Liang Wenchong: From working a farm to leading the greens

When you think golf, rarely do you think: China.

Liang Wenchong, a Chinese native, is trying to change that, making his name on the international pro golf circuit.

Liang accidentally entered the Chinese golf scene almost two decades ago, becoming China’s first pro golfer 10 years later. He was the first golfer from mainland China to successfully win the Order of Merit on the Asian Tour, also making it into the eighth seat at the GPA championship in the United States, a first for a Chinese native.

If there was a Yao Ming or Liu Xiang for golf, Liang is it.

Although Liang is a celebrated player in what's still considered to be a “Western high-society sport” in China, his success is deceiving. His is a true rags-to-riches story, coming from a rural farming village in Guangdong to leading China’s way on the green.

Although there were questions of if he would make it to this week’s HSBC Champions tournament in Shenshan, Liang remains undeterred, still charting a course to his goal, to put Chinese golfers on the international map.

I call on all in the golf industry, including the stadiums and sponsors, to continue to nurture our young people. They are our future.— Liang Wenchong

Unlikely star in China's 'elite sport'

Liang Wenchong's success in the golf world was not how he imagined his life would turn out.

In 1993, China's first modern golf course, Zhongshan Hot Spring Golf Club, was looking to train a number of young Chinese players. This was the first time a golf club in China had decided to formally train golfers.

Liang was just 15 years old when the course put out the calls. 

At that time, relatively few people in China were familiar with golf, even in the more affluent first-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai. 

As a young boy who grew up in a rural farming village, Liang had no knowledge of the sport. However, he responded to the golf course's notice and left his former farm life for good.

Even two decades later when Liang is a staple of the pro circuit, he still expresses how important the selection at Zhanghshan Golf Club was to his life.

"If I did not get into golf, someone from the countryside like me would only be one of those wage-earners. It's golf that changed my life," he says.

At the time, the golf club selected a dozen kids of Liang's age from his school to participate in the training. Many were eliminated after a week or two, unable to keep up with the program.

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Liang recalls how hard he worked, getting up at 5 a.m each day and training until dark. When he went home in the evenings, he still practiced chipping with a bag of old balls.

"If I didn't play golf, I might have continued high school, with little hope of getting into university,” says Liang. “I would be working in a factory in a village like many of my classmates. Golf made my life much more interesting.”

Professional golfer

At the age of 17, Liang had already achieved a score under par, an outstanding accomplishment for an amateur player. In 1999, Liang became a professional golfer.

If I did not get into golf, someone from the countryside like me would only be one of those wage-earners. It's golf that changed my life.— Liang Wenchong

“When I started playing professional tournaments, playing golf was no longer just for fun. It became a serious career,” says Liang.

In 2007, he reached his first career peak: becoming the second Chinese golfer, after Zhang Lianwei, to play in a series of important international tournaments. By this time Liang was training up to six hours a day, hitting around 600 balls each session, he recalls.

“I would listen to some pop music while running, and the rest of my time was either spent playing tournaments or practicing," says Liang of his schedule.

At this year's PGA Championship in the United States in August, Liang scored a headline-grabbing round of 64. The achievement got him front page coverage by press across the United States. 

Officials from U.S. golf associations praised Liang in the press as a "pioneer of golf in China, who brought new pride to Chinese golf.”

The achievements gave Liang much confidence and he now hopes to do well on his home turf at the upcoming Shanghai HSBC Champions.

Developing a young generation of golfers

Golf in China is still a new and so-called “aristocratic” sport with an estimated 1 million consumers in China, growing at a rate of 30 percent per year, many of them from China's up-and-coming wealthy class. 

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Those usually picking up their clubs in China have historically been either members of China’s growing elite such as such entrepreneurs, executives and lawyers, or foreigners and players from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

If I didn't play golf, I might have continued high school, with little hope of getting into university. I would be working in a factory in a village like many of my classmates.— Liang Wenchongt

In 2004, when Zhang Lianwei was invited to attend the U.S. Masters as the first professional player from the Chinese mainland, many people knew nothing about golf in China. 

At that time, William “Hootie” Johnson, former chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club, came to Zhang's side to watch him hit his first ball.

Many in the international press reported suspicions that Johnson was there to witness the moment when the era of professional Chinese golf was born. 

Liang's transformation from an anonymous face in a small village to an internationally known professional golfer has had an impact on the definition of golf being “an elite sport” in China, breaking barriers for those coming after him. 

"The sudden rise of Liang might be able to bring more attention to golf in China, but such grassroots stars as Liang are still rare," says Chao Feng, a senior golf reporter from Shanghai for SMG.

In 2007, Liang set up "Liang Wenchong Golf Foundation for Juniors" in hopes of creating players to follow in his path. 

Additionally, together with Zhongshan Hot Spring Golf Club where he plays, Liang also established a Zhongshan Golf Foundation for Juniors.

With the support of these funds, young players with potential can receive professional training and also participate in competitions for young people to gain experiences and prizes. Such foundations are rather common practice overseas, although they are a first in China. 

"I call on all in the golf industry, including the stadiums and sponsors, to continue to nurture our young people. They are our future," says Liang.

Liang's success is a story set to inspire a generation of young people who love golf, as well as the current approximately 250,000 young golfers in China. Liang’s message to China's future golf stars is simple: with persistence and great effort, the world of the "little white ball” is not as hard to reach as they often imagine.

"This is exactly what satisfies me the most. I proved to the world that China can also have an excellent golfer. I hope that my achievements can encourage the young players and get more people to be interested in this sport.”