Zhang Lianwei scored a runaway seven-stroke victory at the
US$100,000 Omega Championship in Beijing on Sunday, October 21,
2007.
The mainland's master of the fairways showed his vast experience
by firing the lowest round in the tournament on the final day, a
five-under-par 67 to finish on five-under 283.
Li Chao was second after shooting a 71, while Chinese Taipei's
Wang Ter-chang finished a shot further back in third.
Wang, a special invitee along with another Chinese Taipei
veteran Lu Wen-teh, returned a 68 in the season-ending event on the
Omega China Tour.
Zhang had started the day three ahead of Li and never looked
back after finishing the front nine in four-under-par 32, with
birdies on the third, fourth, fifth and seventh.
The victory was the 42-year-old's third of the season and has
particular significance for him as the Tianan Golf Club is managed
by Cheng Jun, his former World Cup teammate and winner of the Volvo
China Open in 1997.
"I was disappointed to finish third here last year so I am so
happy to do better this week especially with Cheng Jun here. We
turned professional together and played in the 1995 World Cup. We
have a lot of memories so this win gives me a special feeling,"
said Zhang, who won US$19,470.
The victory came a little too late for Zhang to win the Omega
Order of Merit for the second year in a row. Li secured the Merit
title at the penultimate event in Xiamen.
In Gyeongju, South Korea, Norway's Suzann Pettersen won the
LPGA's Hana Bank KOLON Championship yesterday when high wind forced
tournament officials to call off the final round and award the
event on Saturday's standings, Reuters reported.
Pettersen opened with a 3-under 69 on Friday and shot an
even-par 72 on Saturday in cold and windy conditions to lead on the
Mauna Ocean course. She won for the fourth time this season on the
LPGA Tour, and fifth time overall this year.
South Korea's Ji Eun-hee finished second, a stroke back at
2-under. Lee Seon-hwa and Jeong Jang followed at 1-under.
Top-ranked Lorena Ochoa, coming off her seventh victory of the
season last week in California, tied for 12th at 3-over after
rounds of 72 and 75.
In Scottsdale, Arizona, Sweden's Carl Pettersson surged one-shot
clear of the field following a flawless third-round 64 at the Fry's
Electronics Open on Saturday.
American-based Pettersson fired six birdies to reach a
13-under-par total of 197, a stroke ahead of former US Masters
champion Mike Weir of Canada and Australian Mark Hensby.
Weir roared into contention with a round of 65 and Hensby shot
66 in hot conditions.
The burly Pettersson, 30, picked up three shots in the first
five holes and three more birdies at the 10th, 11th and 15th holes
left him in a good position to claim his third PGA tour title.
Australian Jarrod Lyle and second-round leader Ryan Moore were a
further two shots back, one ahead of former British Open champion
Justin Leonard, Japan's Daisuke Maruyama and American Ben
Crane.
(Shanghai Daily October 23, 2007)
