Paul McGinley headlines field at Indonesian Open

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)—Former Ryder Cup player Paul McGinley is playing with confidence again after overcoming a chronic knee injury, and the Irish veteran headlines the field for the Indonesian Open starting Thursday.

McGinley finished equal 14th on the links course at Castle Stuart in the Scottish Open on Sunday, which featured a strong field ahead of the British Open this week, after having been hampered for most of the year by a left knee complaint.

“The last month or so I’ve started to feel really strong again,” he said. “I hope I’m going to get a window of opportunity now to keep playing well for the rest of the season without any more breakdowns.”

Best known for sinking the winning putt for Europe at the 2002 Ryder Cup, McGinley became the 20th player to make 500 European Tour appearances at the Scottish Open.

“Hopefully there’s a lot more for me to come,” McGinley said. “I’m still very ambitious.”

Liang Wenchong, the No. 1 on the OneAsia Tour, Order of Merit leader Han Chang-won and defending champion Michael Hendry are also in the field for the Indonesian Open at the Pantai Indah Kapuk course.

Last year, Hendry made seven consecutive birdies in a flawless final round to win by seven strokes over Liang. Unsurprisingly, the New Zealander is hoping this year’s tournament goes just as well.

“My expectation level may be a little higher than most,” he said. “After playing so well here last year, I want to try and repeat that performance this year. But you’ve got to stay realistic.”

Liang is set to again be one of the main challengers, as he looks for his fourth OneAsia title and his first this year. While Han will look to build on a consistent year, with the 2009 Asian Amateur champion having qualified for all five OneAsia tournaments.