Zhang's still number one, according to fans
Zhang Lianwei may have passed the torch to Liang Wenchong as the best golfer in China but the 41-year-old Great Helmsman of the sport still wins the popularity stakes hands down.
The 41-year-old Zhang was mobbed by university students after a practice round with Liang and will draw the largest gallery today in the opening round of the US$1.8 million China Open at the Beijing Honghua International Golf Club.
'I'm really happy to have all the support,' said Zhang, who has for the past 10 years put China on the golfing map. 'If everyone keeps supporting me, and golf in China, I will never give up.'
Zhang finished a yawning nine shots behind Liang, 27, at the Hainan leg of the Omega China Tour last week and officially declared his protege as the number one player.
For the past year Liang has outperformed Zhang but he is not as well known on the mainland because he spends a lot of time playing in Japan. And he has yet to win a big tournament.
'I'm sure Liang will win [an Asian Tour event] sooner rather than later, and there will be a lot of wins for him,' Zhang said. 'We have been friends for a long time and practise a lot together. It's good to see Liang becoming more mature on the golf course. We trade advice and suggestions and are great partners in team events.
'Technically, his game is really good. And mentally he is also strong. But there is only one winner each week and the fields are getting stronger all the time, especially in co-sanctioned events. More world-class players are coming to Asia these days. Winning, even in China, is becoming more difficult.'
Zhang is no stranger to winning on the Asian and European Tours, with one of his major triumphs being the 2003 China Open in Shanghai. He finished joint seventh behind winner Paul Casey in Shenzhen last year after his challenge fell away in the final few holes.
Liang - and the 20 other Chinese players - missed the cut in Shenzhen, but Zhang expects a far better showing from his comrades in the capital this weekend.
'I can't predict how many players will make the cut here, but I hope more of the young guys will perform better,' he said.
Age, rank and respect mean Liang will never openly claim he is now better than Zhang and the Zhongshan native will always defer to his mentor. But he is expected to shoulder some of Zhang's burden over the next four days.
'If you look at Zhang's experience, he has played with Tiger Woods [in the first two rounds of the HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai last November] and normally performs well alongside the big names,' Liang said.
'That is one area where I need to improve and learn. Mentally, and especially in big events, I still need to improve. Even though I played well to win last week, it doesn't guarantee that I'll play well this week.'
