Hong Kong Open History
Hong Kong Open Highlights
Over the years the Hong Kong Open has produced more than its fair share of thrilling finishes and incredible achievements. HK Golfer delved deep into the archives to recall some of the most exciting and poignant moments from the past fifty years.
1959
P lay i n g for a prize purse of £1000 stumped up by the South China Morning Post, the inaugural event might have lacked the razzmatazz of today’s tournaments but it produced a very worthy champion in Taiwanese ace Lu Liang-huan. Lu, who would later go on to become the club pro at Fanling, achieved global recognition at the 1971 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale where he finished second to Lee Trevino. Nicknamed “Mr Lu” by the British press, the Taiwanese was the darling of the Open galleries thanks to his cheery demeanour and bright blue pork pie hat. Lu would go on to repeat his Fanling success with victory at the 1974 Hong Kong Open.
HKO. He would later add the 1983 HKO title when that tournament being rainshortened to only thirty-six holes. Despite only winning two majors—the 1986 and 1993 Open championships—the ‘Great White Shark’ will forever be known as the dominant player of the mid-late 1980s.
2003
P a d r a i g Ha r r i n g ton’s win will always be remembered for his twenty-foot birdie putt on the last hole to defeat South Africa’s Hennie Otto by one stroke. But according to the Irishman, it was a deftly played chip at the sixteenth which set up the victory. “It was probably the best pitch shot I’ve every played. I had a sandy lie and had to carry a bunker with only a few feet of green available. I managed to hit it perfectly and save par. That was the real turning point of the final round.”
1967
One of the ga me ’s t r ue legend s, f ivetime Open champion Peter Thomson bagged his third HKO title of the decade with his 1967 victory at Fanling. Thomson, who is credited with kickstarting the first structured series of professional events in Asia, was 38 when he completed his hat-trick— and with his enviably rhythmical swing would go on to snatch championships well into his fifties. The Australian, whose greatest success came at the Open Championship two years previously when he topped a field containing the likes of Palmer, Nicklaus and Lema, now runs a flourishing course design business.
1979
Tw e n t y - n i n e years ago a young Australian pitched up at The Hong Kong Golf Club and wowed the galleries with his untamed blonde hair, good looks and aggressive golf game. Greg Norman had only turned pro two years previously but played like a seasoned veteran in winning that year’s 30
HK GOLFER・NOV/DEC 2008
2001
Voted as one of the best shots in the history of the European Tour, Jose Maria Olazabal’s raking 5-iron from the trees on the last hole to set up an easy tap-in birdie provided arguably the most exciting climax to a HKO in recent memory. Having trailed Aussie phenom Adam Scott and Norway’s Henrik Bjornstad for most of the final round, Olazabal paved the way for victory courtesy of a brilliant birdie, birdie, birdie finish. Speaking afterwards, the Spaniard said: “You don’t finish with three birdies knowing you have to do it. I pulled it off with a little bit of luck and one well executed shot.”
1994
A merican journeyman pro Craig McCellan stood in the middle of the eighteenth fairway of the final round needing an eagle two to force a playoff with South African stalwart David Frost. Incredibly, McCellan did exactly that by holing his 7-iron from 160-yards away. Unfortunately, the pressure of extra time holes proved all too much as Frost walked away with the title. Nevertheless, McCellan’s shot is still regarded as the finest (or luckiest, depending on how you look at it) in the history of the event.
2004
S outh Africa’s James Kingston a n d S p a i n ’s Miguel Angel Jimenez arrived on the seventeenth green of the final round tied for the lead with both players facing long birdie putts. Kingston, who had never won on the European Tour, proceeded to hole his thirty footer to jump into the lead by himself. It was short lived however, as Jimenez, incredibly, also managed to hole his own twenty-five foot putt to bring it back to square it up again with only the last to play. Jimenez’s putt proved to be crucial: struggling to keep his emotions in check, the South African hooked his drive into trouble and the man from Malaga clung on to secure his first victory at the HKO. WWW.HKGA.COM