China's Zhang Lianwei (left) and Liang Wenchong pose with the BMW Asian Open trophy at the snow covered Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club on Tuesday.

A string of top names will once again headline the BMW Asian Open, which will tee off in Shanghai on April 24-27.

The US$2.3 million tournament boasts three major champions - South African Retief Goosen, Michael Campbell of New Zealand and Australian veteran Greg Norman; European stars Henrik Stenson, Miguel Angel Jimenez and defending champion Raphael Jacquelin as well as Liang Wenchong and Zhang Lianwei, who will both seek to become the first Chinese to win the event.

Despite being an "Asian" championship, all past six winners hail from Europe, except for South African Ernie Els, who won in 2004. The others are Swede Jarmo Sandelin (2002), Padraig Harrington of Ireland (2003), Spain's Jimenez (2005) and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (2006) and returning champion Jacquelin of France.

China's hopes will obviously rest on Liang, the first Chinese to win the Asian Tour's Order of Merit last year, and his mentor Zhang, the country's most celebrated golfer with one European Tour and four Asian Tour titles.

The BMW Asian Open, to be played at the Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club, is sanctioned by the Asian Tour, the Chinese Golf Association and the European Tour.

As in previous years, there will be no entrance fees for the tournament.

(Agencies via Shanghai Daily January 31, 2008)