Liang makes British Open cut
Monday, 21st July 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Playing in his third major, Liang finally made the cut at Royal Birkdale with an eight-over-par 148 over the first two rounds. Liang, currently number one on the Asian Tour, shot a 77 and a 74 on the last two rounds, ending with an overall score of 299, 19 over par. He finished in a three-way tie for 64th place.
"I'm happy overall. This is my first time at The Open and I made it through the weekend," Liang said, according to this report from the Omega China Tour. "A tournament like this is a great learning experience. You learn to be patient and I'll take this experience and apply it in future tournaments. I can become better."
Liang competed in last year's PGA Championship and this April's Masters, missing the cut both times. He is the first Chinese player at the Open Championship. This year, he will play in three US PGA Tour events, the Canadian Open, the Reno-Tahoe Open and the Wyndham Championship.
For more on Liang, see this recent Golf Digest feature: Golf in the Year of the Rat
Image: Omega China Tour
Tags: British Open, golf, Liang Wenchong, Omega China Tour, Open Championship
Darren Clarke Wins BMW Open
Monday, 28th April 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Clarke took a two-stroke lead over Derksen after the 14th hole, but proceeded to bogey 16 and 17 to head to the 18th in a tie with Derksen. Clarke then birdied 18 for the win and the US$383,330 purse, with a final 8-under-par 280 over four rounds.
"Sometimes things are meant to happen, sometimes not. I guess today was my day," said Clarke. "I was thinking of getting it to the hole (on the 18th) and I wasn't going to lag it up. I putted nicely this week, and wanted to give myself a chance on the last and I hit a solid putt. It was tracking six foot out and sometimes it's meant to go in."
At 5 under par, Li Wen-Tang from Taiwan finished in a three-way tie for third place with Italy's Francesco Molinari and Englishman Robert Dinwiddie. China's top player, Liang Wenchong, finished 14th at even par.
The tournament is part of a China marketing strategy for BMW that has the goal of double-digit sales growth in the Middle Kingdom this year, according to this report in Forbes magazine. It is also part of a broader sports marketing strategy for the automaker, which this month put on the BMW Formula Europe Formula 1 racing event and the BMW Sailing Cup.
In the photo with Clarke are flight attendants from Dubai–based Emirates Airline, another major sponsor of the event.
Tags: BMW China Open, golf, Li Wen-Tang, Liang Wenchong, Shanghai Tomson Pudong Golf Club
The Masters' China Play is Liang's Opportunity of a Lifetime
Thursday, 3rd April 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
That's good news for Liang Wenchong of Guangdong province, one of three Asian players who received an invite to The 2008 Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia April 7-13. Liang is ranked 111th in the world; Thailand's Prayad Marksaeng is number 93; Jeev Milkha Singh is ranked 80th. These guys would not have been invited based on their performance alone. In addition to promoting general interest in the game in those three countries, their inclusion in golf's premier event will reap the more immediate reward of increased TV viewership for the event's Asia broadcasts.
The commercial motivation for Liang's invite is no secret. Augusta chairman Billy Payne told the UK Guardian: "They are outstanding representatives of their respective countries. This is also another component in our objective of growing the game of golf worldwide utilising the Masters brand. We think the interest in golf in each country will heighten when these players compete in the Masters." The tournament is being promoted in China with ads featuring Liang with Tiger Woods. The chance to see the kid from Guangdong tee off with Tiger is sure to get a lot of people here excited enough to watch the tournament.
Less excited about the decision is 44-year-old Scottish professional golfer Colin Montgomerie, who has not been invited. "There has been no call from Augusta and I am not expecting one," he said. "Now, if I were the only person in the country, à la China, I might get in. It is a strange way to make up a field for a Major championship—television rights. They are quite open about why."
At a rank of 75, Montgomerie wasn't good enough to get an automatic bid. Those go to the top 50 players in the world, and to players who meet one of several other criteria, such as winning the British Open. But Augusta also extends special invites at its own discretion, and Montgomerie feels robbed because he didn't get one of those.
Montgomerie's been written off as a whiner by some sports media. As for us here at China Sports Today, we will be tuning in to see what two guys can do next week: One's named Tiger and the other is Liang.
Image: Omega China Tour
Tags: golf, Liang Wenchong