Home favorites eyeing World Cup success in China

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Chinese favorites Liang Wen-chong and Zhang Lian-wei believe the Omega Mission Hills World Cup can help to further develop golf in China after already enjoying the taste of European Tour competition on their own doorstep this season.

The championship, which will be played at Mission Hills Golf Club from November 27-30, joins the HSBC Champions, UBS Hong Kong Open, Volvo China Open and the BMW Asian Open which have already taken place on The 2008 European Tour International Schedule.

It also follows the highly successful inaugural staging of the Omega Mission Hills World Cup last November which saw Scotland triumph over the United States in a thrilling play-off.

Both players feel the presence of The European Tour in their homeland can only enhance the game in China and the pair are eyeing up another high finish in the prestigious $5.5 million season finale, after the duo tied with Korea for 11th place last year.

Liang will hope to continue his impressive form on home soil so far this year after tying for eighth in the Volvo China Open in Beijing and following that fine performance with a 14th-place finish in the BMW Asian Open in Shanghai.

The 29-year-old admitted there will be a degree of pressure on himself and Zhang to perform well at the Omega Mission Hills World Cup but took time out to also focus on the bigger picture on golf in his home nation.

"From a players' perspective we want to see more tournaments coming to China as it benefits in two ways," he said. "Firstly it gives the Chinese players more exposure to playing international tournaments and secondly, if they play well it will be a boost to golf in China, and that is why the Omega Mission Hills World Cup in China is so important.

"I am expecting to face the pressure and the expectation from the fans. Only a handful of players are eligible to play in international events so it is inevitable the pressure will be on them. But golf development in China has only happened in the past ten or 15 years so there is a lot of space for the sport to grow in this region. For me it is not about winning but now is a great time to do something to help develop the game in China."

Zhang, who became the first Chinese European Tour champion in 2003 when he won the Caltex Masters in Singapore, shared his compatriot's hope for the future of the game in China and believes the Omega Mission Hills World Cup can help inspire future generations of Chinese golfers.

"The World Cup first came to China in 1995 and there is a big difference between 1995 and 2007," he said. "There has been a big growth in golf in China, people are curious about golf and understand the game more. We have several big events in China each year such as the BMW Asian Open, HSBC Champions, Volvo China Open and the Omega Mission Hills World Cup and they attract the star players," he added.

"With all these star players competing in China, a lot of people watch the game through TV and the Media or in person and if the Chinese team performs well in the World Cup maybe the younger generation will have a target and want to do better. Maybe someday, they can pick up the World Cup trophy."