China's top player Liang Wenchong believes the golfing world needs to wake up to the potential of Asia.

"Of course I'd love to have a Major in Asia. It would help to upgrade the overall level of the sport in Asia, and it is a good way to let the US and Europe see that Asia is growing fast," Liang told China Daily ahead of tomorrow's Pine Valley Beijing Open.

"But ultimately with the Asian PGA Tour or European PGA Tour, the aim is to provide the players with a fine platform for raising their standard."

China's top golfer Liang Wenchong believes the addition of a major tournament in Asia would benefit the development of golf in the region. Liang is competing in the Pine Valley Beijing Open starting tomorrow.[Reuters]

"But," he added, "we don't just need one good player, we need lots of fine players. We need to have a lot players to choose the best."

"Currently good players like me, we work while we play. We play for our club teams. Now more parents are telling their children what golf is. They are taking their children to golf courses. So I believe more young talents will come through very soon."

Opulent surroundings

With this weekend's tournament taking place in opulent surroundings way beyond the reach of the vast majority of Chinese children, Liang said more attention should be paid to public facilities.

"To my knowledge there are only two public courses in China, in Shenzhen. Of course, having more public courses will help develop the sport and nurture more Chinese players."

Liang's optimism about the state of the sport in China was shared by international competitors competing this weekend.

"The next generation of Chinese golfers, because of the golf boom here in China, are going to be extremely strong," said Australian Scott Hend, who finished third in last weekend's BMW Asian Open in Shanghai and was runner up at the Volvo China Open, also in Shanghai, the weekend before.

"(The young golfers) are starting to show a bit of promise, I've seen a few of them on the range swinging it. All they've got to do now is get more experience of playing at the competitive level."

Hend said Asia was due some more high profile tournaments, but stopped short of suggesting a Major: "My issue is with the World Golf Championship. It's supposed to be the world golf championship but it's pretty much the US golf championship."

The World Golf Championship consists of the Accenture Match Play Championship, the CA Championship and the Bridgestone Invitational. This year all three are being played in the United States.

"The Worlds should be a world thing, not mostly US. It should be played in China, one somewhere else in Asia, and then one in England and one in the States," he added.