Zhang Lian-wei
| Zhang Lianwei 张连伟 |
|
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born |
2 May 1965 Zhuhai, Guangdong, China |
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| Weight | 73 kg (161 lb; 11.5 st) |
| Nationality |
 China
|
| Residence | Shenzhen, Guangdong, China |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1994 |
| Current tour(s) | European Senior Tour |
| Former tour(s) |
European Tour Japan Golf Tour Asian Tour |
| Professional wins | 19 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| European Tour | 1 |
| Asian Tour | 5 |
| European Senior Tour | 1 |
| Other | 13 |
| Best results in major championships |
|
| Masters Tournament | CUT: 2004 |
| U.S. Open | DNP |
| The Open Championship | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP |
| Achievements and awards | |
| Omega China Tour Order of Merit winner |
2006 |
Zhang Lianwei (Chinese: 张连伟; born 2 May 1965) is a Chinese professional golfer.
Zhang was the first golfer from the People's Republic of China to achieve substantial success on the international professional circuit. In January 2003 he became the first Chinese golfer to win on the European Tour, and the following year was the first to compete in the Masters Tournament, one of the four major championships.
Zhang was born in Zhuhai in Guangdong Province. The People's Republic of China's first golf course opened in 1984, and Zhang took up the game soon afterwards. He worked as a caddie and won the China Amateur Open Championship three times before turning professional in 1994.
Early in his career, Zhang won a number of smaller tournaments around Asia, in China, Malaysia and Thailand. He has competed predominantly on the Asian Tour since 1997, but has also played extensively on the Japan Golf Tour. He has also played outside Asia with limited success. However he did win a tournament in Canada in 2000.
Zhang came to global attention at the 2003 Caltex Singapore Masters, where he edged out Ernie Els with a birdie on the final hole to become the first Chinese golfer to win on the European Tour. With this victory he also became the first Chinese golfer to make the top 100 in the Official World Golf Rankings. As a result, in 2004 he received a special invitation to play in the Masters Tournament, becoming the first player from mainland China to compete in the tournament. His invite drew significant criticism, with many players believing that there were other Asian golfers more deserving of a place in the Augusta field.
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