Around the HKGA A round-up of news and other events from Hong Kong
From the President My year-long tenure as President of the Hong Kong Golf Association ends in June and I would like to take this opportunity to write about an exciting and productive past 12 months. From a purely performance standpoint, the 2008-2009 season proved to be overwhelmingly successful. The 50th anniversary of the Hong Kong Open in November marked a very important milestone in the history of golf in Hong Kong – and what an Open it was, with Lin Wen-tang prevailing after one of the most gripping climaxes to a European Tour event in recent times. To have an Asian professional winning on such a landmark occasion made it all the more special. But it has been the development and performances of local junior golfers that has been especially pleasing. Aside from 14-year-old Jason Hak’s stunning achievement in making the halfway cut at the Hong Kong Open (which made him the youngest player in Tour history to achieve the feat), there have been some exceptional displays by our other young talents. Tiffany Chan, Steven Lam, Stephanie Ho, Liu Loktin, Kitty Tam, Shinichi Mizuno, as well as many, many others, have raised their games and impressed at both local and international level. I firmly believe we now have both the strength and depth to rival our larger Asian neighbours, and with a new sponsorship commitment from EFG Bank,
which will translate into more event participation for juniors of all playing abilities, the future of Hong Kong golf looks very bright indeed. Nurturing junior golf is a key priority of the HKGA and, as ever, my thanks go to National Junior Coach Brad Schadewitz and the Junior Committee for their outstanding contribution over the past year. I am very much looking forward to seeing even greater strides being made throughout the rest of 2009 and beyond. On a more general note, I am delighted to see the success and popularity of the new East Course at The Jockey Club Kau Sai Chau. Over the years, Kau Sai Chau has established itself as a world-class public golf facility and the unveiling of the East Course, as well as the commitment to make the complex a centre of golfing excellence, will only raise its stature around the world. Personally, it has given me great pleasure to preside over the past year and I would like to extend my thanks to all the HKGA staff and volunteers for their support and efforts. I also look forward to welcoming my successor, William Chung, into the role. I’m sure he’ll do a marvelous job in helping to develop the game in the city even further. —Rick Siemens President HKGA
hk ladies close amateur championship
Stephanie Shines in
Record Win 16-year-old comes of age with brilliant comeback victory at the Hong Kong Ladies Close Amateur Championship REPORT BY ALEX JENKINS PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHARLES MCLAUGHLIN
Ladies in Bali Hong Kong, represented by Tiffany Chan, Stephanie Ho and Ginger Mak, finished 11th at the recent Queen Sirikit Cup (Asian Ladies Team Event). Played at the stunning seaside Nirwana Bali Golf Club, the team fared well against strong opposition, with Stephanie finishing the individual competition in a tie for 23rd place (230). Tiffany placed in a tie for 26th (232) and Ginger 29th (236).
USGA Visit To help further the understanding of golfers in Hong Kong, the HKGA and the USGA combined to hold two seminars on handicapping and course rating in late May. Held at the HKGA offices in Olympic House and the Hong Kong Golf Club, the sessions featured a mix of on-course and classroom activities and were extremely well attended. Please check www.hkga.com for future events. 30
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out the pars and throwing in the odd birdie or eagle is always going to unsettle the best of opponents, as long as mistakes are kept to a minimum. Unlike Norman, Mak didn’t fold under the pressure on that final day – and in most other years she would have gone on to safely collect her third Ladies Championship. But this time around her luck was out. She faced a player who simply refused to budge and who refused to give in. It was a somewhat surprising and most welcome display from yet another of Hong Kong’s legion of young golfers. Whether Ho, or indeed any of her cohorts, go on to make a name for themselves in the professional game remains to be scene. But one thing is for sure: everyone who witnessed it will remember the day that Stephanie Ho came of age at Fanling.
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t epha n ie Ho st a ged one of the greatest fightbacks in the tournament’s history to capture the Hong Kong Ladies Close Amateur Championship in late June. The championship had originally been scheduled to be played in March at Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club, but inclement weather resulted in a switch of both date and venue. Starting the final round six shots behind double champion Ginger Mak, who had opened with an impressive 70, Ho suddenly found a liking for the notoriously tricky Fanling greens to fire a sublime 4-under-par 67 over the New Course – a new ladies amateur course record – to overhaul her older opponent a nd w i n by t h re e stokes. Tiffany Chan 15, who triumphed at t he MacGregor Hong Kong Junior Close Championship just a month before, f i n i she d i n t h i rd place, a further three strokes adrift, while defending champion Demi Mak, Ginger’s twin sister, tied fourth o n a s c o r e o f 152 (10-over-par). Rising star Kitty Tam, 12, followed an erratic 81 with a stellar 71 to finish alongside Demi. 32
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“I’m speechless,” said Ho, the reigning China Junior Open champion, who opened up with a 76 in the first round of the shortened event. “I didn’t think I could win when I started the day and it wasn’t until I got to within two shots of Ginger that I thought I had a chance.” Making the turn in two-under-par after birdies at the second and fifth, Ho caught 18-year-old Mak with a miraculous pitch-in eagle from 70 yards at the par-5 10th. “I wasn’t expecting to make it,” admitted Ho, who took the championship lead for the first time thanks to a six-foot birdie putt at the 12th. Showing a calmness that belied her years, Ho played almost flawless golf down the stretch, the only blemish
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coming at the final hole where she missed a short putt for par. “It’s my lowest ever round,” beamed Ho, who for much of the season has played second fiddle to Chan, her best friend. “I still can’t really believe it.” In terms of the best performances of the year, Ho’s effort surely ranks at the top of the pile. But it wasn’t so much her score that made people stand up and take note. In much the same way Faldo overcame Norman at the 1996 Masters, Ho, who was giving up around 20 yards off the tee to Mak, overhauled the two-time champ with a game founded on consistency. Fairway hit, green hit – maximum two putts. Grinding
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Featured at Fanling (clockwise from far left): Ginger Mak splashes out, Franziska Hu won the Mid Amateur Championship, Kitty Tam finished strongly; Stephanie Ho's miraculous hole out.
RESULTS – TOP 10 OVERALL 1 2 3 4= 6 7 8= 10=
Stephanie Ho Ginger Mak Tiffany Chan Kitty Tam Demi Mak Franziska Hu Michelle Ho Michelle Cheung Loida Arnold Mimi Ho Bobbie Sze Isabella Leung Tiana Gwenn Lau
(76-67) (70-76) (73-76) (81-71) (77-75) (76-77) (76-81) (81-83) (78-86) (83-82) (83-82) (82-83) (80-85)
143 146 149 152 152 153 157 164 164 185 185 185 185
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