Norman out to show old bite at BMW Asian Open

Australian golf legend Greg Norman hopes to mix a bit golfing pleasure with business when he headlines the US$2.3 million BMW Asian Open starting on Thursday.

The 53-year-old former world number one is making a rare appearance in Asia where he will take on a stellar line-up which includes title holder Raphael Jacquelin, Henrik Stenson, Retief Goosen and Asian Tour stalwarts Mark Brown and local hero Liang Wen-chong at Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club.

This will only be Norman’s third start to the season but with his competitive juices still flowing, the Aussie is hoping to roll back the years which during his heyday saw him amass over 90 international victories including two British Open titles.

“I’ve always been a believer of promoting the game of golf, whether through the business world or through opportunities like this, playing. I’ve seen what has happened here in China and it’s phenomenal to see that,” said Norman today.

“I haven’t really quit the game of golf. I still practice, I still play. As long as I get invited to come back, I’m going to continue to play in certain places around the world. We have a couple of job opportunities here and will have some meetings this week.”

Last December, Norman, nicknamed the “Great White Shark”, showed some old bite in his game by tying for seventh place in the South African Airways Open, finishing well ahead of the likes of Ernie Els and Goosen.

Although his golf course projects around the globe have taken up most of his time these days, Norman said he still enjoyed competing on Tour.  “I probably get more nervous now as I don’t play that much anymore. When you don’t play that much, things are not that routine.

“It’s a good sign in a lot of way. If you don’t get nervous, then you really don’t care. In my heyday, I’ve always enjoyed being nervous as I play better. I still like to do well but at the same time, I’m a realist. Expectations are a lot different now compared to what they were in the 1980s and 1990s,” said Norman, who was world number one for 331 weeks before the Tiger Woods’ era.

Norman said he wasn’t surprised to see golf booming in Asia, especially in China. “We’ve seen a lot of growth in the game of golf in this country and also in other parts of Asia. It’s huge because of the population.

“You’ve seen the players coming out from here and they are putting their footprints on the global map, whether it’s through invitations to play in the Masters or winning tournaments in Europe,” said Norman, who along with this week’s stars helped unveil the all-new BMW X6 model in a press launch.

China’s Liang, last season’s Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, will be aiming to end the region’s title drought at the BMW Asian Open, sanctioned by the Asian Tour, European Tour and China Golf Association.

Since the event’s inauguration in 2001, no Asian player has won the prestigious title.

“I will try my best,” said Liang, who competed in the US Masters two weeks ago. “There are now a lot of events that I want to always have a good performance. In China, I want to play my best for the fans.

“I feel like it’s my responsibility to do so. I have to play well every week to help popularise the game, so that the younger players can see what we are doing and try to follow us. I think that helps grow the popularity of golf in China,” he added.

Fresh from his Masters experience, Liang returned to action in Beijing last week and finished tied eighth for his second top-10 of the season on the Asian Tour. However, the 29-year-old said he needed to putt better to contend in this week’s BMW Asian Open.

“I felt good with my game last week but I will spend some time on the putting greens as my putting has not been up to mark,” said Liang. “I’ve not had a top-10 here before so I’m looking forward to putting in a good performance,” said Liang.

Frenchman Jacquelin, who won last year’s BMW Asian Open from start to finish, is relishing a return to the challenging Tomson golf course. “It is always good to be back at the same course, same place as last year. It is all about good memories and it is good for me personally at the moment to get some pleasure coming here. I am looking forward to starting on Thursday and if I can get my game together it should be a good week,” he said.

Stenson, who at world number 13 is the highest ranked player in this week’s field, will also be on a mission. “I won the BMW International Open (in Munich) last year and lost this one in a play-off two years ago. And now that I am here, I don’t want to be second again,” said the Swede, who is presently ranked second on the European Tour Order of Merit.