There will likely be testing times ahead at the US$300,000 Acer Taiwan Open that begins today at the Sunrise Golf and Country Club course outside Taipei, with star player Justin Rose hoping to make a name for himself as the "wild rose."
The SARS-delayed tournament that was originally scheduled to take place in September has coincided with a relatively cold snap and a rolling fog which was obscuring the fairway yesterday in Yangmei, Taoyuan County.
The forecast is for more of the same and possibly rain through to Sunday, which could make the tournament more challenging.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF ACER TAIWAN OPEN
At a press conference Rose said the fog did not worry him as it made him feel right at home [which is in London].
"This is my first trip to Taiwan and everyone is being very nice to me ... I met a couple of pros this morning and they made some nice comments about the course, so I think we will have a wonderful week. "
Last year, home-crowd favorite Hsieh Yu-shu (
The defending champion is back again, but has had a pretty low-key year so far, scratching and finishing in the lower ranks on the Asian, Japan and European tours, though he did come in 11th at the recent Mercury Masters in Tamshui.
Lin Wen-ko (
local heros
He will be joined by local stars Chang Tse-peng (
American Andrew Pitts, the Taiwan Open winner in 2001, is no doubt thinking this will be his year again, while India's Vijay Kumar and a slew of other golfers on the Asian tour will also be competing at the 18-hole, four-day event, that ends Sunday.
Other golfers to keep an eye on are Anthony Kang and Clay Devers of the US and Kim Felton of Australia. Taiwan's young champion Luo Shih-kai will also be teeing up.
The choice of England's Justin Rose, who was born in South Africa, as the tournament's star player has been a brave one on the part of the organizers.
Nobuo Hishinuma, president of Asia Zone TaylorMade-Adidas Golf, one of the sponsors of the event, said the 23-year-old would be an ideal role model for young players.
"As golf is becoming one of the most popular sports throughout Asia, Justin Rose coming to Taiwan is very important in helping golf take root here by attracting more youth to the sport ...," the sponsor said in a statement.
Rose was one of the world's most promising prospects five years ago, but descended into a well-publicized funk from which he only just recovered last year, with win at the Dunhill Championship and Nashua Masters. He then won in Japan and took his first title in England soon after at the British Masters at Woburn.
Rose has been consistent this year, with top-10 finishes at the Open de France, the Johnnie Walker Classic and the US Open, where he finished three shots ahead of world number one Tiger Woods.
He is currently ranked 48th in the world and finished ninth last year on the Order of Merit.
Commenting on his early difficulties after turning professional, Rose said he owed a debt to top coach David Leadbetter.
"At the time I turned pro I was very young. I thought it's basically about confidence. My confidence dropped. Hard work and practice got me through."
learning opportunity
Rose will be holding clinics for youngsters as part of the Acer Junior Golf training program. His advice to young, local golfers was to compete as much as possible.
Asked about the nickname he was given by the UK media -- "English Rose" -- the golfer said, "I don't think about that too much. Maybe you can get me a new one. Maybe `Wild Rose.'"
If he gets a hole-in-one and the prize of a mansion, or comes through on Sunday by winning the Acer Taiwan Open, it could be that he gets his wish.
The Taiwan Open has been the country's top golfing event since 1965 and is held annually.
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