Woosnam hopes to get back in the swing

Ryder Cup-wining captain Ian Woosnam is seeking a return to form at the TCL Classic in Hainan this week after an inglorious comeback following last year’s K-Club success.

Woosnam missed the cut at both the Johnnie Walker Classic in Thailand and the Singapore Masters in his first competitive outings since guiding Europe to their record-equalling victory over the United States last September.

The 49-year-old, who has twice topped the European Order of Merit, carded an 11-over-par 155 in his opening two rounds at the Blue Canyon Country Club in Phuket and also went out early despite a two-under-par total at the Laguna National Golf and Country Club last week.

But despite his slow start to the season, the 1991 US Masters champion is in a confident mood as he prepares to line up alongside Ryder Cup duo Lee Westwood and Paul McGinley and home favourite Liang Wenchong on Thursday.

China’s Liang beat Malaysia’s Iain Steel to win his first co-sanctioned Asian and European Tour event in Singapore, becoming only the second Chinese player after Zhang Lianwei to achieve the feat.

“I’m feeling a little bit better than I did in the last two weeks,” Woosnam told PA Sport. “I haven’t played for five months and I got out to Phuket and I got a virus and I’ve really been suffering.

“I still haven’t shaken it off but I do feel stronger and it’s not as hot this week, so I’m looking forward to the challenge.

“I started to play a little better in Singapore in the last round, but we will have to see what happens this week.”

The Welshman missed the cut at 2005 TCL Classic and despite admitting the Yalong Bay course has been made tougher for this year’s event, with the addition of more substantial rough, he is confident of being involved in the weekend’s action.

“With the course being tighter it might make the guys who just blast their shots take a bit more care as they have to get it on the fairway,” he added.

“I’ll look to get it straight and get it in the middle of the fairways and in the middle of the greens and score that way, where as before it’s just been a blaster’s course.

“That’s what I remember in 2005, you could just give it a blast and it was perfect for the long hitters.

“It was disappointing to finish at two under in 2005 and still miss the cut, but the same thing happened last week.

“I finished one under and missed the cut by a stroke. We knew in 2005 it was going to be a low cut, I just didn’t play that well.”

McGinley will be looking to put his 2005 disappointment at Yalong Bay behind him after losing to England’s Paul Casey at the second hole of a dramatic play-off following a final-round 63.

Liang, who has leapt to second on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, will be hoping to maintain his form of last week, where he beat Steel at the first hole of a sudden death play-off after the duo finished on 11 under.

“I’ve watched Liang over the last few years. He’s done his apprenticeship and now he’s getting to the top,” added Woosnam.

“Paul’s also not that long a hitter so he will be looking to the accuracy, he’ll be playing to his strengths.”