Relief mingled with disappointment for Zhang Lianwei as he stepped on to Shenzhen soil yesterday. After encountering unnerving visa problems during his first visit to Germany, the relief felt by China's number one golfer at being back in familiar territory was understandable. But the regret stemmed from his final-round 75 in the Volvo German Open, which meant he failed to make his first top-10 finish on the PGA European Tour. 'I feel disappointed because I got my putter working very well in the third round to make six birdies, but could only manage one on the last day,' he said. More damaging to Zhang's prospects of a high finish were double bogeys at the 14th and 16th holes at Schloss Nippenburg, in Stuttgart, which saw him drop down to a tie for 29th on 285: 14 shots behind triumphant Spaniard Ignacio Garrido. After arriving in Germany a day earlier than stipulated on his visa, Zhang had difficulty convincing officials to admit him. Then, he succeeded in surviving the half-way cut, and found his seven-day visa did not cover the last day's play. Before the third round, Zhang visited a local police station where his attempts to extend his visa were unsuccessful - because officials were off duty until Monday. And on Monday, Zhang was told to fly to Frankfurt, where his papers were rubber-stamped. German Swiss International School emerged with top honours in the fifth Hong Kong Schools' Golf Association tournament.
