Parry confirmed for China's Chengdu Open

China Tour | 2010 Luxehills Chengdu Open | General | 18 Mar 2010

Craig Parry, Andre Stolz and David Smail are among a strong line-up of Australians and New Zealanders confirmed for the US$1 million Luxehills Chengdu Open in China, which will tee off OneAsia’s second season at the Luxehills International Country Club from April 1-4.

Parry, who will be making his OneAsia debut, has won two US PGA Tour and six European Tour titles in a stellar career. Nicknamed ’Popeye’ for his powerful forearms, the Australian boasts three top-10 finishes in Majors and has won 14 titles on the PGA Tour of Australasia, twice on the Japan Tour and the Indonesia Open.

“I’m actually playing quite nicely at the moment. I hit eight-under the other day and I feel that my game is right there, so Luxehills fits in perfectly as I just need to get out there and play some tournaments,” Parry said.

“Playing for US$1 million is going to be fantastic. For OneAsia to have all these events and players coming from around the world shows it’s in its ascendency and will eventually be one of the major tours in the world.”

Stolz rose to prominence by winning the 2004 Michelin Championship during two seasons on the US PGA Tour and has also won on the Japan Tour. The Brisbane-born 39-year-old won last year’s Cellarbrations Victorian PGA Championship for his fourth Australasian Tour title.

Smail, who last August finished joint 67th in the PGA Championship in his third Major of the year, leads the Kiwi contingent heading to Chengdu.

New Zealand’s highest-ranked golfer, the 1.95-metre tall Smail has competed in nine Majors and won the 2001 New Zealand Open before forging a successful career on the Japan Tour, where he has won five titles.

“I’m really looking forward to Luxehills. It sounds like a great event,” Smail said. "I’ve played in China in the last couple of years at the World Cup and played way back in 1993 in a series of tournaments, so I’ve played a few times there, but it’s been a while and I’m looking forward to getting back.

“I’ve been practising a lot at home in Hamilton and am playing a tournament this weekend, so hopefully my form will be okay and I’ll take that to China.”

Australian Ashley Hall, who won the 2009 Subaru Victorian Open and 2007 Victorian PGA titles, is looking forward to returning to China after his brilliant joint-third finish at last year’s Volvo China Open, co-sanctioned by OneAsia and the European Tour.

Paul Sheehan, whose six career victories include three on the Japan Tour, is one of a host of multiple winners on the PGA Tour of Australasia who are also heading to Chengdu.

Jason Norris’s victory in this year’s Subaru Victorian Open was his third Australasian title, Steve Bowditch is another three-time winner, while Andrew Bonhomme and Aaron Townsend both won their second career titles last year.

Mitchell Brown, Leigh McKechnie and Michael Curtain are others Australians in form after securing breakthrough victories last year.

Smail’s compatriot Michael Long is among the New Zealanders signed up for Luxehills. The 1.88-tall Long made his name by winning the New Zealand Open in 1996 and has won six career titles, including most recently the 2008 Western Australia PGA Championship

Australian Scott Strange, who won last year’s Volvo China Open and topped the inaugural OneAsia Order of Merit, and China’s Liang Wenchong, the first Chinese player to win on OneAsia, were among the first big names to sign up early for the event.

“It’s fantastic to see so many established Australasian champions set to start at Luxehills,” said Ben Sellenger, Chief Executive of OneAsia. “The success of OneAsia lies in its ability to bring together the entire region’s champions and having the best of Australasia onboard widens the representative scope of the region, making for a better and stronger field.”

The Luxehills International Country Club, one of four events in China on this year’s OneAsia schedule, hosted two events on the former China Tour, with Chinese Taipei’s Tsai Chi-huang and China’s Chen Jian winning in 2008 and 2009 respectively.