Zhang Lian-Wei upsets Els and boosts golf in China
BY Bruce Young | 26 Jan 2003
They say there is no such thing as a certainty in racing but after today’s final round of the Caltex Masters of Singapore the same will be said for golf. Ernie Els, the hottest player in the game right now and the current world number two, fell victim to a last hole bogey and the Chinese star Zhang Lian-Wei, to let his fourth consecutive win slip from his grasp.
Els had started the last round with a two shot lead over Zhang and perhaps in one of the more one-sided match ups of late, it appeared that the tournament was Els for the taking. The 37-year-old Zhang is, however, a much improved and experienced player with tournament experience worldwide in recent years and he came out appearing to be undaunted by the red hot Els. A front nine of 33 saw him draw level with the South African and when they reached the seventeenth they were still all square. A bogey there by Zhang saw him slip one behind and it appeared that the writing was on the wall for another Els win. Zhang however wasn’t about to let this golden opportunity slip. After all a win here would open up even further playing options in 2003 and his birdie at the last to Els bogey saw a two shot swing and the tournament went to the man from Shenzhen in Southern China.
The win is the first by a Chinese player on the European Tour and ensures that Zhang, should he so choose, will have access to the full schedule of European Tour events in 2003 and beyond.
Els will no doubt be disappointed to let a tournament that perhaps should have been his, slip from his grasp. After three consecutive wins in South Africa and Hawaii and this runner up spot here, he now heads to Melbourne for the Heineken Classic to defend his title at Royal Melbourne Golf Club.
Thailand’s Prayad Marksaeng a four-time winner on the Asian PGA Tour was third one behind Els, with Simon Khan and Maarten Lafeber in fourth place. Khan regained his card at last November’s tour school and Lafeber, after his best year in Europe in 2002, producing another good finish.
Leading Australian Nick O’Hern was 19th, Brad Kennedy, Stephen Leaney and New Zealander Eddie Lee 32nd, Richard Geen 45th and Jarrod Moseley 72nd.
The European Tour heads to Melbourne for the Heineken Classic, the first of three co-sanctioned events in Australia while the Asian PGA Tour must wait till the Johnnie Walker Classic in Perth on February 13th to stage an event co-sanctioned with the Australasian and European Tours.
