HEND ON THE HUNT FOR MAIDEN WIN AT BEIJING

　　Beijing, April 24: Australia’s Scott Hend will be driving for a maiden triumph at the Pine Valley Beijing Open when he faces off with golf stars John Daly and local stalwarts Zhang Lian-wei and Liang Wen-chong on Thursday.

　　Playing in his rookie season on the Asian Tour, Hend has been enjoying a good run of form with back-to-back top-three finishes prior to his Beijing encounter and with a course that suits his game at Pine Valley Golf Resort and Country Club, the big hitting Australian will be eager for a breakthrough success.

　　“I hope to keep up the good work and be in contention again and convert this week, hoping to be third time lucky. John said that he was impressed with the course and if he likes it, I should too because he hits it longer than average,” said Hend, who is a former US PGA Tour player.

　　“This course suits the big hitters and it’s good as I really want to solidify my position on the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit and world ranking, that’s my goal this year and I will strive to achieve that this week,” said the Australian, who took a short break off course after a hectic two weeks in Shanghai.

　　“I felt tired on Sunday because the last two weeks have taken a lot out of me. I hope to recharge myself for this week, then get up and get going. I had a nice break yesterday and this morning, so there should be enough in me to deliver a top performance,” added Hend.

　　The other Asian Tour stalwarts vying for honours this week include Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant and youngster Chapchai Nirat, who won the TCL Classic in March, South African Anton Haig, who currently leads the UBS Order of Merit, Malaysia’s Airil Rizman Zahari, who won the Pakistan Open in January, and American Jason Knutzon, who lifted the Motorola International Bintan title last month.

　　Golf legend Jack Nicklaus, an 18-time Major winner, will be making a guest appearance on Wednesday where he will attend the club's phase II course opening ceremony and conduct a junior clinic, held in conjunction with the US$500,000 event.

　　The California-born Daly, a five-time winner on the US PGA Tour, made an early arrival ahead of the challenges at the Pine Valley Beijing Open eager for his second win in Asia since his triumph at the Korean Open in 2003.

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　　“The layout is awesome. It’s a great Nicklaus-designed course. It is a course that requires a player to use his driver a lot more than usual. But as it always is when the wind blows, I will expect it to be tough,” said Daly, who is also an avid guitarist.

　　“I feel really good every time I walk into my room back home which has over 120 guitars. Music is a good hobby for me. I did not bring any guitars down here though but I’m quite rested now and have been quite relaxed this week.

　　“I’ve be working hard since I came here on Saturday. I was working hard out on course on Sunday, yesterday and today. I haven’t been to China in a while and I was still getting adjusted to the time difference while in Shanghai last week,” added Daly, who will celebrate his 41st birthday on Saturday.

　　Playing on familiar ground is China’s top golfer Liang who will be hoping for a steady pair of hands when he tees off this week.

　　“My iron play has not been good and my shots have been not very accurate. I am also having difficulty estimating the distance here. I’ve played on this course before at the Johnnie Walker Classic in 2005 and this week, I hope to sort my game out in time. My win was great but now it’s time for me to keep pursuing and aim for consistency,” said Liang, who claimed his maiden title at the Clariden Leu Singapore Masters last month.

　　Zhang, winner of five Asian Tour titles, holds Liang in high regard as he believes that the Pine Valley Beijing Open will serve as a good platform for his younger compatriot to impress in front of his home fans.

　　“Liang and I are like brothers. We have a very close relationship. I don’t view him as a rival. His career path will be different from mine and I believe he has a great future ahead of him,” said the 41-year-old talent.

　　The top performing players this week will also get an added reward in the RedBull Final 5 competition. Presenting sponsor Red Bull will organise the RedBull Final 5 competition where the player with the lowest score from the last five holes over four days will walk away with US$10,000. The runner-up will get with US$8,000 while second runner-up will receive US$6,000 and followed by the fourth place finisher US$4,000.