He believes an Asian Tour player can one day win the Masters and he is ready to state his case.

'I am grateful for the chance to play in the US Masters,' said Liang, who was invited by Augusta National along with Asian Tour stalwarts Jeev Milkha Singh of India and Thailand's Prayad Marksaeng. 'As representatives of Asia, we want to do a good job there and leave a good impression on them.'

Liang's mentor and close friend, Zhang Lianwei, walked the hallowed grounds in the 2004 Masters but missed the cut by two strokes. Naturally, Liang hopes to achieve what Zhang failed to do. The tenacious Liang, who won once and posted eight other top-10s to become Asia's new number one last season, will have his confidence boosted following a tied-12th finish at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on the US PGA Tour 10 days ago.

Liang's sometime coach, the highly regarded Kel Llewellyn, has every belief Liang can leave an indelible mark on the international scene.

'I think Liang is potentially a major champion,' said the Australian, who has guided Kyi Hla Han and Jyoti Randhawa to the Asian Tour number-one crown in the past.

'He has such a wonderful temperament. He is hard working with practice sessions often lasting 12 hours and nothing really bothers him. He has got that ability to detach himself from past and future.'

Liang realises that a good showing at the Masters, the year's opening major, will fuel the growing interests of golf in the mainland.

This season, a total of six Asian Tour events will be played in China but Liang stressed it wasn't entirely up to him alone to carry the nation's progress in the game.

'I think that the progress of golf does not lie entirely with one player. It is the combined effort of many players who play well in tournaments which will help spread the game,' said Liang.

Liang recalls the moment when his life changed forever. 'When I was studying in secondary school in 1993, two teachers from Zhongshan Hotspring Golf Club came to teach us golf and it was then that I developed an interest in the game which led me down this path,' he said.

'I won the Chinese amateur open award in 1995 and from 1996 to 1998 I was the China amateur open champion. I was given the opportunity join the China Tour and I later managed to secure a fourth place in the 1999 Volvo China Open which was when I decided to turn professional,' said Liang.

Despite his success, Liang remains humble and has not forgotten his roots. He generously donated all his winnings of US$183,000 from the Singapore Masters towards the development of golf on the mainland where the Zhongshan Club, China's first modern golf course designed by Arnold Palmer in 1984, set up a foundation.

'I have very close ties with Zhongshan Club. It is like a parent to me, bringing me up in golf as without it, I wouldn't have come so far.

'We want China to grow and it is clubs like this that provide the foundation and support for players like me to progress.

'Otherwise, there would only be rich people playing golf. It was good that I had the chance, support and the facilities when I was younger so I can be what I am today.

'I hope that this support will continue in the future as I want to help others become good golfers and by giving them my winnings, I am just giving back what I can,' said Liang.

Leader of the pack

China's Liang Wenchong will compete at the Masters for the first time

The number of players from the Asian Tour who will compete in the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club: 3