UBS, one of the most significant supporters of golf in the Asia Pacific region, has announced that talismanic Chinese golfer Zhang Lianwei has received a sponsors invitation for next week's Japan Golf Tour Championship, one of the most prestigious events in Japanese men's golf.

The $1.2 million event, considered the Players' Championships of the game in Japan, will be played from June 28-July 1 at Shishido Hills Country Club, located about 90 minutes northeast of Tokyo.

The Championship will be something of a homecoming for the five-time Asian Tour winner, who played with distinction in Japan between 2002 and 2004. He posted 11 top-10s in that period, with a best of equal fourth.

In fact, his last tournament in Japan was at the Shishido Hills event in 2005, where he also recorded a tie for 19th in 2003. After cutting back on overseas travel in recent years to concentrate on domestic and Asian events, this trip represents a welcome return to global golf for the normally globetrotting Zhang.

Zhang said: "I am very excited to play in Japan again, as it has been two years since I last played there. I am looking forward to competing with some old friends, having a great week and playing more events in Japan."

The opportunity comes as apt reward for not only the 42-year-old's outstanding career, one that has seen him forge a path for the professional game in China, but also a welcome run of strong form lately.

Finishes of tied 10th at the Pine Valley Beijing Open and fifth at the Macao Open in his last two Asian Tour events have pushed Zhang into 43rd position on the UBS Order of Merit, complementing a win at this month's Nanjing leg of China's domestic Tour.

"I have been playing regularly on the Asian Tour and achieved good results over the years and with the China Tour I started playing more events a couple years ago. I'm happy with the results and this month I won the Omega China Tour Nanjing stop," Zhang said.

"I am comfortable with my game so far, but for sure I am always hoping to do better. I think my passion for golf and commitment to golf has contributed greatly to my success," he added.

Also on his enviable list of achievements are being the first player from China to win a European Tour-sanctioned event at the 2003 Singapore Masters and being the first to play in the US Masters in 2004.

Zhang joins Gaurav Ghei as the second of the sponsor invitations to be announced for the championship. The Indian is riding high after his victory at April's Pine Valley Beijing Open victory, lying in seventh on the Order of Merit at the season's halfway mark with more than $213,000 in earnings.

(China Daily June 22, 2007)