Godfather of China golf Zhang Lianwei proud to be part of Hong Kong Open heritage
- The 54-year-old blazed a trail for other mainland golfers, with the likes of Li Haotong and Feng Shanshan emerging as world-class players
- The five-time Asian Tour winner is the first China golfer to play at the US Masters and enter the world’s top 100
When Zhang Lianwei started work as a caddie in Zhuhai in the late 1980s, little did he know he would one day become the godfather of Chinese golf.
Zhang’s story is that of many firsts for China golf as he blazed a trail that would eventually see the likes of Feng Shanshan, the former women’s No 1, and 32nd-ranked men’s player Li Haotong become world-class golfers.
The 54-year-old, who holds the course record of 10-under-par 61 for the Old Course at Hong Kong Golf Club, said he was delighted to see golf flourish in the mainland.
“I’m so pleased to see Li Haotong become one of the world’s top 50 players and Feng Shanshan reach number one,” said the Shenzhen-based Zhang. “It’s because of the development programmes taken up by the China Golf Association, which has helped to create an environment that aids the growth of golf in China.
“It was not like that when I was getting started. There is a huge different because back then there were only a handful of players, but now we have hundreds of professional players so we are building a development pyramid and establishing a much stronger foundation.