The Hindu : Sport / Golf : Wenchong's sporting gesture

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Tuesday, Mar 13, 2007
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Wenchong's sporting gesture

KUALA LUMPUR: China's Liang Wenchong, who won the Singapore Masters for his first major title, will donate his $183,330 (euro143,226) winner's check to help develop golf in his country, the Asian Tour said on Monday.

On Sunday Liang became only the second Chinese player to triumph in the co-sanctioned Asian Tour and European Tour tournament at the Clariden Leu Singapore Masters, following in the footsteps of his mentor Zhang Lian-wei, who won the same event in 2003.

A statement by the Asian Tour quoted Liang as saying that he would donate all his winnings to be ``used as a start-up fund for the development of the sport in China.'' Liang also donated his winnings from a domestic Tour victory last year for the same purpose.

``I hope the winnings from this time, as it is much more, will encourage our society to give us more support. I hope more youngsters will pick up the sport,'' Liang, 28, said.

After the Singapore victory, Liang's season's winnings swelled to $273,747 (euro213,865) and was second behind UBS Order of Merit leader, Anton Haig of South Africa, who has accumulated $426,035 (euro332,839).

No Chinese player has won the prestigious UBS Order of Merit crown but Liang's victory has raised hopes that the feat is within reach. The Asian Tour statement said Liang's generosity stems from the fact that he benefited greatly when he was handpicked in school to play golf as a 15-year-old.

He honed his game at the Zhongshan Hot Spring Golf Club, China's first modern-day golf course built in the mid-1980s, and developed into a fine amateur, winning China's Amateur Open for three straight years. He finished fourth in the Volvo China Open in 1999. The Asian Tour moves to China for the first time this season for the TCL Classic in Sanya, Hainan island this week. — AP

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