Hall hopes to take money and run
Australian 'rebel' Ashley Hall will solve all his problems in one fell swoop today if he flattens the European Tour heavyweights to win the US$2.2 million Volvo China Open.
Opportunity will knock - a two-year European Tour exemption awaits, which will open up a myriad of playing chances.
Money will flow - the open has a purse of US$366,000, plus a guaranteed US$155,000 for clinching a spot in the elite 16-man field at the Volvo World Match Play Championships in Spain later this year. And his decision will be validated - Hall defied the Asian Tour boycott to play at the Beijing CBD International Golf Club.
Hall produced a course record-equalling seven-under 65 yesterday to zoom up the leaderboard and at one stage hold the joint lead at five-under-par 211. He was later overtaken by Richard Finch (66) of England, who leads at eight under from Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (68), with Hall and Markus Brier (71) of Austria two strokes back.
Hall, 25, is in his third year as a professional but has few playing privileges on the Asian Tour because of his low ranking. When the opportunity came to play in Beijing he applied for a release which was knocked back.
But he said he had no choice but to bite the hand that has helped feed him.
'I have got to live somehow,' he said. 'My next event is not until October.' Hall faces a US$5,000 fine and 12-month suspension if the Asian Tour goes ahead with its threat to punish members for playing in the opening event of the OneAsia Tour.
The two-time Australian Tour winner joked he couldn't afford to pay the fine anyway so the decision to come to Beijing became even easier.
That won't be an issue if he wins or at least maintains his joint third place today, which would be worth more than US$123,000.
That would also help pay for another date in his diary later this year. He is getting married in late September 'and I have got to pay for that'.
Hall said he was loyal to the Asian Tour and lamented the 'bad blood' between the warring parties.
'This could be a massive tour, the third power in the world, but I can't see it happening any time soon,' he said.
