His performance at the PGA Championship has seen him jump from 78th to 60th in the world rankings and opened up a new range of possibilities.

'There are many little things that I've needed to work out this week so I can continue to move up the world rankings and the European Tour money list and try to return to the Dubai World Championship in November,' Liang said. 'I also have tournaments in Thailand and China to look forward to, so the season is only really starting for me with many consecutive events.'

One year after Yang Yong-eun triumphantly raised his golf bag above his head after slaying Tiger Woods at Hazeltine to become the region's first major winner, Asian players again chose the PGA Championship to make significant strides, as Liang led the way with a Whistling Straits' course-record eight-under-par 64 in the third round. Noh Seung-yul was tied for second after the opening day before matching the performance of the world number one to finish equal 28th while another Korean, Kim Kyung-tae (tied 48th), made the cut as former champions, including Padraig Harrington and John Daly, did not.

As the only player from China, Liang's appearance in Wisconsin created the inevitable novelty stories about him driving 80 miles in between rounds to find a good Chinese restaurant. But, in the end, the 32-year-old was remembered more for his consummate skill over four difficult rounds, thanks to a much-improved swing.

Over the past three years, Liang has been toiling with his Australian coach Kel Llewellyn to remodel his unorthodox style, which some observers described as something more akin to baseball.

'I've never played baseball or seen much of it, but that's been a pretty common comment about my swing,' he said. 'It is a total rebuild, from the stance to the grip to the down-swing. It doesn't happen overnight and it's still not a textbook swing but it's more stable than before and the results are becoming more consistent.'

At the PGA Championship, it all came together for Liang, winner of 16 professional events including seven in China, two on the Asian Tour plus the 2007 Singapore Masters, a stop on the European Tour.

His first target was to simply make it through the weekend, having missed the cut at his two previous major appearances on US soil, including the 2007 PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Oklahoma, where Woods won his 13th major title.

'The pressure of making the cut was off so that relaxation was a big factor,' he said. 'The field was incredibly strong and I was proud of my play. I am growing as a player and I wanted to keep within myself, stay calm and perform just as I would at any other event.

'I enjoyed being with the best of the best and it was a great learning experience for me to be with Rory McIlroy on a Sunday in a major as the galleries were massive and the pressure was building. But I felt I played my own game very well and did not let these things get to me as they may have earlier in my career.'

The deadly mudslides last week in northwest China meant that Liang's America breakthrough didn't receive the mainstream media exposure it might have. But there's little doubt that he has provided inspiration to the nation's growing golfing fraternity.

'Liang will challenge for many other majors over the next 10 years and will inspire many people, young and old, to take up the game,' said Tenniel Chu, executive director of the Mission Hills golf club in Shenzhen. 'We know Liang very well and were not surprised by his fantastic play, which is further evidence of China's increasing importance on golf's world stage.'

While agreeing that his success - along with the sport's inclusion in the 2016 Olympics - is a potential turning point for Chinese golf, Liang is more focused on short-term goals: breaking into the top 50 in the world to secure more regular starts in majors and qualifying for November's Dubai World Championship for Europe's leading lights. Ultimately though, he'd like to play regularly on America's PGA Tour.

'There's lots of little milestones along the way which are important to keep me focused and motivated rather than just one bigger end goal,' he said. 'Now I have gained confidence and proved to myself that I can knock on the door in a major.'