Golfers optimistic about upcoming tournament

From left: Darren Clarke, Anirban Lahiri, Branden Grace, Scott Hend, Zhang Lian-wei

This week the Venetian Macao Open will host renowned golfers bidding for the championship as the Asian Tour season heads into the home straight.
The total prize fund has reached USD1.1 million, making it the Asian Tour’s most lucrative full field tournament.
The tournament, which will be held at the Macau Golf & Country Club, is the 18th edition of the match and will commence tomorrow.
Defending champion Scott Hend who also won in 2013, and 2014 winner Anirban Lahiri have been the players in the best form over the last three editions of the tournament.
With two tournament wins and six other top ten finishes this year, Branden Grace (#14 in world rankings), who only arrived to the region yesterday, is hoping to disrupt the Hend-Lahiri dominance at the Open.
“Being top 15 in the world can give me a little bit advantage, more knowledge than maybe some of the rest,” said Grace during a press conference yesterday at The Parisian.
Meanwhile Australian Scott Hend said: “The quality of the field here in Macau just keeps on getting stronger and stronger. Looking at the champions around me today, it could be anybody’s trophy on Sunday.”
Lahiri, hailing from India, has been a runner up in 2013 and 2015, in addition to his first victory on the peninsula in 2014. The 18-time winner will look to even the scores with the defending champion later this week.
According to him, the Macao Open has turned into a major event. “We play a lot of golf courses [in a] very resort-style, very modern, but this has got the charm of an old club,” he told the press.
2016 Ryder Cup Team Europe captain Darren Clarke will be returning to the tournament for the first time since 1999. The 2011 Open Championship winner has invested his efforts this year leading Team Europe and made his way back to the region as a player.
The Chinese Zhang Lian-wei, winner of the Open in 2001 and 2002, has made 17 appearances and 16 cuts since the start of the tournament. Zhang is currently a regular on the seniors’ tour and is continuing to represent China.
He also added that the golf industry in both Macau and mainland China are charting rapid growth.
The 144-player championship is jointly organized by the Sports Bureau of the SAR and the Golf Association of Macau.
Further, the Venetian Macao Open features a kid’s zone within the tournament grounds which involves an array of activities for families including face painting, and introductory golf clinics.

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