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Liang Wenchong shares the lead with Richard Sterne at six-under after the first round of the UBS Hong Kong Open.
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For the first time since the Honda Hero Classic in India, the top of the leaderboard in the UBS Hong Kong Open at the Hong Kong Golf Club makes happy reading for Chinese golf enthusiasts. Once again it comes as no surprise that the man of the moment is China's top golfer Liang Wenchong, who sits as joint leader at six-under after the first round, ahead of a star-studded international field that includes eight former champions and several Major-winners.
It is all the more appropriate that an Asian should be firmly in the mix of this contest. This is the fiftieth staging of the Hong Kong Open, and the three hundredth tournament on the Asian Tour since it was founded in 1995.
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In reward for his hole-in-one, England's Simon Griffiths is delighted to accept a gold brick from Oliver Bertschinger, Head of Sponsorship of UBS Asia Pacific.
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England's Simon Griffiths has been a stalwart on the Asian Tour since 2006, and he decided to celebrate the occasion in style. He had barely warmed up by the time he stood on the par-3 12th tee, having started his round on the 10th, but he hit a 9-iron two bounces and a roll into the center of the hole to leave the course with a gold bar in his pocket courtesy of tournament sponsors UBS.
He and his caddy spent the rest of the round trying to work out how much his prize might be worth in the midst of the global financial crisis – nearly US$24,000, as it happens, although the value will probably have gone up a measurable amount by the time he gets it back to the hotel.
The course is not a long one, but it is full of subtlety. It is certainly no pushover - only one third of the field finished under par, in what were perfect playing conditions. Starting early in the morning on the 10th tee, Liang wasted no time setting out his stall. Three birdies in his first four holes left playing-partner former US Open Champion Michael Campbell trailing in his wake. Liang's effort was all the more praiseworthy for the fact that he has been on the road for the last seven weeks.
"I am quite tired, and have tried to recover," he said. "My performance in Singapore (last week) was not steady. The third round was good, but the fourth round, mentally and psychologically was not. My coach is here this week, and he is asking me to be patient and perform better."
Liang made another four birdies, which made his only bogey of the round on the 9th, his last hole, all the more disappointing. "I missed my second shot. Luckily it bounced on a cement irrigation box and bounced on the green, and then I 3-putted for bogey."
But overall. Liang was delighted with his round and his position at the end of day one, and optimistic about his prospects for the rest of the tournament: "I felt very good today. I tried to be very positive and just take each hole step-by-step. My performance was very steady. I will try to be patient the next three days coming up and try my best each day. Last week, an Asian player held the trophy in Singapore, so it could be possible for another Asian player to win this one."
