Chinese golfer wants to help sport grow at home
Liang Wen-chong was well aware of Augusta National Golf Club's practice of extending Masters Tournament invitations to top international players.
After his performance on the Asian Tour last year, he had an inkling where he would be in early April, but nothing was set in stone. Then came the phone call making it official.
"That's what Augusta usually do," he said through an interpreter about Augusta National's inviting foreign players, "but it was not confirmed before I got a phone call."
He is not the first mainland Chinese player to compete in the Masters -- that honor goes to his close friend Zhang Lian-wei, who missed the cut in 2004. In 2007, Liang became the first Chinese player to win the Asian Tour's Order of Merit, the same year he was that tour's top-ranked player.
One of his biggest thrills this week was playing a practice round with Gary Player. Liang said the three-time Masters champ gave him invaluable tips on how to play the course and also helped him cope with the large crowds that typically aren't seen on his tour.
"If I played without Gary Player, I think I wouldn't have been able to handle so many people around here with the practice round," he said.
Liang grew up in Zhongshan and was introduced to the sport at age 16 after being recruited by Zhongshan Hot Spring Golf Club, the country's first golf club. He said the club was started in 1984 and in 1993 began to recruit youths to "train" to play golf. He said the club has supported him since.
Golf in China, Liang said, still ranks below other sports such as soccer and table tennis in popularity, but the game is growing.
"I certainly think that golf in China is growing right now, rapidly," said Liang, 29. "And I hope that more and more international resources will come to support China golf and help China golf develop."
To help the game in China, Liang donated the $183,000 he earned for winning the Clariden Leu Singapore Masters last year to golf development.
"I just hope that golf in China will develop better and better," Liang said.
He expects the tour he plays on to also get better.
"The competition on your PGA Tour is at a higher level than Asian Tour, but we just need a little more time for the Asian Tour to grow up," said Liang, who has played in a number of PGA tournaments and tied for 12th at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans two weeks ago.
"There are presently some top Asian Tour players now on the PGA Tour," he said, "so we just need some time for the Asian Tour to grow up and be a high-level golf tour."
Reach Mike Wynn at (706) 823-3218 or mike.wynn@augustachronicle.com.
