HK Golfer - September / October 2020

HK GOLFER SEPTEMBER 2020

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK / A GOLFING DAD’S LIFE / GOLF GURU BUFFALO POWER / A PASSION FOR CL ASSICS

LETTER FROM THE HKGA Dear Fellow Golfers,

When I wrote my last letter two months ago in early June, we were busy reconstructing our golf calendar for the summer and the rest of the year. Whilst we knew that international competitions and Open tournaments would present enormous challenges due to travel restrictions, we were securing courses and dates for our rescheduled local tournaments to the point where we wondered whether we would be overworking our rules officials and volunteers. Unfortunately the third wave of COVID-19 emerged in mid-July and our activities were once again put on hold.

Before our courses were closed again, we completed the Senior Close and a number of junior tournaments in June.

Also successfully held was the inaugural Ladies Golf Clinic at Clearwater Bay on June 18 which introduced our beloved sport to more than 100 female golfers, mostly beginners. It is one of our missions to popularise the sport, and I would like to give special thanks to the 20 or so HKGA coaches for sparing their time to support this event.

W h i le tou rna ment s have g rou nd to a ha lt in t he SAR, some of our players based in Mainland China were fortunate enough to be able to participate in China Golf Association (CGA) events. One of our best young talents, Sophie Han, finished second in the 26th National Junior Golf Championship played at the Yangjiang Lakefront Golf Club in July. The winner was the highly regarded An Tong, currently the No.1 ranked junior in China who is two years older than Sophie. Please remember these names as they will shine brightly for many years to come. At the time of going to press, Sophie had just finished 4th at even par at the Zhuhai leg of the China Amateur Open, as the youngest player in the field. At the same tournament on the men’s side, our boys Yue Yin Ho (Ho Ho) and Tommy Lin finished 2nd and 11th respectively in a very competitive field.

Sophie, Ho Ho and Tommy, who is only 14 years of age and is already ranked 16th in the China HSBC Junior Golf Ranking, will be playing in the National Golf Championship in early September in Shaanxi, following the CGA’s invitation

2 HK GOLFER | SEP 2020

for us to participate in this highest level event in China for both professiona ls and amateurs competing in the same field. While Sophie will be Hong Kong’s sole female representative, Ho Ho and Tommy are likely to be joined by Kevin Wu and Cyrus Lee to compete in the Men’s division both as individuals and as a team. This promises to be a great learning experience for our young talents and I would like to thank the CGA once again for always keeping Hong Kong in mind and helping us with our development of golf.

At the time of writing this letter, I have just finished watching the closely contested US PGA Championship. It was gratifying to see Li Hao Tong becoming the overnight leader after the second round. It was also great to see other recent years’ Hong Kong Open competitors such as Tony Finau, Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose featuring prominently on that star-studded leader board. The winner, Collin Morikawa, is an inspiration both on and off the course. He insisted upon attaining his university degree before turning professional at an academically demanding institution. He again delayed his professional career to play in the World Amateur Team Championship in Ireland in the summer of 2018 as he wanted to represent his country in the biggest amateur event in the world prior to turning professional. At the HKGA, we look forward to developing our own Major champion player in due course.

Let’s hope we can be back on the golf course by the time I write my next letter. Keep well and stay safe!

Yours Truly,

KENNETH LAM HKGA President

CONTENTS THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE HONG KONG GOLF ASSOCIATION SEPTEMBER 2020

2 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT 8 HKGA HAPPENINGS

10 THE 852

16 LIVE UNDER PAR: AN UNEXPECTED PATHWAY

26 COVER STORY: NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

Mainland Chinese golfer Zhang Xinjun is pinching himself these days to ensure he is not dreaming as he car ves an unlikely path towards the PGA TOUR.

Nor wegian V ik tor Hovland joins Matthew Wolff and Collin Morikawa as the newest PGA Tour stars and the trio is drawing comparisons to the great Tour rookies of the past.

20 INSIDE THE ROPE: A GOLFING DAD’S LIFE 12 ASIA ACTION:

36 THE GOLF GURU Expert tips for The Senior Player, The High Handicapper, and The Pro.

42 THE VIEW: BUFFALO POWER B uffalo power has reaped a record

A numb e r o f HKG A p laye r s recently participated in China Golf Association (CGA) events, with impressive results.

14 GLOBAL GLANCE: MORIKAWA’S FIRST MAJOR VICTORY

Playing his way to the top of the leaderboard, Collin Morikawa won the PGA Championship on Sunday August 9, claiming his first ever Major victory.

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Mike Thomas travels with knitting needles and s tretchy s tring.

Before every round that his son Justin plays on the PGA TOUR, Mike Thomas, a 60 year-old PGA teaching professional at Harmony Landing Country Club in Goshen, Kentucky, stakes out the practice green. He eyes the various hole locations, finds a place to stick two strung needles in the ground (an alignment drill) and waits.

rice harvest at Laguna Golf Lang Co with a 28-ton haul helping to feed members of local community during the coronavirus pandemic.

50 WATCH IT: INSPIRED BY A TIMELESS SPIRIT Lorena Ochoa had spent the af ternoon meeting members of Club de Golf in Pachuca, just outside Mexico City. The occasion had overrun, and she was due somewhere else but did not leave.

Ochoa put her schedule on hold because she had promised she would speak to the club’s juniors.

58 WEAR IT: A GREENER FOOTPRINT As the world faces the prospect of drastic change and respect for nature becomes ever more es sential, the mes sage of environmental resp onsibilit y b ehind T imb erland’s Nature Needs Heroes™ campaign is poised to become a rallying cry for generations to come. To this end, the global outdoor lifestyle brand has taken a fresh approach to the core attributes that have made the brand an icon since 1973.

60 ACCELERATE: A PASSION FOR CLASSICS

Cars and watches are captivating, particularly if they rank among the rare ones that people dream about. As technical masterpieces, they embody values that are important to us. Cars stand for freedom, and watches for time.

They reflect inventiveness, a sense of style, and the quest for records: the most powerful engine and the most precise timekeeping instrument.

64 THE NINETEENTH: PLATINUM STATUS

CONTRIBUTORS THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE HONG KONG GOLF ASSOCIATION SEPTEMBER 2020

Chuah Choo Chiang

Senior Director of Communications at the PGA Tour, Chuah Choo Chiang is HK Golfer’s storyteller for the PGA Tour events in Asia.

Jason Kwok

Jason has been a Hong Kong PGA Professional since 1995, an Asian Tour Player, and was the Head Professional at the Discovery Golf Club from 2007 to 2015.

Rowano Pierotti

A Scot of Italian descent, Rowano is based in his hometown of Glasgow.

A keen amateur golfer and parttime writer, he is passionate about the finer things in life, including classic cars. He is seen regularly playing on the many courses of Bonnie Scotland where he lives with his wife and three children.

Brad Schadewitz

Lead Coach and former National Coach of the HKGA, and holder of the 2017 Top 25 Elite Junior Coach in the U.S.A. title, B rad’s most notable success to date has been coaching the first player ever to represent Hong Kong in the Olympic Games.

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6 HK GOLFER | SEP 2020

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HKGA

HAPPENINGS

by Ann Tsang / Images courtesy of the HKGA

HEALTH SCREENINGS INTRODUCED The HKGA introduced its f irst comprehensive hea lth s c r e e n i n g f or e l it e pl a y e r s w it h t h e h e lp of s p or t s physiotherapist Philippa Stewart and her team.

Last year, Philippa introduced a 360-degree hea lth screening as part of a high-performance pilot programme spearheaded by the HKGA. The health screening programme included an evaluation of players’ overall medical history, nutritional and hydration intakes, sleep patterns, stress management, physical activity, and injury history, and was followed up by a musculoskeletal health screening with a view to developing personalised plans for each individual.

Philippa and her team have become an important part of an eco-system that supports our players by educating and helping them to prevent injuries, enhance their physical and mental stamina, as well as optimise their performance.

Based in Hong Kong, Philippa also spends a lot of time on the road as a member of the physiotherapy teams for the European Tour, the Asian Tour, the Ladies European Tour, and the LPGA. She is also the official physiotherapist for the European Solheim Cup Team.

In the coming weeks, the HKGA will be sharing Philippa’s tips for golfers who are adapting their training regimes in light of the social distancing measures in place during the COVID-19 outbreak.

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INAUGURAL LADIES GOLF CLINIC The increasing success of Hong Kong’s female golfers in international competition has inspired more local ladies to learn about the sport. In response, the HKGA organised its first ever Ladies Golf Clinic, a day camp designed to introduce female beginners to the sport.

Under the guidance of HKGA coaches, over 100 participants learned about golf etiquette and practised their short game at The Clearwater Bay Golf Academy.

One of the participants, May Chan commented: “I enjoyed the clinic very much and loved the experience of playing on a scenic course. I find golf very approachable as women who are not very athletic can take part in the sport. I am also keen to seek more opportunities to improve and I will also encourage my friends to participate.”

Philippa at the 2019 Solheim Cup with Team Europe (fourth from right)

SEP 2020 | HK GOLFER 9

THE 852

BACK-TO-BACK

WINS FOR

KOH

by Ann Tsang / Image courtesy of the HKGA

N

ational team member Taichi Kho scored back-to-back wins in Legs 3 and 4 of the HKPGA Order of Merit tournament with a score of 64 (-5) in Leg 3 played at the Kau Sai Chau South Course, which he followed up with a 65 (-5) in Leg 4 which took place at the Hong Kong Golf Club New Course.

Leg 5 of the tournament saw another Hong Kong team member, Isaac Lam, score his first HKPGA Order of Merit victory at Clearwater Bay with a score of 67 (-3), beating out Matthew Cheung into the Runner-Up position with a score of 69.

10 HK GOLFER | SEP 2020

Taichi Kho

SEP 2020 | HK GOLFER 11

ASIA ACTION HONGKONGERS TO PLAY IN NGC Sophie Han, Yue Yin Ho a nd Tommy Lin will be play ing in t he Nationa l Golf Championship in early September in Sh a a n x i, f ol low i n g t he CGA’s invitation for Hong Kong players to participate in this highest level event in China for both professionals and amateurs competing in the same f ield. W hile Sophie will be Hong Kong’s sole female representative, Ho and Lin are likely to be joined by Kevin Wu and Cyrus Lee to compete in the Men’s division both as individuals and as a team.

12 HK GOLFER | JUL 2020

Sophie Han at the 26th National Golf Championship, China

GLOBAL GLANCE MORIKAWA’S FIRST MAJOR VICTORY Playing his way to the top of the leaderboard, Collin Morikawa won the PGA Championship on Sunday August 9, claiming his first ever Major victor y. The young American has recently joined OMEGA's roster of golfing stars and, in a very short time, has now made h i stor y by w i n n i ng t he PGA Championship aged just 23. Morikawa played outstandingly throughout the four days in San Francisco to beat a ver y tight and competitive leaderboard.

He lifted the Wanamaker Trophy wearing an OMEGA Speedmaster ’57, and also took home a Seamaster 300 as part of his winning prize.

Image courtesy of OMEGA 14 HK GOLFER | JUL 2020

LIVE UNDER PAR FEATURE

AN

UNEXPECTED

PATHWAY

by Chuah Choo Chiang / Images: Getty Images

Mainland Chinese golfer Zhang Xinjun is pinching himself these days to ensure he is not dreaming as he carves an unlikely path towards the PGA TOUR.

G

rowing up in Shanxi, China, where his parents farmed amidst the modest countryside, Zhang Xinjun lived a simple life as a child. Most days growing up featured daily treks to school across hilly terrain and helping at home with odd jobs.

But when he turned 17, Zhang left the comforts of his village to work as a security guard at a golf course in Xian. It wasn’t long before an opportunity to work at the driving range presented itself, and Zhang promptly grabbed the role without hesitation.

It didn’t matter at the time that golf still seemed alien to him. After a few swipes at the golf ball at the behest of his coworkers, the rest, as they say, is history.

Zhang, 33, has since become the first Mainland Chinese player to qualify for the PGA Tour’s lucrative FedExCup Playoffs, which concludes with the TOUR Championship from September 4-7. Getting into the Playoffs means enjoying a crack at the US$15 million top prize, but irrespective as to how Zhang progresses, his journey from the rocky roads in Shanxi to the Tour has been one a heck of a ride.

“I fell in love with the game,” says Zhang. “I became rather good and received the support of the China Golf Association.

People say my story could inspire more kids to play golf, and if

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Zhang takes youngsters through their paces in his hometown of Shanxi

that is the case, I’m going to work harder and harder to become a better role model.”

Zhang’s fortuitous golf journey has seen him go through ebbs and flows. After some initial success on PGA Tour Series China, he made the inevitable leap to the United States, where he competed on the Korn Ferry Tour. He finished 20th on the points list in 2017 to secure his Tour card, which he said was a “dream”.

But his rookie season on The Tour proved to be rough.

“I suffered from low-level errors and out-of-control mood,” he says. “When I didn’t play well, I became more and more angry, which resulted in poor performances. I was too focused on the immediate gain and loss. Going back to the Korn Ferry Tour (in 2019), I was determined to change my mindset and mentality.”

Two wins on the feeder circuit last year gave Zhang a second chance on the PGA Tour. And so far he has made good on his latest attempt, having recorded three top-10s and three other top-20s to lie in the 65th position in the FedExCup standings with one week left to play in the regular season. That’s a far cry from his rookie season that saw him miss 16 cuts across 28 starts.

18 HK GOLFER | SEP 2020

Part of that renaissance was due to a combination of oldfashioned hard work and his upbringing and life experiences in different places. “I didn’t speak English (when I got here), so I couldn’t communicate when I went out,” recalls Zhang.

“I missed home; I was lonely. But after thinking about it, I realised that my biggest problem was my mind. I had a lot to improve upon. My goal at every tournament was to not think about the result, but to only focus on the moment and the shot.

I also needed to make adjustments to my technique and needed more physical training,” he adds.

“Growing up in my village as a child, I had to cross the mountain and run to school,” he continues. “Those experiences have made me very tough and persistent. I made it back to the PGA Tour because I was finally ready in every way. I got help from my coaches both with my game and on the mental side, and I finally became accustomed to the lifestyle in America. I think golf is a game that tests one’s perseverance; and I’m the kind of person who never gives up.”

It has been 10 years since Zhang first joined the professional ranks, but the demand to produce consistent form each week continues to be a challenge. When golf made a return following a three-month suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic,

Zhang missed four consecutive cuts on the PGA Tour, which caused some momentary jitters.

“I needed to get back my feeling with my swing. I was worried, and when I have these thoughts and care so much about results, I cannot focus,” he says. “After four events, I reminded myself to focus on every swing, every hole and not think about the end result. At the Memorial Tournament (where he finished tied 10th), I stuck to my strategy and regained my confidence. I am satisfied with my performance this season; I improved my mental strength and practiced more which showed in better scores and got me into my first Major (PGA Championship) and my first Playoffs. I have gained so much.”

Like many others, Zhang is excited at the prospect of challenging for the PGA TOUR’s ultimate prize, the FedExCup, for which the playoffs comprise of three mega events, beginning with the 125-player The Northern Trust, the top-70 BMW Championship and the TOUR Championship, where a 30-player field will compete for the US$15 million winner’s prize at East Lake Golf Club outside Atlanta, Georgia.

“I am so excited to compete with the best golfers and accumulate more experience; this means a lot to me,” says

Zhang. “Trying to win (a tournament) is the objective of every player, and it’s no different for me. A small step leads to a thousand miles and what I can do is to focus on every tournament and every swing. I am closer and closer to becoming a PGA Tour Champion.”

Zhang’s biggest fans at home are his parents and family, for whom he says sacrificed so much for him to pursue his golfing dream. “Getting good results is the best return for them. My parents always give me great understanding and support, which makes me focus and devote myself to golf.”

Realising how golf has provided the opportunity to create a new life for him and his family, Zhang has launched a junior golf charity programme in his hometown as a way of giving back to the community.

“Golf is a great sport. I hope that more and more young people will come to love golf,” he says. “I also hope people who love golf will persist and play well. I want to share my life experiences, my professional experiences and my golf skills with as many juniors as possible and provide one-on-one training.

My aim is to continue this programme for as long as possible to support junior golf development and participation.”

SEP 2020 | HK GOLFER 19

INSIDE THE ROPE FEATURE

A GOLFING

DAD’S LIFE

by Cameron Morfit / Images: Getty Images

Mike Thomas travels with knitting needles and stretchy string. Before every round that his son Justin plays on the PGA TOUR, Mike Thomas, a 60 year-old PGA teaching professional at Harmony Landing Country Club in Goshen, Kentucky, stakes out the practice green. He eyes the various hole locations, finds a place to stick two strung needles in the ground (an alignment drill) and waits.

W

h e n Ju s t i n T h o m a s comes out onto a course, he finds his father and sets up at a couple of knitting needles joined by string and prepares to stroke putts. Sometimes they chat, sometimes they don’t, and then Justin and his caddie Jimmy Johnson head to the tee.

This will happen each tournament day until it’s over, whereupon they will both pack up and head to the next town, or go back to their respective homes – Jupiter, Florida, for Justin, and Goshen, just outside Louisville, for dad/coach/ occasional caddie, Mike (he and his wife Jani recently got a place in South Florida, as well). He’s not just the father of a world-class golfer, he’s also the son of one – Paul Thomas, a lifelong teaching pro in Ohio who made the cut at the

20 HK GOLFER | SEP 2020

1960 PGA Championship and played on the PGA TOUR Champions.

As we inch toward the conclusion of the 2019-20 PGA Tour Season where Justin, already a three-time winner this season, entered the FedExCup Playoffs as the Number 1 ranked golfer, Mike seems to be living the dad dream. What’s it really like? Cameron Morfit caught up with him three days in a row as he set up those knitting needles to find out about his thoughts on being Justin’s dad.

Everybody was telling us what he was going to accomplish. ‘He’s going to play the Tour.’ I’m like, ‘How do you know that? He may quit playing next year.’ I mean, he was accomplished at every level he went to, but some of the best junior golfers in the country and even the world have struggled on the Tour. So there was no guarantee.

Father and son at The CJ Cup at Nine Bridges

SEP 2020 | HK GOLFER 21

22 HK GOLFER | SEP 2020

Justin had an incredible drive. He was on the course eight to 10 hours a day. One time, he was probably 11 or something. I said, ‘Justin, why don’t you stay home tomorrow and just play some basketball in the backyard with some of your buddies or go play some video games? Just be an 11 year-old, take a day off.’ He replied, ‘I might do that, I’m kind of tired, my hand is hurting.’

At about 9:30 the next morning I was out there teaching and I saw him hitting balls. I got done with my lesson and I said, ‘I guess that didn’t work out very well then.’ He told me that he was bored.

He was driven to do better than he did the day before. It’s not that it came easily to him, but he just didn’t have a complex motion that could get out of whack really badly. My swing is the opposite. I’m inside out and flip it over. I never knew what was going to happen any day. Now, I’m a lot better swing-wise, but I don’t score as well because of all the short game stuff and the distance that I’ve lost just from inactivity.

With Justin I tried to keep it fun. It would be seven at night, and we’d play three holes and we would gamble. He was 8 years old and we’d play for a dollar, and I gave him s--- and he gave me s--. But he liked it. My dad did not keep it fun. He made it pretty difficult, which he admits to now. I told myself that I was never going to do that to Justin. I didn’t care whether he played golf or not; I just made an oath to myself that I was going to be his friend, not his father. So we goofed around, played cards, razzed and ribbed each other. If I had to be a parent about something, I would, but I made sure that we were buddies first.

My dad and I were both hard on each other. I mean, he was hard on himself, and I was hard on myself when I was playing competitively. So I spent a

SEP 2020 | HK GOLFER 23

lot of time making sure that Justin wasn’t. I think better players by nature are hard on themselves; that’s how they get where they are. But there’s a fine line; take some credit for some good things that you did.

I teach probably 40 kids at Harmony. I’ll leave here Sunday night and go to Florida for a day because my wife is there. Tuesday morning I’ll go home to Kentucky, and then I’ll be teaching every day all day long, even in February when it’s still cold. These kids don’t care.

I’ve been there 31 years, 27 years maybe as Head Pro. I’m Emeritus now because about four years ago in Phoenix, I was travelling to maybe eight events a year, and I said to Justin, ‘Am I out here too much? Not enough? Just right?’ He goes, ‘I’d like you out here a lot more.’ I’m like, ooh, a lot more. So I went back to the club and said, ‘Justin comes first,’ and the club has been extremely supportive. I love to work. I’m the first one there and the last to leave.

I still pay all of Justin’s bills, handle some of his correspondence, and a lot of his charity work. We run a huge AJGA event at our club, the Justin Thomas Junior Championship, which is really a year‑long process getting

24 HK GOLFER | SEP 2020

sponsors and everything. I played two rounds of golf last year.

When the PGA Tour wanted to do a piece on us a couple years ago and asked if I had any footage, I told them that I was using video long before other people. I saw someone doing it and decided that I wanted to do it, so I had all these fancy cameras at a very early stage of video and teaching. Whenever we went out to play, I’d video it, even when he was 3 years old.

As a kid Justin swung in and down on it quite a bit. He doesn’t do that any more. His lines always went off when he was little, and we still keep an eye on that today – today on the range we’re going to be looking at his lines.

He played basketball in the summer and soccer in the winter until he was 7 or 8. One of the biggest fights I got into with my wife was when Justin was playing in a sixth-grade basketball game, and we would stay on for the seventh- and eighth-grade games. I said to my wife, ‘This is Justin’s last year; he’s never going to be able to do what those guys do.’ Those seventh and eighth graders had already been to 20 basketball camps and Justin had been to none. Jani replied, ‘He’s going to be better a year from now,’ to which I said, ‘Jani, he sucks.’ She then said, ‘I can’t believe you would say that about your own son!’ My

Mike caddies for Justin at the Memorial Tournament

response was, ‘I love him, but compared to these guys he’s got no chance.’

Justin laughs about this. I think seventh grade is when you try out and they put your name on the door and you go over at 9 o’clock at night for the final cut. I remember thinking, man, he’s got no shot. I didn’t want to discourage him and say that he couldn’t do it, but I knew what was coming. So we went back and his name wasn’t on that door. I said, ‘OK, let’s go, you’re done.’ But I told myself that nobody out on that court was going to hit a 3-wood to a tucked pin over water like him. He was tiny until he was a junior, and if you’ve ever seen any of his pictures when he won the FootJoy invitational in Greensboro at 15, he was hitting hybrids and woods into greens.

I’m at 90 to 95 percent of his events. It’s a fabulous life for one reason. You get to watch your child do something they have a passion for. It’s like if you go and watch your son do surgery all the time, or win legal cases, the joy of any parent or father is seeing that your child, whether it’s a girl or boy, has a passion for something.

I mostly fly commercial. If I’m in the right place where he’s going to hop to the next event, I’ll go with him.

Being out here has afforded me some things that I would never get to do if I wasn’t Justin Thomas’s father.

At the (Sony Open in Hawaii), we were on the aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, which just came into port for six months. The Admiral took us out there after we played in the pro-am. Two years before that, he took us on a nuclear submarine, and we have become friends with him since then. If Justin plays well, I’ll hear from him. I meet a lot of celebrities and actors, which, I couldn’t care less about, but when I met this Admiral, I was impressed with the stories that he had to tell and the places that he had been to serve our country.

I’ll be out here as long as Justin needs me. It’s tiring and I can’t see myself doing this when I’m 75. I’m 60 now and it still recharges me to get busy teaching when I’m home because I haven’t seen the kids for a while and I’ve missed them.

Then after a couple of weeks at home, it excites me to get back on a plane and out on tour, so it all works out well at the end of the day.

SEP 2020 | HK GOLFER 25

ON THE COVER

Viktor Hovland courtesy of Getty Images 26 HK GOLFER | SEP 2020

NEW KIDS

ON THE

BLOCK

by Jim McCabe

Norwegian Viktor Hovland joins Matthew Wolff and Collin Morikawa as the newest PGA Tour stars and the trio is drawing comparisons to the great Tour rookies of the past.

W

hat remains the most captivating topic on the PGA Tour is a longr u nning stor y – t he well-seasoned icon named Tiger Woods.

Headed to the home stretch of his 45th birthday, Woods continues to generate enthusiasm amongst fans, curiosity with colleagues, and ratings for TV producers.

But if we turn to other discussions that ignite interest with serious golf fans, a leading topic involves a trio of youngsters who were either in diapers or not even born when Woods first turned the golf world upside down with his incomparable 12-stroke victory at the 1997 Masters.

Truly, we have welcomed another generation of professional golfers when we’re talking about kids who got serious about golf when Woods was on the back nine of his brilliant career, but we can point specifically to a most brilliant trio – Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland and Matthew Wolff.

By now, t hei r me te or ic r i s e on The Tour has been well documented, although we need to remind ourselves of

the excessive speed at which they have notched up notable achievements, just to offer due respect. Up until late spring in 2019, they were three of the best amateur golfers in the world, collegiate stars in the United States at the University of Oklahoma (Hovland and Wolff ) and the University of California (Morikawa).

Hovland set the tone for his inevitable professional career by winning the 2018 U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach.

“I’ve kind of always naturally doubted myself a little bit,” says Hovland, “but I think when I won that, it really gave me the belief that I had something to do in this game.”

Before summer 2019 would come to an end, the trio would become the latest hotshot collegians getting Tour tee times at the back of the field as sponsors’ e xempt ion s. But by t he f a l l, t he y were charging up the world rankings, consistently grabbing headlines, opening eyes, and generating massive interest.

“I think, honestly when (the three of us) were in college and looking forward to turning pro, that was definitely our plan, if you will, that we were obviously SEP 2020 | HK GOLFER 27

dreaming about (winning together),” Hovland said back in March. “But for all of us to have won within a year, I mean, it’s fairly remarkable. I don’t know how else to explain it. It’s a pretty crazy ride.”

Their legions of fans can recite the fast-track in numbers: After Morikawa, who was 22, played his first Tour event as a pro, he was ranked No. 1,039 in the Official World Golf Rankings. He won in his sixth start and one year later, with only 29 tournaments under his belt, he has three wins to his name including a Major championship and stands at No. 5 in the world (for the record, that means he has passed 1,034 players in just 13 months).

Hovland, a personable young man from Norway, turned professional at the age of 21, a week after Morikawa made the cut, and was ranked 340th in the OWGR. It took him until his 12th start to post a victory and now, just 20 tournaments into his pro career, he stands 30th in the OWGR, as of August 10, 2020.

Wolff was 20 when he made his debut alongside Hovland in June 2019 and when that tournament was over, he sat 1,641st in the world. His third start was a victory and now, just 24 tournaments in, Wolff is 36th in the OWGR. OK, so it’s not quite as fast as Bryson DeChambeau’s ball speed, but you’ve got to hand it to these youngsters.

“I t hin k we had a lot of people watching us knowing, yeah, they could be the ‘next guys’, and who knew if we were or we weren’t going to be,” Morikawa said recently. “So we had that entire summer to go and make something happen. I’ve learned a lot about myself and my game and everything about how to be a professional out there. It’s been a lot of fun and I love every part of it, so I’m excited to keep it going.”

World Golf Hall of Fame member Curtis Strange, although by no means being dismissive of any of these three you ng ster s, h a s h i s ow n word s of caution. “Whoa, let’s not crown them so quickly; let’s see how they handle the stage, what continues to work for them.”

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Matthew Wolff enjoys a laugh on the course Courtesy of Getty Images SEP 2020 | HK GOLFER 29

Collin Morikawa Courtesy of TaylorMade

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Mathew Wolff Courtesy of TaylorMade

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Hovland and his caddie in celebratory mode Courtesy of Getty Images

St r a n g e do e s pr a i s e Mor i k aw a , Hovla nd a nd Wolf f for the way in which they have exploded into view and especially loves how “they each own their swing, and that’s key for any player in being able to perform under pressure, which is why I think they will continue to have success.”

Strange is clearly not a big fan of this constant rush to anoint players, or groups of players, as “the best”. For one, a PGA Tour career is a marathon, not a sprint, and every serious competitor is focused on being successful for 15 or 20 years, not just 10 months. And secondly, this fascination with constantly judging ever y thing to be better today than yesterday is a by-product of having very little feel for history.

For instance, Strange is like a lot of observers; he admires how quickly Morikawa, Hovland and Wolff have established a PGA Tour presence. But he cautions against calling them “the best” group of rookies arriving at the

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same time. For those with short-term capabilities, Strange asks, “Wasn’t it just a few years ago that we were touting another group of kids as ‘the best?’”

He is of course referring to t he amount of attention heaped upon the high school ‘Class of ’11’ - kids named Justin Thomas, Patrick Rodgers and Daniel Berger. They all made their PGA Tour debuts in 2014-15, with Berger, who played at Florida State, eventually earning the Rookie of the Year honour over Thomas, a standout at the University of Alabama.

What adds even more flavour to this note is that Jordan Spieth and Emiliano Grillo – others from that 2011 class – copped Rookie of the Year honours, in 2013 and 2016, respectively.

As much as Strange gives high marks to the four combined wins for Morikawa, Hovland and Wolff, he again emphasises the “marathon, not a sprint” mantra and points out that Thomas already owns a Major championship among his 13 wins

Collin Morikawa lifts the Wanamaker Trophy following his victory at this year’s PGA Championship Courtesy of OMEGA

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Hovland in full swing

and that he has had at least one win in each of his five seasons, that Berger has won three times, and that if you extend the “group” to include Spieth, you can add three Majors and 11 wins.

Indeed, Thomas, Spieth and Berger – all born in 1993 – are used by Strange to support his notion that you need to let players season and not get overly excited by what they do right away. There was reason to be impressed with them early, but even more so by how they have maintained their level of excellence.

“A lot of talented kids win early, and then hit a comfort zone,” notes Strange. “It’s like they’ve played beyond their abilities.”

Should you feel the need to affix the term “greatest ever” to the trio of Morikawa, Hovland and Wolff, don’t look for Strange to back you up.

He knows that the greatest triumvirate of them all – Sam Snead, Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson – all

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of whom were born in 1912 - and while their full entry onto that era’s PGA Tour came in different years (Nelson, 1935; Snead, 1937; Hogan, 1938) it remains a big part of folklore how they are intertwined.

“The fact that those three guys have won already is unbelievable,” says Thomas. “They probably don’t even realise how impressive it is. They also understand how talented they are, and we do too; they’re going to be out there for a long time.”

Wolff appears to be in accord with Thomas.

“What we did is pretty unbelievable,” he said earlier this year. “You’ve seen it happen before, but to have three guys come (out) and use their sponsor exemptions in the same year to get their PGA Tour card right off the bat, is pretty exceptional.”

Morikawa, Hovland and Wolff are just the latest. But we need to let them play on for years to come before we offer a complete assessment.

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GOLF GURU | PRO TIPS

A LOW PUNCH WITH

A WEDGE

by James Stewart

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2

I

was once fortunate enough to play quite a few rounds with David Frost, a 10-time winner on the PGA Tour and also a former winner of the Hong Kong Open. David was known as an excellent putter and wedge player, one of the reasons why he won the Open at the HKGC. One tip that he gave me which improved my wedge play for many years thereafter, was how to hit a low punched wedge shot into the wind.

We all think of hitting our wedges high and soft, but that shot does not work well into the wind and also creates too much spin, so often the best option is to hit a low shot with less spin.

The key to hitting these shots is ball position and changing your set up.

In image 1, you can see that I have put the ball back in my stance and I’ve placed more weight on my left side. Ordinarily I would have put the ball left of centre and evenly distributed my weight. With this new set up I have naturally delofted the club,

but by keeping my weight left I am also able to keep my hands well ahead of the ball at impact.

In image 2, I have abbreviated my swing and it will feel like a three quarter backswing, whilst my weight has also predominantly stayed on my left side. This all helps me keep the same angles as I had at address, so I can hit the ball nice and low. On the downswing I feel very much like my release is with my body, keeping my hands very passive through impact. I don’t want to add any extra loft to the shot with any flippy feeling.

In image 3, you will see that I have also abbreviated my follow through and now my weight is all on my left side. This all helps me to keep the ball low and keeps my hands well ahead of the ball at impact. Remember, the key here is to take the spin off the ball and produce a penetrating flight into the wind. Next time you watch Tour players, especially on links courses, you will see some of the pros hit this type of effective punch shot.

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GOLF GURU | HIGH HANDICAPPERS

BE READY TO START GOLFING

AGAIN!

BY JASON KWOK HONG KONG PGA

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s you read this article we may or may not be able to play golf on course yet. In t h i s p a nd e m ic , w e h a ve faced all golf courses being closed twice for an extended period already. How do we keep our golf game in shape to play well when the lockdown is over?

Here is an easy routine you can do to keep your body limber and strong for golf.

I always keep a weighted training stick in the trunk of my car so that I can get a workout in my building’s parking lot. I like to start my warmup with some soft swings. My training stick is a bit heavy when gripped on the red side. You can use your driver with

a weighted ring or two irons gripped together for this exercise. Do two sets of 10 swings, each way (left and right handed). It’s best to have your body wa rm before stretching a nd doing power swings (far left images).

Then use the stick (or your driver) to do some full body twists in both directions. It’s best hold each stretch for 30 seconds and do five on each side.

Then stretch out a left- handed body turn with the same number of reps (near left images).

The next stretch is for helping your arm rotation range of motion. Go over and back slowly do two sets of 10 (near right images).

Finally, do some speed swings. Here I

am using a 5-foot plastic water pipe. It’s lightweight for speed work and if you grip about a quarter of the way down, you will use your body power to create speed instead of f lipping your hands and wrists. If you flip the pipe, you will hit yourself with it! You can also just use your driver without the weight ring (far right images).

If you are able to include a couple of these sessions in your weekly routine, I’m sure your game will return to form much sooner once you get back on course. You might also just keep up this routine going forward and your body will feel more limber and strong when you play and recover quicker after your game.

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GOLF GURU | SENIOR PLAYERS

UNEVEN LIES

by Brad Schadewitz

THREE SIMPLE KEY THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN CONFRONTED WITH SLOPING LIES 1. Adjust your posture and set-up to fit the slope.

2. Use a three-quarter swing to maintain balance and ensure better contact.

3. Understand how the ball flight may be influenced by the slope.

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SET-UP BALL ABOVE FEET Stand taller and grip down more to the middle of the club. Move the ball position slightly back of normal. Use a three-quarter swing to ensure better contact. Club up one club to allow for the shortened grip and three-quarter swing. The ball flight will tend to match the slope of the hill, so in this case it may go left.

SET-UP BALL BELOW FEET Set-up to the shot with more knee flex and a little more bend from the hip sockets to help get down to the ball and again, use a threequarter swing. When the ball is below your feet, it is easier to lose your balance, so keep the swing nice and smooth. Club up one club to account for the three-quarter swing and move the ball a little back in the stance to ensure solid contact. Again, the ball flight will tend to match the slope, so it may go to the right.

PRO TIP When faced with a sloping lie, make a practice swing at full speed to get a better sense of how to keep your balance and where the swing will bottom out.

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THE VIEW

BUFFALO

POWER

by Ann Tsang Images courtesy of Laguna Golf Lăng Cô

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Buffalo power has reaped a record rice harvest at Laguna Golf Lăng Cô with a 28-ton haul helping to feed members of local community during the coronavirus pandemic.

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ocated within the greater Laguna Lăng Cô integrated resort lays the Laguna Golf Lăng Cô, an 18-hole, par-71 championship course designed by Sir Nick Faldo. This award-winning course delivers a golfing experience that can be enjoyed by the most experienced players and beginners alike. The course presents variety for players of all levels measuring just under 7,100 yards from the championship tees and a beginner friendly 5,263 yards from the front tees.

In keeping with its links-like characteristics, the Lăng Cô layout also offers a traditional out-and-back routing, presenting a host of varied shot opportunities along the way.

As strategic as it is enjoyable, the Laguna Golf Lăng Cô will certainly leave golfers with a unique sense of place in the rustic hinterland destination.

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Last winter, Laguna Golf Lăng Cô’s world famous family of water buffalo greenskeepers helped the club to reap a record rice harvest: the fruits of which are going towards feeding members of the local community in Central Vietnam.

The bovine brood has been bolstered by the birth of Lulu, a new baby daughter, who joins fellow recent arrival Luna, eldest calf Bao and father and mother Tu Phat and Chi Chi in the workforce.

These extra sets of hooves have dramatically boosted productivity with the club gathering 28 tons of rice from the seven-hectares of fields right in the middle of the course layout — a record harvest-time haul.

The buffalo “bio-mowers” have been vital in helping to maintain the elevated status of the layout, which winds its

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Laguna one-bedroom hill villa

way through tropical jungle, ocean sand dunes and ancient rice paddies that led to the course being ranked as the best in Vietnam at the 2019 Vietnam Golf Awards.

The buffalo help to manage the seven-hectares of rice fields located right in the middle of the course by eating excess weeds and crops while tilling the soil in the area that would otherwise require machinery and additional manpower to maintain.

However the rice fields are not just for show. Harvested twice a year, they have previously yielded up to 20 tons of rice that are used to support the organic farm at Laguna Lăng Cô and donated to families and seniors in the area who are in need.

Last winter’s record haul, however, surpassed previous harvests by some way. Additionally, the bumper crop could not have come at a more timely juncture, with Vietnam’s economy taking a hit on tourism as the country’s international borders remain closed to combat the spread of the global pandemic.

“The communities that have limited economic means have been hit the hardest by the economic downturn that has resulted from the pandemic,” notes Adam Calver, Director of Golf at Laguna Lăng Cô. “The fact that we were able to donate even more rice to locals who need it most this year was a really positive outcome for our edible golf course.”

The utilisation of water buffalo as greenkeepers is part of a wider push by Laguna Golf Lăng Cô to be the most sustainable course in Vietnam. It has completely eradicated the use of single-use plastics in almost all aspects of its operations, scrapping items made of plastic such as on-course garbage bags,

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locker room accessories, plastic cups and straws, and replacing them with ones made from materials such as bamboo, paper, steel or natural grass.

“Doing good is not an extra; it must be the rules of business”, says Claire Chiang, the Banyan Tree Global Foundation’s Chairperson. Laguna Lăng Cô, part of the Banyan Tree Group, is committed to being a leader of sustainability in Vietnam’s hospitality industry. “This is both our ambition and a fundamental part of our core values. For us, it is not just a responsibility, but also a privilege and opportunity to embrace our environment and support local communities.”

Laguna Lăng Cô Resort recently completed the installation of its own water bottling plant to allow the resort to completely eliminate plastic water bottles and utilise reusable glass bottles.

The club is also one of only three golf courses in the world to achieve EarthCheck Gold certification, a status it earned at the end of 2019.

“Since we introduced the buffalo we have seen a number of birds such as egrets, moving in as they feast on the insects as the buffalo till the soil. We are currently building a new home for our family of ducks which will soon be used as part of our Integrated Rice-Duck Farming Programme” adds Calver.

“Continually mowing the fields to maintain vast rice terraces can consume a large amount of labour and fuel. The water buffalo act as bio-mowers and help us protect the natural feel of the landscape; they give a true sense of place.”

As well as being visually evocative, the seven hectares or rice fields at Laguna Lang Co serve a practical purpose in feeding the communityÂ

Baby Lulu (right) is the latest addition to the now five-strong family of water buffalo at Laguna Golf Lang Co

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WATCH IT

INSPIRED BY

A TIMELESS

SPIRIT Text and images courtesy of Rolex

Lorena Ochoa had spent the afternoon meeting members of Club de Golf in Pachuca, just outside Mexico City. The occasion had overrun, and she was due somewhere else but did not leave.

Ochoa put her schedule on hold because she had promised she would speak to the club’s juniors.

I

t was 2007 and the then 25 year-old Lorena Ochoa, from Guadalajara, stood at Number 1 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings. She had reached the pinnacle of the sport and was in the form of her life. Everybody wanted to meet her and her time was at a premium. However, a promise is a promise and young people are the future. Ochoa has never lost sight of that.

“Lorena was supposed to leave but she said, ‘No, no, I want to talk to these guys,’ so she actually went off her schedule just for us,” remembers Maria Fassi, who was one of the juniors back then, but is now herself a star on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour. “That says so much about Lorena as a person. She answered all our questions and she was just there for us,” adds Fassi.

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Lorena Ochoa was awarded the inaugural Evian Championship Prize for a Better Tomorrow in SEP 2020 | HK 51Rolex 2019GOLFER presented by

Rolex Testimonee Maria Fassi. ©Lindsay Parks Photography

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Rolex Testimonee Brooks Koepka tees off at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship 2020. ©Rolex/Ian Walton

“It was very special. Lorena was someone I admired and looked up to. I was not a very good golfer at the time, but I was already very passionate about the game and I knew I wanted to become a professional and follow in her footsteps.”

Ochoa has a special ability to see the bigger picture. Even at the peak of her playing career, she remained appreciative of the role models in her life: her parents, siblings and inspirational golfers who helped to build the LPGA Tour, such as golfing legends Nancy Lopez and Annika Sörenstam. In turn, Ochoa has never failed to play her part in inspiring the next generation – youngsters aspiring to be golfers, teachers or doctors – and this is one of the reasons she has been such a natural fit as a Testimonee for Rolex.

For more than half a century, the Swiss watchmaker has been a dedicated partner of golf, committed to the perpetual quest for excellence in the sport. Like Ochoa, Rolex understands the importance of investing in the future and nurturing emerging talent.

For Ochoa, there was always more to life than golf. She retired from competition at the age of 28 in 2010 – when she was still Number 1 in the world – to start a family with husband Andres Conesa and also launch her foundation.

A decade later, she is a proud mother of three and the Lorena Ochoa Foundation has put more than 5,000 underprivileged children through school in Mexico. In 2019, she was awarded the inaugural Evian Championship Prize for a Better Tomorrow presented by Rolex, in recognition of her continuing and tireless humanitarian work.

As for 21 year-old Fassi, she and Ochoa have become close friends since that first meeting in Pachuca 13 years ago. Fassi graduated from the University of Arkansas in 2019 with the

NCA A Division 1 Individual title under her belt, turned professional, and then finished 12th on her debut at the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open – an exceptional result against the world’s best players in one of women’s golf ’s most famous Major championships.

Rolex has also had an enduring relationship with the United States Golf Association, the organiser of the U.S. Women’s Open, dating back to 1980. The brand has gone on to become the Official Timekeeper for all five of the women’s Majors and part of the very fabric of the game.

Fassi has joined Lopez, Ochoa and Sörenstam in the Rolex family of Testimonees. As she grows into her new role of being a global ambassador of golf, the advice she received from her idol and fellow countrywoman stays with her.

“Now that I am on tour, Lorena says to me: ‘Don’t be looking around, just do what you do. Forget about the others and forget about what other people might think about your swing and your game. Just be you, have fun and trust your game’.”

“Maria is a great player. She is very strong but at the same time you can tell that she is relaxed and she enjoys tournament golf.

She’s learning but she does everything it takes to be a good player,” says Ochoa. “I can’t wait to see what is in the future for her, and she knows I am here to help in any way I can, even just to be a friend.”

There is a perpetual spirit in golf, an intangible quality passed down through generations by exceptional personalities like Ochoa.

It is a characteristic that aligns naturally with Rolex, which has been ever-present in the sport since 1967 when Arnold Palmer, joined by Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, became the first Rolex Testimonees in golf. These men were ‘The Big Three’ of golf and

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they travelled the world, building the game everywhere they went.

Since that first pioneering handshake w it h Pa l mer, R ole x h a s b e c ome a committed supporter of golf, not only as the Official Timekeeper of three of the four men’s Major events and all five women’s Major events, but also the leading amateur tournaments, international federations and organisations representing all golfers.

‘The Big Three’ remain icons of the game, on the golf course and in many ways beyond. “Arnold was a great friend and a great mentor to me,” says Nicklaus, who turned 80 in January this year. “Arnold took me under his wing. He didn’t have to, but he did.”

Decades may have passed, yet Nicklaus still recalls a particular occasion, early during his first year on the professional circuit, in February 1962, when Palmer reached out with his trademark generosity at the Phoenix Open.

“Arnold was well ahead and we were playing together in the last round,” explains Nicklaus, whose dedicated pursuit of excellence in golf earned him a record haul of 18 Major titles. “By this time I had played five [professional] tournaments and hadn’t finished better than about 15th.

As we walked off the 17th green he put his arm on my shoulder. Arnold was 32 and I was 22 and he said, ‘OK, now you can finish second here. Just play this hole smart, keep your composure and you could do well.’ And so I did. I birdied the hole and finished second. Arnold won by 12 shots but it was really nice that he took me under his wing. I think you’ve got to do that with your fellow competitors.”

Australia’s Adam Scott, former World Number 1 and a Major champion at the 2013 Masters, is another Rolex Testimonee with a keen sense of the perpetual values shared by golf and Rolex.

“In golf there is this respect that is passed down through the generations, from the senior guys to golfers like me, and it is our duty to pass it on to the next generation,” says Scott. “I am part of a generation that will tell younger players what Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player did for the game, essentially making it what it is today.”

Rolex Testimonees Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth at Augusta National Golf Club. ©Getty Images 54 HK GOLFER | SEP 2020

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Rolex Testimonees Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas celebrate

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Rolex Testimonee Cameron Champ plays a shot at The Players Championship 2019. ©Rolex/Chris Turvey

“The Big Three attracted companies like Rolex to the sport of golf and, as a result, today Rolex is an integral part of the game, and one of golf’s greatest supporters across all levels,” adds Scott.

Like Scott, 44 year-old Tiger Woods is a Rolex Testimonee and just one of generations of players who learned so much from The Big Three. Acclaimed as the finest player of his generation – with a collection of 15 Major titles to date that is second only to Nicklaus – Woods reached another milestone in his remarkable career in 2019 when he became captain of the United States Presidents Cup team for the first time.

Playing against an International line-up at Royal Melbourne last December, Woods led by his actions as much as his words.

The revival in his playing form over the previous couple of years was highlighted by a fifth Masters title at Augusta National Golf Club earlier in the year, a victory that ensured he would be an essential player on the 12-man team, as well as its leader.

For fellow Testimonee Justin Thomas, a seasoned tour professional despite being 18 years younger than Woods, it was a dream come true to play on Tiger’s team.

“If you had told me when I was a junior that I would play on a Presidents Cup team with Tiger Woods as my captain, I probably would have fainted,” said Thomas, 27, a Major winner at the 2017 PGA Championship. “It’s surreal… Tiger Woods was and still is a serious role model for me. I grew up watching him.”

A generation apart but brought together through golf and Rolex, Woods and Thomas were unbeaten as playing partners at the event, with Woods masterfully leading the US team to victory.

Woods was regarded as the complete golfer two decades ago, when he was an athlete in his physical prime, yet it was at the 2019 Presidents Cup that he became the finished product. His own game could no longer be his sole focus. Captain Woods was an

open book, sharing his experience, guiding his peers and, like Rolex, instilling the values of striving for perpetual excellence for the future of the game.

As Fassi carries the torch from Ochoa, just as Nicklaus carried it from Palmer, so today’s established champions carry the torch from Woods. Alongside Thomas, this maturing group includes Brooks Koepka, with four Major titles by the age of 29, and Jordan Spieth, who at 26, boasts three Major titles.

Like Thomas, Koepka and Spieth are part of the Rolex family of Testimonees, as are players knocking on the door of Major success, including Rickie Fowler and Jon Rahm. This generation learned from Nicklaus, Player and Woods, and now pass down their experience to a bright new wave of talent that includes the Rolex New Guard – Americans Cameron Champ and Matthew Wolff, Joaquín Niemann from Chile, Swiss talent Albane Valenzuela and, of course, Fassi. They are the future of professional golf, striding the world stage and playing with integrity and respect inspired by those Testimonees who achieved greatness before them.

Certainly, these golfers compete against one another – they are driven to victory and success – but the sporting rivalries are underpinned by respect and kinship, and by a shared ambition to leave a rich legacy for those who will follow them. It is an ambition they share with each other and also with Rolex.

Reflecting at the Presidents Cup on these common bonds, Woods said: “Any time you’re able to do something that is bigger than us as individuals, it’s so much more meaningful and special.”

Spoken like a true leader.

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GEAR UP

A

GREENER

FOOTPRINT

by Ann Tsang / Image courtesy of Timberland®

As the world faces the prospect of drastic change and respect for nature becomes ever more essential, the message of environmental responsibility behind Timberland’s Nature Needs Heroes™ campaign is poised to become a rallying cry for generations to come. To this end, the global outdoor lifestyle brand has taken a fresh approach to the core attributes that have made it an icon since 1973.

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he latest addition to a long line of inf luentia l Timberla nd ® footwear designs, the Madbury snea ker boot, is an a ll-new footwear style for the fall, marking the brand’s next step toward a greener future.

Founded in 1973, Timberland is a global outdoor lifestyle brand based in Stratham, New Hampshire. Best known for its original yellow boot designed for the harsh elements of New England, Timberland today offers a full range of footwear, apparel and accessories for people who value purposeful style and share the brand’s passion for both enjoying and protecting nature. At the heart of the Timberland ® brand is the core belief that a greener future is a better future. This comes to life through a decades-long commitment to make products responsibly, protect the outdoors, and strengthen communities around the world.

The latest sneaker boot takes stylistic cues from the iconic Timberland 6” Boot with a distinct mid-top silhouette. “We have taken craft to the next level with the Madbury,” notes Chris McGrath, VP of Timberland Global Footwear Design.

“It is dynamic and a true expression of

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fashion meets function with modern styling aesthetics that resonate with todays youth culture.”

The Madbury features prominent “tree” branding in a nod to the streetwear sensibilities that made its predecessor a design classic. An aggressive geometric de sign imbue s t he shoe s w it h a streamlined aesthetic that easily traverses city streets and country trails.

The upper itself utilises Better Leather, an environmentally-conscious leather sourced from a tannery which has earned a Silver rating from the Leather Working Group. Tanneries are independently judged based on responsible energy use, waste management and water treatment.

Timberland’s proprietary ReBOTL™ fabric – of which at least 50 percent is made from recycled plastic bottles – is used in the upper and linings. Using ReBOTL™ fabric reduces environmental impact while still providing enhanced breathabilit y and moisture-wicking capabilities. Meanwhile, a lightweight foam midsole meets a rugged outsole pattern inspired by the Classic 6” Boot to provide all-terrain traction.

The Madbury is being released as part of a capsule collection of outdoor-

inspired apparel for both men a nd women. Reinter pret ing a rch iva l Ti mberla nd work we a r a nd h i k i ng designs in a bright, modern palette and enhanced functionality, the collection is designed to be as suited to the city streets as it is to the wilderness. Key items in addition to the Madbury sneaker boot include the SMU Work wear Coach Jacket in the brand’s signature orange colour, and the water-repellent Camo Archive Mountain Trail Jacket; while a selection of hoodies, tees, cargo shorts and joggers complete the line-up.

As we enter a new season, responsible f a s h ion i s c r uc i a l i n t he on g oi n g challenge to create a greener world.

With its range of eco-conscious features and a cutting-edge design that elevates all-day comfort, put your best foot forward in the Madbury as we strive to step into a more sustainable future for all. The fall 2020 collection is now available at Timberland stores and on timberland.com.

For more information about Timberland’s commitment to better product, stronger communities and a greener world, please visit www.timberland.com/responsibility

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ACCELERATE

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A

PASSION FOR

CLASSICS

by Rowano Pierotti / Images: courtesy of A. Lange & Sรถhne

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Cars and watches are captivating, particularly if they rank among the rare ones that people dream about.

As technical masterpieces, they embody values that are important to us. Cars stand for freedom, and watches for time. They reflect inventiveness, a sense of style, and the quest for records: the most powerful engine and the most precise timekeeping instrument.

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railblazing innovations continue to make driving safer as well as more energy-efficient and comfortable – as well as expanding the functionality of watches. In both domains, the search for better solutions and the ultimate form has resulted in ever-new milestones in technology and design history. Rare prototypes and one-of-a-kind examples are now consistently curated in public, as well as through private collections and showcasing on special occasions.

This is the spirit that underlies A. Lange & Söhne’s partnerships with the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, the Schloss Dyck Classic Days, and the Concours of Elegance Hampton Court Palace. At these high profile events, devotees of the most noble automobiles ever built meet both collectors and connoisseurs of exclusive timepieces, for whom vehicles are sculptures on wheels and who know that mechanical watches are matching counterparts for the wrist.

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For A. Lange & Söhne’s CEO Wilhelm Schmid, these inspiring encounters with collectors are what constitute the preciousness of partnerships. He is particularly delighted to note that the commitment to the preservation of cultural values has been adopted by the next generation. Duccio Lopresto is just one of a group of young individuals that nurture the collections of his family and strives to introduce new ideas.

Together with his father Corrado, Duccio Lopresto won the ‘Best of Show’ award for his sensational Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale Prototipo at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2017.

Lopresto has assembled one of the most significant collections of Italian vintage cars and won numerous prizes in the process, and now, his son is moving the collection into the future.

Milan-based architect and entrepreneur Corrado Lopresto was a treasure hunter obsessed with reconstructing the history behind rare items that may have faded into oblivion. This passion has now been adopted by his son. For many years, Duccio accompanied his father to Concours d’Elegance events and he thus resolved to not treat the vehicles in the collection as museum exhibits, but to instead make them accessible to the public because “they are too beautiful not to be shown on the road”.

Beyond that, he wanted to find new treasures and restore them, thus continuing the mission of his father in his own way.

His goal is to bridge the gap between the worlds of art and automobiles, bringing back even the most precious old timers to the asphalt.

The all-new GLE All kinds of strength.

THE NINETEENTH

PLATINUM

STATUS Image courtesy of The Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club

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ommended for its premium golf courses, excellence in entertainment and leisure facilities, as well as its exceptional service standards, The Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club has recently been recognised as one of the ‘Top 50 Platinum Clubs of Asia-Pacific’, a list which is part of the Platinum Clubs of the World 2020-21 listing organised by the Club Leaders Forum and endorsed by over 100 heavyweight industry experts globally. Sharing the same listing with the Royal Melbourne Golf Club, a top-ten golf course in the world, the attainment of the award represents the fact that the Club is truly one of the best private clubs in Asia-Pacific and internationally.

The Club offers a charming, yet relaxing environment with breathtaking coastal views, complemented by its spectacular 18-hole course.

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“We are honoured to be named as one of the ‘Top 50 Platinum Clubs of A sia-Pacif ic’. This is a tremendous endorsement of our venue and services. We will continue to enhance our service and facilities, and leverage on our resources to give back to the community and support local golf development,” commented Huen Wong, Chairman of The Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club on the accolade.

Platinum Clubs of the World is regarded as one of the most influential groups in the global golf industry. The awards are strictly selected by an authoritative judging panel who share a lifetime of experience playing and visiting the finest golf, country and city clubs around the globe. The panel includes David Burton, the past President of Golf Management Australia; Perry Dye, an internationally renowned golf course designer, and Marc Potter, CEO of the World of Leading Golf.

AUGUST 20-23

AUGUST 27-30

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