Jakarta , February 12: Asian Tour number one Liang Wen-chong of China makes his season's debut in the Enjoy Jakarta Astro Indonesia Open starting on Thursday with the aim of returning to his winning ways.

Fresh from a glorious 2007 season where he won the prestigious Asian Tour's Order of Merit crown with one victory and eight top-10s, Liang will be hoping to extend his form and seek a first win in the new season.

The US$1.2 million Indonesia event, staged at Cengkareng Golf Club, is sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour and will see Liang and Asia 's best taking on a stellar field which includes European Ryder Cup stars Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke.

Former Asian Tour number ones - Jeev Milka Singh of India and Thai duo Thongchai Jaidee and Thaworn Wiratchant, who was victorious when the event was played at Cengkareng in 2005 – will also compete this week.

“I had a good season last year. While it is good to enjoy and reflect on my achievements, I feel that this is a brand new year where many more new challenges await and I cannot rest on my laurels,” said Liang today.

Liang, who created history by becoming the first mainland Chinese to win the Order of Merit, is grateful that his success has opened up doors to greater things, including a trip to the US Masters in April where he received a special invitation.

“Anything can happen in golf. However it is really about how you maintain that composure when the going gets tough,” said Liang.

“The race towards the Order of Merit title last year has taught me a lot about the importance of mental strength and I hope to use that to my advantage this week.”

The tentacious 29-year old, voted by his peers as the Players' Player of the Year last season, is hoping that a good showing in the Enjoy Jakarta Astro Indonesia Open will help him edge closer to his career goals.

 “I really need to play well in the early-season events as it'll give me the added confidence for the year ahead. I'll take things one step at a time but ultimately, I'm aiming to improve on my world ranking and create an impact on the international stage,” said Liang.

Liang featured in the US PGA Tour's Sony Open in Hawaii last month where he played in all four rounds before taking time off to prepare for the 2008 season.

About Astro Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia Open

The Astro Enjoy Jakarta Indonesian Open is now in its fourth year and this year pay TV provider Astro together with the Jakarta Tourism Board return as the primary sponsor for the ‘Enjoy Jakarta Astro Indonesia Open'. This tournament is the result of a partnership between the Asian Tour and the Indonesian Golf Association that was introduced in 2003. The 2008 tournament offers a prize purse of US$1,200,000.00 and will feature world class players who will once again compete in this prestigious event. The Enjoy Jakarta Astro Indonesia Open will be held from February 14 to 17 at the Cengkareng Golf Course, located next to the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport .

About Astro

Pay TV provider Astro began operations in Indonesia on February 28, 2006 with 48 channels that consists of the Citta, Arena, Sinema and Dinasti plans. The Citta plan provides basic entertainment that includes children's entertainment, science, news, entertainment, music, film and terrestrial television. Within this plan, there are 5 (five) self produced channels that include Astro Ceria (a special channel for children), Astro Aruna (a special channel for Indonesian ‘sinetron' soap operas for the female segment), Astro Kirana (a special channel for non-Hollywood films), Astro Xpresi (an Indonesian youth lifestyle and infotainment channel), and Astro Awani (a special news and lifestyle channel). Three of the five channels, namely Astro Ceria, Astro Kirana, and Astro Aruna, have been exported to Malaysia and Brunei since September 1, 2006. The five self produced channels are what differentiate Astro from other pay TV operators.