Turnberry, Scotland July 16: China’s Liang Wen-chong’s campaign at the British Open suffered an early setback when he posted an opening seven-over par 77 on Thursday.

Liang, who enjoyed a slice of history when he became the first Chinese to play in all four rounds at the Open last year, will have to put in a very commanding second round performance if he hopes to repeat that feat again.

Playing alongside American Steve Stricker and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, the 2007 Asian Tour number one pared his opening five holes before three bogeys in the sixth, eighth and ninth holes saw him make the turn in three-over at the Ailsa Course.

The Chinese star continued to drop further shots on the 10th and 12th before a birdie on the 13th momentarily halted the calamitous run.

A double bogey on the 14th followed by another bogey on the 16th meant that Liang will now have to play the game of his life in the second round to rescue his Open campaign.

“My tee shots were all very poor today. The three-wood that I was using did not work and most of my shots landed in the rough which obviously made things very difficult for me today,” said Liang.

Being the sole flag bearer for China this week, Liang knows that he is carrying the hopes of his country and needs to redeem himself with a better performance when the second round tees off.

“It has always been an honour for me to do my country proud and there’s never a better opportunity for me to do that than playing well at the Open this week,” said Liang.

“While it’s disappointing today, I can only hope to make up for the disappointment with a better performance tomorrow,” added the 30-year-old Chinese.

Ends.

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As the official sanctioning body for professional golf in Asia, the Asian Tour leads the development of golf across the region, enhancing the careers of its members while maintaining a commitment to the integrity of the game. The Asian Tour, through its membership of the International Federation of PGA Tours, is the only recognised pan-Asian professional golf tour in Asia.  This unique feature positions the Asian Tour at the pinnacle of professional golf in Asia; providing its events with Official World Ranking status. Tour Partners include ESPN Star Sports (Official Regional TV Broadcaster), Pin High (Official Apparel Partner), Ricoh (Official Office Solutions Provider) and Srixon (Official Ball). Sentosa, Singapore’s premier island resort getaway, is the Home of the Asian Tour.