Golf: Liang Wen-chong sets pace in Dubai but focus is on chasing quartet

Published on Thursday 19 November 2009 09:14

THE sole Chinaman in the field was setting the pace at the Dubai World Championship today.

Liang Wen-chong, 57th on the money list and 85th in the world, raced to the turn at the new Greg Norman-designed Earth course in a four-under-par 32. And, when he added a fifth birdie at the 476-yard 12th Liang led by two from France's Gregory Bourdy, who qualified for the tournament – and in doing so knocked Darren Clarke out of it – by winning the Hong Kong Open on Sunday.

Most attention, of course, is on the quartet striving for the Tour number one title and a bonus of almost 900,000, but in the first round the pairings were done in reverse order.

That meant current leader Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood, just over 114,000 behind, formed the last group just behind Martin Kaymer and Ross Fisher.

McIlroy, Westwood and Kaymer would all take the Order of Merit by taking the tournament title, while 20-year-old McIlroy will be crowned the youngest winner since Seve Ballesteros lifted it at 19 in 1976 if Westwood finishes outside the top seven, Kaymer the top four and Fisher the top two.

Lying joint third at two under were Englishman Chris Wood, Spaniard Rafael Cabrera-Bello and Colombian Camilo Villegas.

Luke Donald, playing for the first time since further surgery on his troublesome right wrist last month, turned in 34, but slipped back to one under with a bogey on the 401-yard 11th. Donald's wife Diane is expecting their first child in late March – and if the baby is late the arrival could clash with The Masters at Augusta.

Justin Rose, who missed out on a US Tour play-off by a single shot in Florida on Sunday, was another who had crossed the Atlantic for the event but he managed only a front nine 37 and remained one over with eight to play.

This was to have been the week when golf saw its first $10million tournament, but because of economic concerns for the property developer sponsors it was cut by 25 per cent.

The evidence of their troubles is there for all to see with an unfinished clubhouse and partly-built houses lining the fairways.

&#149 MUSSELBURGH'S Fraser Mann could be about to join the likes of former Ryder Cup captains Sam Torrance and Ian Woosnam on the European Senior Tour.

Mann boosted his hopes of securing a place on next year's circuit with a five-under-par 66 in the third round at the qualifying school at Pestana in Portugal.

Mann, who has been the pro at Monktonhall for a number of years, went into today's final round sharing seventh place on four-under-par 209.

If he can finish in the top six, Mann will get to play in almost every tournament on the over-50s circuit next season.

In southern Italy, Zack Saltman failed in his bid to secure a full card on the Alps Tour next season but will still secure a few starts after making it to the last round in the qualifying process.