China’s most decorated golfers Zhang Lian-wei and Liang Wen-chong will lead the challenge to bring the Venetian Macao Open trophy back to their homeland for the first time in 14 years when the prestigious tournament takes place on October 13-16 at the Macau Golf & Country Club.
A five-time Asian Tour winner, Zhuhai native Zhang is the only player from his country to have held the Venetian Macao Open trophy, when he won back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002. In the tournament’s 17-year history, the 51-year-old has only missed the event once due to injury. Making every cut bar-one, Zhang is one of the most vocal supporters of the US $1.1 million event and is currently having a stellar season after recording his country’s first title on the European Senior Tour in the UK.
Zhang said:
“The Venetian Macao Open is an extremely special event to me. Apart from the wonderful memories of winning the tournament, I have seen it grow into one of the best and most prestigious stops on the Asian Tour. The field gets stronger year after year and with Scott Hend and Anirban Lahiri back to play, alongside Branden Grace and Darren Clarke, it is gearing up to be another exciting event. I have had some great moments this season both on the seniors and main tours, and I look forward to performing well in Macao. Hopefully I will put myself in position for a shot at the title once again.”
Zhang will be joined by Liang, the only Chinese golfer to ever make the top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking and win the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit title. The 38-year-old has played the last three Venetian Macao Opens, and was the top Chinese finisher each time. The 2007 Asian Tour number one commented:
“I am delighted to be returning to the Venetian Macao Open. I still have vivid memories of my appearance in 2013 – I remember playing better as the tournament went on and ended up finishing just outside of the top 10. The event is an important stop for me given its timing and quality of field. As the season draws to a close, it is always a confidence booster when you do well at a tournament like Macao. It really sets you up for the next year.”
The two legends will lead six other gifted countrymen, five of whom are 20-years-old or younger, in attempt to wrestle the title away from defending champion Scott Hend of Australia. Nineteen-year-old Dou Ze-cheng has a current Official World Golf Ranking of 179, following an impressive season of four tournament wins. The Venetian Macao Open debutant turned professional in 2014 and has rapidly climbed the rankings since then, thanks largely to four victories on the domestic circuit this season.
The quality field for the 2016 tournament will also feature Cao Yi (26) and She Zi-han (19), both of whom put in outstanding performances at the Yulongwan Yunnan Open earlier this year to finish 4th and 6th respectively, as well as this season’s the two-time tour runner-up, 20-year-old Chen Zi-hao from Zhuhai. Liu Yan-wei, whose best performance in 2016 was a tied-6th finish at the Cadillac Championship, and 16-year-old sensation Zhang Jun-bin round off the Chinese contingent at the 2016 Venetian Macao Open.
Inaugurated in 1998, The Venetian Macao became title sponsor of the tournament in 2012 and since then it has developed into one of the most prestigious professional golf tournaments in the region and the highest purse, at US $1.1 million, for a full-field Asian Tour event this year. The 144-player championship will continue to be jointly organised by Sports Bureau of Macao SAR Government (MSB) and the Golf Association of Macau. It is sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Golf Association of Macau, and promoted by IMG.
For more details on the Venetian Macao Open, please visit: www.thevenetianmacaoopen.com.
