledge will help him come out top in the battle of the number ones and achieve his lifelong ambition, victory in his home Open.
The 32-year-old Chinese rates the Volvo China Open as the most prestigious event of the year in Asia and his win last year in OneAsia’s Luxehills Chengdu Open, also played at Luxehills International, gives him a distinct advantage.
“The Volvo China Open is the most important tournament to me. It's more important than all the Majors I’ve played. Your country's national Open is the most important event to a player,” said Liang.
“I have done everything to prepare for the tournament. It is the one I want to win.”
Liang triumphed at the 2010 Luxehills Chengdu Open after a playoff with Kim Hyung-tae of Korea, setting the tone for a magnificent season that saw him add the Thailand Open trophy to his cabinet and win OneAsia’s Order of Merit.
He shot four rounds in the sixties at Luxehills International, including a course record 64 on the opening day, for a total of 21-under-par 267.
The world number 90 will draw on his familiarity with the layout and those positive vibes as he attempts to win the Volvo China Open for the first time and match the feat of his mentor Zhang Lianwei, who triumphed in 2003.
Liang knows that there is great interest in Chinese golf with the sport being introduced into the Olympics in 2016 and he is ready to rise to the challenge of representing his country in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
“It would be like a dream come true to represent China at the Olympics in 2016,” he said. “I will be just 38 years old, I think I will still be able to play (to a good standard).”
Noh also flew high last season with a fantastic victory in the Maybank Malaysian Open, like the Volvo China Open a co-sanctioned event with the European Tour, en route to capturing the Asian Tour Order of Merit.
The 19-year-old wrote his name into the history books as the second youngest winner of a European Tour event and the youngest player to be crowned number one on the Asian circuit.
Andre Stolz, winner of OneAsia’s season-opening Indonesia PGA Championship, and Kim Felton, the 2010 Midea China Classic champion, will lead the Australian challenge.
Two other OneAsia winners from last season, Kiwi Michael Hendry and Kim Dae-hyun of Korea, also feature in a strong line-up along with world number 83 Tetsuji Hiratsuka of Japan.
The globetrotting Hiratsuka, a five-time champion in Japan who won three events on the Asian Tour last season, recently finished ninth in the Trophee Hassan II in Morocco.
Full coverage of OneAsia is available internationally, namely on ESPN Star Sports, Jupiter Golf Network, SBS Golf Channel, Fox International, Network Ten and Sky Sports NZ, among others.
For more information please visit www.volvochinaopen.com or contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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Notes to Editors:
VolvoVolvo is golf’s most prolific sponsor; the 2011 Volvo China Open will be the 123rd event staged under the title sponsorship of Volvo. Volvo’s global golf portfolio is planned and managed by Volvo Event Management – Golf, which is owned 50% by Volvo Cars, 50% by Volvo Group.
The Volvo company was inaugurated in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1927 and in 1999, Volvo Cars was sold to the Ford Motor Company, whilst Volvo Group remained independent. Today, Volvo Car Corporation, which is still headquartered in Gothenburg, is owned by Geely Automotive; Volvo Cars sells almost 350,000 cars per year, including its latest models, the award-winning Volvo S60 and Volvo V60.
Volvo Group comprises six individual business areas; Volvo Aero, Volvo Buses, Volvo Construction Equipment, Volvo Financial Services, Volvo Penta and Volvo Trucks, which is the second largest manufacturer of heavy trucks in the world.
Global sponsorships such as the Volvo China Open, the Volvo World Match Play Championship, the Volvo Golf Champions and the Volvo Ocean Race are shared between Volvo Cars and Volvo Group.
The Luxehills Golf Course – A Venue for World-Class Golf Tournaments
The Luxehills International Country Club is the golf club nearest to the city center of Chengdu. This 7335 yards, 18 holes and par 72 golf course was designed by Mark Hollinger, a renowned golf course designer of JMP Golf Design Group from California, USA. It is also part of Luxehills International Community, the most prominent real estate project in the South-West Region developed by Wide Horizon Real Estate Co. Ltd..The golf club is composed of a fully functional clubhouse in typical North American style and an 18-hole Championship golf course, which is the only golf course with the experience of consecutively hosting professional international tournaments in western China. Luxehills Golf Club has been awarded “China Top 10 Golf Clubs” in 2010.
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 destination to the PGA Tour and the European Tour within Asia, thus retaining the best golfing talent in the region without compromising their development.
