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Martial artist turned golfer Wu wins at Xiamen

Monday, 23rd March 2009 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)

Wu Weihuang
Wu Weihuang
The China Tour, China's professional golf circuit since 2005, wrapped up its first tournament of the season Sunday, with Xiamen-based Wu Weihuang (吴伟煌 ) winning for his first time ever. The 40-year-old Wu, a six-time provincial martial arts champion, notched a 274 (66, 67, 70, 71) over four rounds at the Dell Championship in Xiamen. He takes away 180,000 RMB and a new Dell laptop.

"When I holed the par-putt on 18, I just felt so relieved that I'd finally done it. I've waited 10 years for this moment and it's a great feeling," Wu said. He cited time in the gym during the off-season as a big factor in his win. He had to hold off runners up (Alex) Wu Ashun (吴阿顺 ), from Fujian, and 2008 Omega Championship winner Zhou Jun (周君) for the win. Wu and Zhou each took home 90,000 RMB and a Dell laptop. Also competing in the tournament was Wu Weihuang's son, Wu Jianlong, who shot a 75 and a 78 in the first two rounds.

Here is how some other golfers on CST's radar finished:

Zhang Lianwei 张连伟 (Omega Order of Merit winner 2006, runner-up in 2007 and 2008; first Chinese player invited to play in The Masters Tournament): 282, tied for 7th place

Lu Wen-teh (Taiwan-based Asian Tour player; winner, 2008 Kunming Champioship) 284, 9th place

Li Chao 李超 (winner, 2008 Dell Championship; winner, Omega Order of Merit 2005 and 2007): 287, tied for 14th place

Liao Guiming廖贵明 (Omega Order of Merit winner 2008; winner, 2008 Sofitel Golf Championship): 292, tied for 25th place

Zhou Xunshou 周训书 (16th in 2008 Omega Order of Merit, featured in upcoming book Par for China): 305, 58th place

The tour's next event is the Sofitel Zhongshan IGC Open, at Zhongshan International Golf Club in Nanjing, April 23-26.

Image: World Sport Group

Tags: China Tour, Dell Championship, golf, Li Chao, Liao Guiming, Lu Wen-teh, Omega China Tour, World Sport Group, Wu Ashun, Wu Weihuang, Xiamen, Zhang Lianwei, Zhou Jun, Zhou Xunshou

Liao Guiming wins Omega Order of Merit

Friday, 17th October 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)

Despite finishing 17th at the season-ending Omega Championship in Beijing last week, Liao Guiming (廖贵明) finished first in this year's Omega Order of Merit, the ranking system for China's pro golf circuit.

Liao finished the season with 375,125 yuan in prize money, putting him about 45,000 yuan ahead of second place finisher Zhang Lianwei and more than 100,000 yuan ahead of third-place Zhou Jun. The 31-year-old from Guangxi has played in every Omega event since the tour's inception in 2005. He finished 10th in last year's rankings.

"I'm really happy. Winning the Omega Order of Merit proves I have the ability. I had a great career as an amateur but it took me five years to finally win as a pro," Liao said.

Liao's 17th place finish in the final event opened the door for Li Chao (李超) to overtake him in the Order of Merit, but Li placed fourth in the tournament, leaving him at fourth place overall in the rankings.

Zhou Jun, 24 years old, became the youngest player to win on the tour with his victory at the Omega Championship, which was played at Beijing Longxi Hotspring Golf Club. He shot a six-under total of 282.

Tags: golf, Li Chao, Liao Guiming, Omega China Tour, Zhang Lianwei, Zhou Jun

Xu and Zhou lead first round of China golf final

Friday, 10th October 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)

Xu Qin
Xu Qin
The last leg of China's only national golf tour kicked off yesterday, with Xu Qin and Zhou Jun both shooting three-under-par 69s to lead the pack. The Omega Championship, being played at the Beijing Longxi Hotspring Golf Club, has a purse of 1 million RMB and will determine the final rank of golfers in the Omega Order of Merit.

Wu Ligui, Andy Zhou Xunshu and Hong Kong-based Nick Redfern are all tied for third with 70.

Xu played a bogey-free, three-birdie round to take the opening day lead. The 24-year-old from Tianjin believes in dressing well to play well, and says he models his look after British player Ian Poulter, who has his own clothing line.

"If I dress well, I feel good," Xu said after Thursday's round. "Recently I've been paying even more attention to Ian Poulter. I always check what he's wearing, from his trousers to his shirts. My hair is also high like his." Xu might be paying a little too much attention to his look, though; he was disqualified from the season-opener in Guangzhou because he missed his tee-time.

The two players contending for first place in the Order of Merit, a ranking of players by total prize money won, are current overall leader Liao Guiming and third-place player Li Chao (second-ranked Zhang Lianwei is not playing at Longxi). Both Liao and Li shot 72 on Thursday.

Xu Qin image: Omega China Tour

Tags: Li Chao, Liao Giuming, Wu Ligui, Xu Qin, Zhou Jun