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Shanghai:
A top field made up of the best players from the European and
Asian Tours will try to stop Zhang Lianwei from successfully defending
his Volvo China Open crown as the 10th edition of the country¡¯s
national championship tees off at Silport today.
The China No. 1 comes into the tournament with a bad hip as a
long-time ailment flared up at last week¡¯s Dunlop Phoenix, forcing
Zhang to drop out after the first round of the Japanese tournament.
The Zhuhai native, however, said he couldn¡¯t miss his country¡¯s
¡°major¡± tournament.
¡°If this week was not the Volvo China Open, I would have taken
a rest. Every country has its own major and that is why I am here.
I will do my best,¡± said Zhang who won last year¡¯s tournament
at Silport by a two-stroke margin.
¡°The injury is due to tiredness and fatigue. I feel a bit of pain
on the follow through but I hope to do my best.¡±
Zhang praised the tournament for being joint sanctioned by the
Asian and European Tours for the first time. He called it a ¡°milestone¡±
for the event and ¡°a tremendous recognition for the development
of Chinese golf.¡±
¡°With our population and being the fastest growing economy, and
the extraordinary development of the socialism system, I believe
China has the potential to grow into the fifth major in the world.¡±
Zhang¡¯s chief rival will come in the form of Thomas Bjorn. The
great Dane is No. 31 in the world and coming off two impressive
starts. He finished runner-up at the WGC American Express Championship
to Ernie Els last month and was seventh at the Dunlop Phoenix
last week in Japan.
¡°When you finish top 10 you are not far from winning. It is a
question of things going your way,¡± said the seven-time winner
on the European Tour. ¡°I played the last three rounds in Japan
as good as I can play. I have to say that there is nobody in this
field that I can¡¯t beat. I feel ready to go out and perform but
in golf, the best player doesn¡¯t always win. There are still enough
good players who can win.¡±
Bjorn was also very complimentary of Silport¡¯s Championship Course.
¡°This is a very good golf course and it is a very good test. You
really do have to play well, it¡¯s not a short course,¡± he said.
¡°This is what we are looking for, to come to places like this
to play golf.¡±
One player in search of a good result is Paul Lawrie. The Scotsman
won the 1999 British Open at Carnoustie but is coming off a dreadful
season where he was plagued by a neck injury and finished 140th
on the European Tour order of merit.
¡°I have been home for four weeks and I have been working pretty
hard. I feel that good things are going to happen,¡± said the Aberdeen
native. ¡°It has been feeling a bit better for the last six or
eight weeks. Obviously I have had a terrible season, but I feel
things are getting a bit better.¡±
With the tournament marking the opening event of the 2005 European
Tour season and the third last of the 2004 Asian Tour calendar,
the result at Silport will go a long way to towards the respective
tours¡¯ order of merit.
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