China's Zhang Lianwei
(left) and Liang Wenchong pose with the BMW Asian Open trophy at
the snow covered Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club on
Tuesday.
A string of top names will once again headline the BMW Asian
Open, which will tee off in Shanghai on April 24-27.
The US$2.3 million tournament boasts three major champions -
South African Retief Goosen, Michael Campbell of New Zealand and
Australian veteran Greg Norman; European stars Henrik Stenson,
Miguel Angel Jimenez and defending champion Raphael Jacquelin as
well as Liang Wenchong and Zhang Lianwei, who will both seek to
become the first Chinese to win the event.
Despite being an "Asian" championship, all past six winners hail
from Europe, except for South African Ernie Els, who won in 2004.
The others are Swede Jarmo Sandelin (2002), Padraig Harrington of
Ireland (2003), Spain's Jimenez (2005) and Gonzalo
Fernandez-Castano (2006) and returning champion Jacquelin of
France.
China's hopes will obviously rest on Liang, the first Chinese to
win the Asian Tour's Order of Merit last year, and his mentor
Zhang, the country's most celebrated golfer with one European Tour
and four Asian Tour titles.
The BMW Asian Open, to be played at the Tomson Shanghai Pudong
Golf Club, is sanctioned by the Asian Tour, the Chinese Golf
Association and the European Tour.
As in previous years, there will be no entrance fees for the
tournament.
(Agencies via Shanghai Daily January 31, 2008)
