"I've noticed the fairways are tighter this year and the greens are a bit wet from the rain, so I think the course will play longer than last year."

Liang and Zhang Lianwei, the 2006 champion, will spearhead the Chinese charge after finishing one-two last year following a pulsating weekend. Zhang, 45, shot a stunning third-round 63 to soar into contention and finished runner-up behind Liang after an exciting final day.

"The prize money has doubled this year, so the line-up is stronger. Last year I competed with Liang, but I'm not so sure it will be the two of us fighting for the title this week," said Zhang, who won a China Tour event in Shenzhen in March.

"I played really well at the Midea China Classic last year and I hope I can putt just as well this week. I think I'm playing well, so I'll try my best."

Liang, eighth at the US PGA Championship in August, endured an action-packed Wednesday ahead of the defence of his title as he seeks to add to wins at Luxehills and the Thailand Open this year.

In the morning, the 32-year-old was cheered on by thousands of spectators as he carried the Asian Games torch on its relay through his hometown of Zhongshan, where he drew laughs and applause after using the torch in a mock golf swing before his run. He then headed back to Shunde, an hour's drive away, for the Midea China Classic Pro-Am in the afternoon.

The Midea China Classic is the eighth of 10 OneAsia events in the circuit's second season. The tournament purse has doubled to US$1 million on the OneAsia platform due to the continued sponsorship support from the Midea Group for the sixth consecutive year.

The Midea China Classic will be showcased on OneAsia's television platform with live coverage for four hours a day across all four tournament days, and broadcast to over 260 million homes in more than 40 countries.

Full coverage of the event is available internationally on ESPN Star Sports, Jupiter Golf Network, SBS Golf Channel, Fox International, Network Ten, Sky Sports NZ, ESPN3 and America One in the USA, ViaSat and Bloomberg Television among others in Europe.