“The increased purse of RMB1 million also makes this a special event. Now, we’ll start to look at sponsoring and supporting young, emerging golfers as we have done for young pool players.”

　　Li and Liao are two of the pre-tournament favourites with Chinese Taipei invites Hsu Mong-nan, winner of this year’s Shanghai Championship, and Chan Yih-shin, who finished second in Guangzhou and third in Xiamen at the beginning of the season. Chinese Taipei pros have won four of the circuit’s last five tournaments ahead of this week’s season-ending finale.

　　Zhang apart, the top-20 ranked players on the Omega Order of Merit are all competing in Beijing, including American Jim Johnson, who could finish as the highest-ranked foreign PGA player on the Omega Order of Merit.

　　The Beijing-based 43-year-old, who played all four rounds of the 1998 US Open, lies in seventh place with RMB91,250. Hong Kong-based Nick Redfern of England, in 24th place on RMB61,400, is his nearest challenger.

　　Other foreigners in this week’s event include Beijing-based Australian Garth Cusick, Zhuhai-based Brit Mark Giles, and Wong Woon-man, Jovick Lee Wing-kei, James Stewart and South African Jason Robertson from Hong Kong.

　　The Omega Championship is being held for the first time at the 27-hole Longxi Hotspring Golf Club after two successful editions at the Tianan Golf Club, also in the capital, when Liang Wenchong and Zhang Lianwei emerged as champions.

　　The winner of this year’s Omega Order of Merit will be crowned on Sunday evening at the prestigious Omega China Tour Gala Dinner at the Sofitel Wanda Beijing.