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WGC HSBC CHAMPIONSOctober 30, 2013Liang Wen-ChongSHANGHAI, CHINA CALVIN KOH: Welcome to the HSBC Champions. I'm sure you're pretty excited about the whole event this week. Tell us about your thoughts of playing in front of the home crowd this week and motivation to play in front of your home fans? LIANG WEN‑CHONG: I'm very excited for this year and looking forward to this year's HSBC Champions returning to Sheshan. I have participated many times and it's great to know that this year's tournament has been upgraded to be included with the PGA TOUR, and he has actually three times experienced playing in the PGA TOUR and is graduate this year to see six Chinese golfers participating in this year's HSBC Champions and it's great to know that for winning the HSBC Champions will help them to gain the opportunity to play on the PGA TOUR. For Chinese golfers, Chinese athletes, it might be tough for them to win, but it would be a good training opportunity for our Chinese golfers, and in particularly, thanking the sponsors to provide more slots and more opportunity for China golfers to participate in the HSBC Champions. CALVIN KOH: Speaking for yourself, you have a good season so far, I think three top‑five finishes around the world, you must be pretty pleased with how you have played this year. LIANG WEN‑CHONG: I'm very satisfied with my performance both on The European Tour, Asian Tour and other tournaments. I'm in pretty good shape, even though I'm handling a pretty tight schedule coming to the end of the season. But I'm feeling good, and hopefully I will keep on continuing to play well in the upcoming matches. Q. What is your upcoming plan after the HSBC Champions? LIANG WEN‑CHONG: Yes, depending what kind of ranking I gain from this tournament. Afterwards, I might try to get into the tournament in Turkey but it's upon my ranking. There's going to be one more stop before going into the Philippines tournament and then the World Cup and one more tournament in Indonesia and then the Hong Kong Open and followed by the Royal Trophy and it will be up to the end of the season. Philippines, I haven't been to the Philippines for a long time and I'm looking forward to it. Right now, my focus is trying to gain more momentum in the Asian Tour and in particularly, at the career earnings, hopefully trying to gain as much career earnings as possible in order to gain the qualification to get into some of the more important matches because he's taking a long shot not only focusing on just a few of the upcoming tournaments, but I have a much longer planning for my career. My planning for next year and the year now, I'm trying to gain a tour card so I can rise and gain improvements to raise my World Rankings and points in the world level, and to prepare for 2016. Q. After two years coming back to Sheshan, how do you feel? Do you have confidence to make it up to the Top‑20 or Top‑30 in this tournament? LIANG WEN‑CHONG: The best performance so far at Sheshan is 24th, because I felt it's not really to operate under my own strategy on Sheshan, particularly with the influence of weather. But from yesterday and today, I felt that I'm coping with the weather so far, because in Shanghai, during this point in time in the year, it's entering winter and sometimes it might affect his performance especially on the distance level. I felt like I can do better and by looking at the course, the course becomes better and a more challenging course here at she hand, and the tournament has become better and better thanks to the HSBC and organizers. I checked out some of the holes, and it has been extended, the distance has been longer, but it's still a beautiful course and I wish to have a good performance. I also stress that in the HSBC Champions, we have gathered up all the elite players around the world, and I will definitely try my very best to have a good performance and good result in this year's HSBC Champions. Q. Wu Ashun is playing better now, can you talk about any other players that you think will establish themselves on the international stage in China? Who are going to be the next big players after you? LIANG WEN‑CHONG: The development on China golf may be only less than 30 years, and myself and Zhang Lian‑Wei are fortunate to be the first generation of Chinese golf to be taking a step in front of the youth here but in my memory, when I recall back in the days in 1993 playing youth golf in China, there's probably less than a hundred youths participating in regular tournaments. But right now, you're looking at probably close to a 100,000 youngsters here in China who has the opportunity to participate in record golf tournaments. And of course, some of the well‑known games, have had very outstanding performances in international level and some of the big tournaments and hopefully after 2016, China golf will be much younger and much better and will be much younger and much better Chinese golfers coming out to maybe Asian level, European level, and who knows, in the world level. Last week, Wu Ashun and Hu Mu are also some pretty good Chinese young golfers here in the country, and by looking at these youngsters doing so well, outside of China, I would be looking forward for more challenges and competitiveness within the country to try to gain their spots to go outside of China to play in better courses and better tournaments, and hopefully I wish‑‑ hopefully there's more young Chinese golfers can go into the international level, going into the world level, and to show more power on China golf. Q. Talk about a couple weeks ago, the golf course has been affected by some flooding, and how do you feel after playing yesterday and how did you feel about the condition? LIANG WEN‑CHONG: Actually I feel it's even better. I didn't see any kind of bad influence or bad facts towards the course. Actually, the course I felt was even more better, particularly for the bunkers, because they change a new sand. When I played yesterday and when I talked with Justin Rose, we both felt that the course is in great and even better conditions, maybe even faster course right now, just like a U.S. Open. But I want to say as the course gets better, and I hope to gain a better performance in Sheshan this weekend. Q. You suffered from‑‑ you caught a cold last week, and just want to see how your body status is and looking at a stronger lineup in this year's HSBC Champions, how do you feel? LIANG WEN‑CHONG: I'm fully recovered from the cold, the sickness from last week, and I have a pretty good confidence. I'm feeling very confident toward's this weekend's HSBC Champions. Before I caught a cold, I had a great performance in Europe, as well, and it's always hard to say how good you can perform in a tournament, but I will definitely try my very best. Talking about the strong lineups, actually in the same group tomorrow, I have Rickie Fowler and two players on the PGA TOUR player. We have a really good interaction these couple of days. I feel pretty good with this group of golfers and I'm looking forward to this year's better result and better performance in this year's Champions. Q. How many years do you think that the next China golfers‑‑ to have the first China golfer to win a major or win a Grand Slam, and being one of the pioneers in China golf, have you shared this experience with some of the young China golfers, particularly last week when they get a chance to meet you? LIANG WEN‑CHONG: I've already expressed that in this year's HSBC Champions, actually yesterday, I already talked to Hu Mu and Wu Ashun because they just turned pro. I'm not only just sharing about the techniques, but sharing with them how to manage a good, balanced life during a tournament, because I feel they have good enough knowledge of their skills on to the course. Hopefully these young players will be the top, elite players in the upcoming future in China golf. To say how many years for a China golfer to win a Grand Slam, it's hard to tell; maybe ten years, maybe 20 years, because sometimes you can get so close. I take an example in 2010, the PGA Championship, on day three, I got an 8‑under par record which is a major record and also a course record. I was so close entering the final round, but I just did not have enough mental strength at that moment, and I lost by three shots. So I thought that it's not only about techniques but also mind‑set when you have to deal with winning a Grand Slam. But actually I had more confidence and more focus on getting more China golfers to participate in Majors, and I'm so proud of some of the young China golfers, like Guan Tianlang, to have experience playing in the Majors. During that time, I also shared my experience with these youngsters how to handle properly in these Majors, and I'm definitely looking forward to see more young China golfers to have the opportunity participate in Majors, Grand Slams, and to gain more ground in the world level. Q. Back in the days when you started learning golf, you were very thankful to have the support from your hometown golf club to support you helping you to have better development, improvement and then entering the pros. Just want to see your involvement now with your hometown, the golf schools and youth development in golf? LIANG WEN‑CHONG: I'm very thankful to have the golf club in my hometown, to have the support to help me to get them from the school and to the course and later onto help me and groom me into becoming a good, pro golfer. I'm very blessed and very thankful, and right now, I just hope to return the favor to my hometown with my support, and by playing better on the course and to try to give them more support is how I feel that I'm returning the favor to my hometown school and golf club. Right now in China, in golf development, the bar is it still a little bit high for normal youngsters to participate. So it would be great to have more support from different other golf clubs in China, because there's many golf clubs right now in China, and hopefully even though they are very crowded, very impacted with people who love golf, but hopefully to gain more support from different respective golf clubs to give them spare times to help the youth to give youth golfers more chances to try on golf or even bringing golf sports into school to help develop better performances or better interest for Chinese youngsters on golf. And right now, in the school in Zhongshan, there's around ten to 15, 18 and over young golfers who are playing pretty well, hitting around 70s, and right now, during my career, I hope that I can try my very best, not only to have a good performance on the course but also trying his very best to help develop China golf, particularly in the youth group. In addition, about the foundation, the golf foundation, right now while it's great to see a lot of passion for the people who are involved in it, particularly I am one of the founders of the foundation; I can't say how big the foundation can get to because I'm still focusing on the game and the tournament but maybe I'm looking forward after 2016 Olympics, maybe I will have more time to participate in more of the promotions and the development on the Zhongshan Golf Foundation and I do hope to have more passionate people to join and to help not only the development of the foundation, but also for the development on China golf. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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