China

Golf:Chinese brace for Straits Cup

(Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2006-07-12 09:25

The Chinese mainland, boosted by the presence of the country's top two golfers, Zhang Lianwei and Liang Wenchong, will field its strongest team yet when the 10th Straits Cup begins at Lake Malaren Golf Club.

The annual clash which pits a team of 12 golfers from the mainland against their contemporaries from Chinese Taipei, has been dominated by the visitors. After no result was recorded in the inaugural year, Chinese Taipei has since gone 8-0 in the Ryder Cup-style event.

K.C. Liao, the tournament's executive director, said Chinese Taipei's dominance would likely end?as the mainland players have shown improvement each year.

"It is getting tougher for?Chinese Taipei?as two years ago in Beijing the mainland only lost by four points," he said. "Last year in Taiwan, the mainland won the foursomes, the first time they had ever won an event. Their best before was a tie."

In addition to Zhang and Japan Tour regular Liang, the mainlanders also features big-hitting Beijingers Li Chao and Shang Lei, and Guangdong native Qiu Zhifeng, a winner in Kunming last year.

Chinese Taipei is led by veterans Wang Ter-chang and Lin Wen-tang in the US$80,000 tournament that will be played over Lake Malaren's North Forest Course in Baoshan. Tomorrow's format is four-ball.

Elsewhere, the Orient Master Tour begins its summer swing today with a US$50,000 event in Wenzhou, the first of consecutive tournament in Zhejiang Province over the next couple of weeks.

The Wenzhou Open features the best female line-up to hit mainland China yet as the 49-man field features Chinese Taipei's Lin Yuping who finished 41st in the recent US Women's Open, Muffin Spencer-Devlin, a three-time winner on the US LPGA Tour, and top mainland pros Zhang Na, a two-time winner on the Orient Tour last year, and Zhong Xiaolong, China's top performer on the Ladies Asian Golf Tour circuit this year.