Five-time Asian Tour winner Lin Wen-tang of Taiwan will bank on home advantage as he chases another title at the inaugural Yeangder Tournament Players Championship (TPC), which starts today.
A victory at the US$300,000 tournament, one of four new events on the Asian Tour schedule this season, will make Lin the Taiwanese player with the most number of wins on the Asian Tour.
“It’s always nice to play at home in front of your fans. It’s an opportunity not only for them to watch you live in action, but also for us to play well in front of them and make them proud,” said Lin, who has won an Asian Tour title every season since 2006.
The 36-year-old is so determined to honor those words at the Linkou International Golf Club in Taipei that he even passed on the chance to play the inaugural Handa Singapore Classic last week so that he can prepare for his title ambitions in Taipei.
“It’s good that we’ve new events on the Asian Tour, as it gives us more playing opportunities. I would have loved to play in Singapore last week, but because it’s just as important to do well on home soil too, I had no choice but to give it a miss,” said Lin, who enjoyed his finest season in 2008 when he won twice, including the UBS Hong Kong Open which helped propel him into the world’s top 50.
Besides the host of Asian Tour stars, that include Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant and Chinnarat Phadungsil, as well as Angelo Que of the Philippines, Lin will also be up against a local contingent featuring five-time Asian Tour winner Lu Wen-teh, Chan Yih-shin and Chen Tze-chung.
Chen came close to winning the US Open in 1985, but finished second behind Andy North. The Taiwan veteran also won on the USPGA Tour and numerous titles in Asia and Japan during the 1980s and 1990s.
Meanwhile Australia’s Andrew Dodt is hoping to rediscover his early season form that saw him win once at the Avantha Masters and twice finish in the top 10 at the Air Bagan Myanmar Open and Queen’s Cup.
While Dodt has credited his improved mental game for making him a better player, the Australian who has missed several cuts in Europe recently, hopes that his blip in form is only temporary.
“I’ve struggled over the last few months, and I’m trying to find that form which I had earlier in the year and play well again,” the 24-year-old Australian said.
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