Zhang Lianwei (; 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.

Early life 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.

Professional career In 1994, Zhang turned professional. 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.

Zhang has won a total of five tournaments on the Asian Tour, and has a best end of season ranking of 2nd on the Order of Merit, achieved in 2003. He has also won six times on the China Tour, where he topped the Order of Merit in 2006.

In 2009, while being invited to compete in the Omega European Masters in Crans-sur-Sierre Switzerland, Zhang met Stéphane Barras the local club pro, who later became his coach.Stéphane Barras in China, Olympic Quest full story In February 2010 Zhang and Stéphane opened a golf training center in Haigeng, Kunming in the province of Yunnan, (the Olympic training ground of China). In April 2010, Zhang regained his title at the PGA of China and in 2011 he finishing -13 and best Chinese at the China Open co-sanctioned with European Tour, OneAsia tour and Asian Tour.

In 2014, Zhang hit the very first tee shot in the history of the newly established PGA Tour China. In 2015 he was a rookie on the European Senior Tour. In 2016, he won his first senior title, the SSE Enterprise Wales Senior Open.

Amateur wins 1989 China Amateur Open Championship 1991 China Amateur Open Championship 1994 China Amateur Open Championship

Professional wins (22) European Tour wins (1) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner-up126 Jan 2003Caltex Masters1−10 (68-71-69-70=278)1 stroke Ernie Els 1Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour

Asian PGA Tour wins (6) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-up113 Aug 1995Volvo Masters of Thailand−14 (68-70-69-67=274)3 strokes Gerry Norquist, Neale Smith222 Dec 1996Volvo Asian Matchplay1 up Kang Wook-soon36 May 2001Macau Open−11 (70-64-71-68=273)1 stroke Simon Yates420 Oct 2002Macau Open (2)−7 (71-69-67-70=277)Playoff Nick Price526 Jan 2003Caltex Masters1−10 (68-71-69-70=278)1 stroke Ernie Els616 Nov 2003Volvo China Open−11 (67-69-69-72=277)2 strokes Thaworn Wiratchant 1Co-sanctioned by the European Tour

Asian PGA Tour playoff record (1–0) No.YearTournamentOpponentResult12002Macau Open Nick PriceWon with par on fifth extra hole

Canadian Tour wins (1) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunners-up19 Jul 2000Ontario Open Heritage Classic−9 (69-68-67=204)2 strokes Jason Schultz, Todd Setsma, Ken Staton

Omega China Tour wins (6) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-up114 May 2006Zhuhai Leg +8 (75-74-78-69=296)6 strokes Zheng Wengen23 Sep 2006Shanghai Leg−6 (69-71-70-72=282)Playoff Huang Mingjie33 Jun 2007Qingdao Leg +6 (71-72-73-78=294)2 strokes Chen Xiaoma, Li Chao, Wu Weihuang424 Jun 2007Guangzhou Leg−9 (71-68-71-69=279)5 strokes Yuan Hao521 Oct 2007Omega Golf Championship−5 (70-77-69-67=283)7 strokes Li Chao616 Mar 2008Guangzhou Leg (2)−3 (72-72-68-73=285)4 strokes Chan Yih-shin, Hsu Mong-nan

Volvo China Tour wins (3) 1995 Volvo Open 1996 Blue Ribbon Open 1997 Hugo Boss Open

Other wins (5) 1995 (2) Volvo Masters of Malaysia 1996 (2) Volvo Masters of Malaysia, Volvo Masters of Thailand 1998 (1) Hong Kong PGA Championship 2010 China Tour – PGA Championship

European Senior Tour wins (1) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner-up15 Jun 2016SSE Enterprise Wales Senior Open−12 (67-69-62=198)3 strokes Paul Broadhurst

Results in major championships Tournament2004Masters TournamentCUT CUT = missed the halfway cut Note: Zhang only played in the Masters Tournament.

Results in World Golf Championships Tournament20042005200620072008200920102011201220132014Match PlayChampionship68InvitationalChampionsT66T64

"T" = Tied Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.

Team appearances World Cup (representing China): 1995, 1996, 2001, 2007, 2008, 2009 Alfred Dunhill Cup (representing China): 1998, 1999, 2000 Dynasty Cup (representing Asia): 2003 (winners), 2005 (winners) Royal Trophy (representing Asia): 2006

See also List of golfers with most Asian Tour wins

Notes

References

External links