新浪体育讯　March 18, 2009: Li Chao will have to compete against the Omega China Tour’s largest-ever field when he defends his Dell Championship title at the Orient (Xiamen) Golf and Country Club this week。

　　A total of 132 players will compete in the prestigious event, which tees off the fifth Omega China Tour season on Thursday and offers a record-equalling purse of RMB1 million (about US$146,000)。

　　Li, who won eight times in his first 20 events on Tour, is aiming for a hat-trick in the port city, having won the inaugural Xiamen Championship at the same venue in 2007 before Dell came on board as a title sponsor last year. However, the Beijing-born 28-year-old says the improving level of play on Tour will make a third win a tricky proposition。

　　“Defending any title is difficult. The fact you have players like Zhang Lianwei and Wu Ashun in the field shows how good the competition will be this week,” said Li, who won the 2005 and 2007 Omega Order of Merit titles。

　　Zhang, last year’s runner-up, is among a host of high-profile challengers in arguably the strongest field in the circuit’s five seasons. Reigning Omega Order of Merit champion Liao Guiming and experienced Chinese Taipei invites Lu Wen-teh and Lin Keng-chi are also among the favourites。

　　However, Zhang remains the event’s main attraction, with a record to match. In 15 events on Tour, he has recorded six victories, four runner-ups, four third places and a joint-fourth finish。

　　“There are so many good players here this week, including a lot of good foreigners who came through Qualifying School,” said the 43-year-old Zhang, who won the Omega Order of Merit in 2006 and has finished second in the money list for the past two years。

　　“I think there will be a lot of players under par this week. The course is in better condition than last year, and the fairways and greens look great. Dell is a famous global brand so it’s great to have them continue to support the Omega China Tour。”

　　Wu is another of the event’s big draws after returning to China following a great start to his second full season on the Asian Tour, where he has finished joint-seventh and joint-fourth in his last two outings。

　　The Dell Championship holds special significance for the 23-year-old, as he was born in Zhangzhou near Xiamen and still has many family and friends in the area。

　　“I’m really proud that the first event of this year’s Omega China Tour is in Xiamen,” said Wu, who has recorded four top-10 and four top-20 finishes in his nine appearances on the circuit。

　　“I still have a lot of family and friends in the Xiamen area, so hopefully I will get a bit of support. I hope all the players will enjoy their time here。”

　　Other contenders include Zhou Jun, who won last October’s season-ending Omega Championship in Beijing, Wu Kangchun, runner-up that week and who missed out on an Asian Tour card this year by one stroke, and local favourite Wu Weihuang, whose 17-year-old son Jianlong will also be competing。

　　Many eyes will also be on Indiana University student Han Ren, 20, and James Su Dong, 19, both of whom went to school in Canada. Han is returning to China during his spring break to play on the Tour for the first time, while Su made headlines last year when the then 18-year-old amateur finished runner-up in the Tianjin Championship and recorded two third-place finishes。

　　“This professional event is the pride of Xiamen and Dell,” said Peter Marrs, Marketing Director of Dell APJ. “The event’s location in Xiamen, where our China headquarters is situated, creates special value for our employees and customers。”

　　This year’s champion will walk away with the winner’s cheque of RMB180,000 and also a new Dell Latitude XT2 tablet PC, which would be an impressive upgrade for Li, who last year received his first-ever laptop when he won the XT version。

　　Dell will also present this week’s runner-up with a Latitude E4200 notebook and the third-placed finisher with a Latitude E4300。

　　“Dell will continue to provide our brand-new products to reward outstanding performances, so this year we’re pleased to reserve the Latitude XT2 for the winner,” Marrs continued. “We’ll also have the new Latitude E4200 and E4300 notebooks as prizes。”

　　Dell will also award a Latitude E4200 to the first player to record a hole-in-one during the tournament。