THE INTERNATIONAL

August 9, 2006

Zhang Lian-Wei

Liang Wen-Chong

THE MODERATOR: A little background, Zhang has played three tournaments and he also played a year on the Canadian Tour, a full year and several years on The European Tour and Asian Tour. Liang currently plays quite a few European Tour stops in Asia as well as Asian Tour events. Zhang was part of the Chinese team and in the World Cup.

Q. Liang, what are your impressions of the U.S. and also Castle Pines?

LIANG WEN CHONG: Before this, I have played in Australia and practiced in Australia. I recall when I first started playing in Australia, I was very nervous because when I got to the range, I had Greg Norman on one side and Nick Faldo on the other side.

Now over the past few years, I have played a lot more tournaments in Japan and a lot of European Tour events, so I'm not as nervous.

But to come into the U.S. playing the PGA TOUR, I'm very excited. This golf course is beautiful. And this particular format, I have never experienced it. So I'm excited and there are a lot of things for me to find out. I was asking a lot of questions yesterday about how to score and to progress on the weekends. So I'm very hopeful and very excited.

Q. You played nine holes yesterday with Zach Johnson?

ZHANG LIAN WEI: I didn't know Zach Johnson. I had seen him play TV on PGA TOUR, but the way Zach played is not as we expected. But also we didn't have a whole lot of time many Zach was very nice, very friendly but we didn't have a whole lot to communicate or talk about, but the whole experience was very nice.

LIANG WEN CHONG: I also played with Zach. I just turned 28, and for me it was the first time I played the PGA TOUR. I to play with Zach, and also with his rye ranking on the Ryder Cup points system, it's also encouragement for me to continue to progress to the next level. So I'm hoping in the next ten years we'll continue to progress and make it to the bigger stage.

Q. Would you both talk about the growth of golf in China in general the last decade or so?

ZHANG LIAN WEI: The speed of growth in China is really fast. A little over 20 years ago in China we only had one golf course, but now we have over 250 golf courses. On the tournament side over ten years ago we had the World Cup in China but now we have five European Tour events and the HSBC Champions event in Shanghai. So in tournaments we have a lot of growth as well.

The direct reason for the growth has to do with the economic growth in China, so this goes hand in hands. With everybody's support and the sponsors and the CGA and also the professional golfers, we see the China besides the Asian Tour and The European Tour, this will help more professional golfers to come to the stage.

Q. I was going to ask about the China tour, but how did you get started playing golf?

ZHANG LIAN WEI: I only started playing golf when he was 20 by chance. Before that, there was no golf courses for me to play.

Q. What's the general picture of golf?

LIANG WEN CHONG: I concentrate on the professional golfers area. First I'd like to thank my big brother, Zhang, because without Zhang as a pioneer and trailblazer as the first professional golfer to go out of China, I would not be here today.

And I think that's what we generalize, Zhang is the first generation, language we can call the second generation. The second generation about my age have a kind of lack of direction, without a model person like Zhang Lian Wei, I would not know how to go down this road. By associating with Zhang Lian Wei, I learned how to do it. Zhang has expressed all of the European Tour and Japanese Tour pulling away and making the road more smooth for me to go down.

I think the next generation, because of the economic situation that they are more wealthier, a lot of younger junior golfers that come from a wealthy family, so their role is probably smoother. But still, for the Chinese professional golfers, we hope there is more support for either sponsors or other golfer lovers that can help these professionals continue their career because they need support.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank The INTERNATIONAL and for giving me the opportunity to come here and play. I wish Chinese players could have this type of opportunity, more of this type of opportunity down the road.

Q. If you had any role model in golf that you tried to emulate and of course you said him, but was there any other golfers who influenced how you play?

ZHANG LIAN WEI: For the first ten years there was pretty much nothing available in golf for me to emulate, whether it's reporting or TV because there was nothing. So I basically had to find my own way.

For the past ten years with TV and news reporting, I got to know golf better. So basically for me, there's no role model to follow. In the past few years, but when he starts reading and watching TV, I didn't realise people like Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer had an influence in golf, it influenced a little bit. But without those two persons actually going to China and playing golf, it doesn't move the entire golf movement in China. Although they have designed golf courses in China. The past few years since Tiger has been to China, he has been twice, and every time he goes to China, that gives a big push.

LIANG WEN CHONG: Basically I am following Zhang's road because Zhang has been there first and experienced them all. So for me to survive as a professional golf, I need direction and that direction pretty much had already been said by Mr. Zhang's experience. So that's the safest route.

Because the lack of coaching and the lack of proper environment in China, so for me to play up to the PGA TOUR today, everything is step by step. It's by experience, by trial and error, from learning experience. So every step, although it's small, but it's progressing. You progress from China local tournament to Asian Tour to Japanese Tour, hopefully the next step will be coming over here. But every step I have put in a lot of time and effort. The time and the effort I put in, I think it will be no less than any professional in golfer in America, probably more, because they we don't have the proper environment to support us.

ZHANG LIAN WEI: I hope, because I mentioned earlier, there's a lack of good coaching in China. I hope there will be good coaches, possibly academy wanting to move to China and give those under privileged kids in China an opportunity to learn the game and grow the game. We have few kids studying overseas like Canada and America, but because they are coming from a wealthier family, we can afford it. But there are a lot more kids more talented that could use better coaching and better support and that will get China golf to move forward much faster.

Q. Have either one of you played with Tiger and what do you think of his game?

ZHANG LIAN WEI: I had opportunity to play with Tiger three times, twice in practice and once in a tournament. The last time was at the HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai. And I think the Tiger is a tremendous golfer and a superstar in sports. For every golfer, we can look at him and learn from him.

LIANG WEN CHONG: Two years ago I got an invitation from him to play. My birthday was August 16 so I couldn't make it to the tournament. I named my son Tiger Zhang (ph) that's his name, and I hope that he can follow Tiger's legacy from him.

Q. How many professionals now are there in China and what's the ratio of male to female golfers?

ZHANG LIAN WEI: Concentrating on the major areas, the Beijing area and Shanghai area, that's where most of the golf courses are concentrated. With exposure to the big tournaments on TV and also locally, when Tiger goes over the economy grows there. More juniors are getting involved in this game and in my estimate, probably a couple 100,000 juniors or more are participating in golf these days now.

End of FastScripts.