By IANS,
Macau : Golden oldie Lu Wen-teh is looking forward to his title defence of the Macau Open golf next week as he bids for a second victory of the season.
The 45-year-old will face a strong Asian Tour line-up at Macau Golf and Country Club from Oct 23-26 and with his game in good shape, the veteran from Taipei is feeling confident of another rewarding trip.
“I enjoy playing at the Macau Open because the course suits my game as you require accuracy from off the tee which is my strong point. I’ve won once at home already this year and it has given me added confidence for another win in Macau,” said Lu, who defeated Australian Richard Moir in a play-off last year.
He triumphed at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters last month for his fifth career win on the Asian Tour. Amazingly, it was his fourth success in his 40s, dispelling the notion that the game is now dominated by the young guns.
“The win has made me feel young again. It’s a great feeling,” said Lu, currently ranked 17th on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit. “It’s a great result and it shows that there is still a lot left in me,”
The Macau Open, which will see a record prize fund of $500,000 on offer, will also feature two-time Macau Open champion Zhang Lian-wei of China, former Asian Tour No.1 Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand and this season’s winners – Ben Leong of Malaysia, Filipino Angelo Que and Chinese Taipei’s Lin Wen-tang, ranked seventh on the Merit list.
Former Macau Open champions Kane Webber of Australia, American Jason Knutzon and Chinese Taipei’s Wang Ter-chang will also compete next week in what is the 11th edition of the Macau Open.
China’s Zhang could be one of Lu’s chief rivals for the Macau Open title. The self-taught star nailed back to back titles in 2001 and 2002 and produced his fifth top-10 finish at the Macau Open last year on the way to breaking the million-dollar mark in career earnings on the Asian Tour.
Australia’s Webber will be hoping to relive his 2006 efforts which saw him claim his maiden success on the Asian Tour while Leong and Que will both be hoping to repeat their first half of the season performance after wins at the Worldwide Selangor Masters and Philippines Open respectively.