interview
Liang Wen-chong Chinese golf's leading light, Liang has become a truly global golfer. Here he talks about the importance of decision making as part of a series of 'Great Minds' interviews for this year's Ballantine's Championship
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ow important is decision making in golf? Decision making is definitely a big chunk of playing golf. Decision making has a lot to do with whether you make mistakes and your probability of success, so if your decision making on the course is good, you’ll definitely be able to control the mistakes. Having said that, a good decision has a lot to do with practice and the experience you’ve accumulated in the past. You can draw a lot from your past experience in terms of avoiding mistakes and learning other lessons. Do you think your decision making improves as your career progresses? My performances have improved significantly over the years and of course my decision making ability has also improved. However, I have to realise that I’m always on a learning curve in my career. Some issues or problems, even though they happened in the past, may pop up in the future, so I must always be aware and learn from these experiences. When you make big decisions, how much is gut instinct and how much is calculation? I will use my experience at the US PGA Championship last year [when Liang finished tied eighth] to emphasise that you should remain focused and not be distracted. In the third round [when he shot a 64], I felt like there was only the shot and myself. I was super confident and I felt great every time I made a shot. However, on day four, I knew that it was a very important round and that I had to perform very well, so there were some minor distractions and my conclusion is that you need to be solely focused on the shot and try to minimise distractions.
Courtesy of Ballantine's Championship
What is your perfect state of mind when you stand over a shot? How does this help you make the right decision? Basically, there are three elements. First of all, you need to say to yourself that I’m here to enjoy the game. This is very important. Secondly, you need to be hungry to play well, hungry to make a good shot. Thirdly, you need to listen to yourself, because you have practised so much, played so many rounds, so you should follow your natural way of playing golf. Also, when you're off the course and practicing, you need to train yourself to have a positive mindset. You don’t have a classic golf swing, but have become one of Asia’s top players. How important has your mental game and inner strength been in helping you fulfil your potential? I believe there are two points. You need to think positively and you need to be confident in yourself because ultimately the swing itself is not important. It’s 62
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important how you feel and whether you think the shot will put the ball close to the hole or roll into the hole. My second point is that you need to have tenacity. You need to be iron-minded to continue to practise, to continue to improve. There are two follow-up points. You need to be very strong in your mindset. You should never give up even if there are problems or uncertainties on the course. You should still stick to your plan. Secondly, after each round, you need to review your performance and understand what you’re good at and what you’re still not good at, and focus on which parts can be improved. You need to be very clear-minded about your objectives. When you’ve played with the world’s top-ranked players in European Tour events and majors, what are the main things you notice about their decision making and what have you learnt? What I’ve seen in these top players is that they all have one thing in common – the long journey they’ve travelled to reach the top. If you look at YE Yang, he went from the Korean Tour to the Japan Tour to the European Tour and the PGA Tour. Look at Graeme McDowell, who did well in Europe and then started to win titles around the world and majors. Everyone follows that journey. You have a trajectory. You need to put in the effort and spend enough time practising in order to get stronger and become a better player. It’s the same with Martin Kaymer; there’s no secret to his success. You have to rely on your practice, as most of the effort is off the course. I also have started to look at myself as I want to summarise and share my experiences with young golfers in the future so they do not have to fall into the same traps I did. HKGOLFER.COM
Flying the Flag: Liang, 33, has been China's number one player since the early 2000s and shows no sign of relinquishing the title HKGOLFER.COM
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two-way because when you’re on the course and you want to hit the ball on to the green, you need to know which part or side of the green is safe and which is not safe. Back in life, you also need to be able to frame your choices this way – what you should do, what you should not do.
Can you pinpoint a personal moment of good decision making on the course? Decision making on the course is obviously very important, but equally your homework off the course is very important. You need to know the course very well before the tournament. Your mind needs to be crystal clear about which holes you can attack and which holes you can’t. You need to have your strategy formulated before the round. If I have to focus on a single shot, it was in the Singapore Masters in 2007, which was co-sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours. It was at the last hole and I chose to use a nine-iron to carry 140 yards and it landed close to the hole. [Liang won the event for his first European Tour title]. Which golfer, past or present, personifies good decision making and why? Ernie Els. First of all, his performances over the years have been very stable. Secondly, his swing is very good, very natural. Thirdly, he’s a very nice person, a gentleman. I’ve never seen him lose his temper, so that’s also very important. Because he’s so consistent and stable in his performances, he must have made many very good decisions. I admire him very much.
Courtesy of Ballantine's Championship
Ballantine's Boy: Liang, who is sponsored by the whisky giant, finished the 2011 Ballantine's Championship in a share of 27th place. The Chung Shan-born golfer recorded his best ever result in a major at the 2010 US PGA Championship finishing in a tie for eighth 64
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How has your ability to make decisions on the golf course helped you in life? I believe a good decision-making capability on the course is actually derived from your offcourse life and your practice. When you have a habit of reviewing your performances, when you can draw upon a lot of experiences, you will be able to make better decisions quicker. The most important aspects are your life and your practice. However, I believe the influence is actually
Which businessmen do you admire for their decisions and choices? I'd like to cite Li Ka-shing [founder and chairman of Cheung Kong Holdings and chairman of Hutchinson Whampoa Limited], the richest man in Hong Kong, although, I’ve never met him. Behind every successful business, there’s a different recipe for success. However, I believe common threads between success in business and golf is that you need to be focuses and persistent, because nothing is easy. What's important for a successful business or golfer is that you need to be focused on executing every detail well. I also admire his ideas of giving back to the community. Li Ka-shing has not only made a fortune but also created a lot of jobs and offered a lot of opportunities for local communities and families. Can you talk more about the way you also are giving back? Firstly, the Liang Wenchong Golf Foundation for Juniors is a natural evolution of the tradition of the Chung Shan Hot Spring Golf Club, because it was the first golf club in China and we want the foundation to continue to grow the club. Secondly, there’s also the responsibility to set a good example for the young golfers. Kids are watching me so it’s important I play well but also set a good example. Through the foundation, we can help more kids learn golf. It would be very expensive for families to pay for their kids to learn golf or to become a member [of a club]. When I began to learn golf, I had the support of Chung Shan Hot Spring. My family could not have afforded the golf coaching, so it’s important for me to give other kids those same opportunities. I also believe that golf is more than a game. It also has a very proud history and is about culture, and I’m very keen to grow that tradition through this foundation. I’m very proud that I’m able to make this contribution to carry on this golfing tradition in China. Great Minds Leave Great Impressions Ballantine's is exploring the role that mental strength plays in golf and the importance of making the right decisions at the right time. A host of the world's best players, including Liang Wen-chong, have been reflecting on how success comes to those with the ability to make these big decisions. For more information visit www.ballantineschampionship.com
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