Posing for a group photograph of last year's China Tour winners ahead of today's first round of the 2006 season was one of the few times that the godfather of Chinese golf Zhang Lianwei could not be seen working on his game.
As darkness fell on the Kangle Garden Spa course, Zhang was one of the only players left out on the course, dug into a bunker working with Liang Wenchong on perfecting the technique to get height on balls plugged deep in the sand.
'Neither of us have played here before, so we tried to practise everywhere on the course, even the bunkers,' said the 40-year-old Zhang, who has joined a field of 80 other players for the US$100,000 Hainan Leg.
'We support each other, not only on the golf course, but also with our tournament experience.
'Through practising together we can learn from each other, to gain even more knowledge of the game and off the course as well.'
For Liang, who has been splitting his time between the Japan Tour and the Asian Tour for the past couple of seasons, the novelty of working with China's first winner on the European PGA Tour seems as if it could never wear off.
