hk amateur review
From the President Amazingly, Hong Kong does it again. What it is about the UBS Hong Kong Open I don’t know, but for what seems like the umpteenth time in succession, the tournament came down to the wire and ended in yet another thrilling finish – and once more it featured rising star Rory McIlroy. I have to confess feeling sorry for the young Irishman. Last year he was outdone by the brilliant shot-making of Chinese Taipei’s Lin Wen-tang in arguably the most exciting playoff in European Tour history. This time around it was the steely nerve of Gregory Bourdy that kept him from lifting the famous trophy. Tipped to become one of the world’s most dominant players, I’m sure his time will come. But congratulations to Bourdy. Showing remarkable poise in the heat of what turned out to be a titanic final round battle, the Frenchman overcame the strongest field in the tournament’s fiftyone year history to pick up his most important ever professional victory. I for one look forward to welcoming him back to Fanling in 2010 to defend his title. His sheer coolness under pressure will live long in the memory, as will Jason Hak’s brilliant performance in making the halfway cut for the second year in a row. For one so young, Jason continues to amaze us with his fantastic play. I sincerely hope that many other young people in
Hong Kong can take inspiration in what he has achieved. The Hong Kong Open is one of the most prestigious tournaments in Asian golf, but it couldn’t possibly be run so successfully without the support of both its title sponsor and the volunteers that work so tirelessly throughout the course of the week. Over the past five years UBS have taken the tournament to another level – both in terms of reputation and prize money. Their devotion to the game of golf in Hong Kong has been remarkable and I would like to personally thank them for all their magnificent effort in bringing worldclass golf to the Hong Kong Golf Club. I am also extremely grateful to all the event volunteers – the vast majority of who are HKGA subscribers – and spectators who gave the players such a tremendous welcome. The tournament is well known on both the Asian and European circuits for providing a wonderful atmosphere over all four days, and this certainly proved to be the case again this year. Hong Kong golf fans are among the most knowledgeable in this part of the world, a fact which is not lost on any of the professionals.
—William Chung President HKGA
Clearwater Bay Wins for Halpin and McKee Christopher Halpin and Joanne McKee were the big winners at the Clearwater Bay Amateur Open, which was held on November 21. Halpin (pictured here with Club Chairman Dr Ryan Li) shot a composed 76 over the seaside layout to win the Gross Division by three strokes from Giles Scott in second place. Kelvin Inge claimed third place on countback from Stuart Wilson. In the Ladies’ Division, McKee’s 84 won her the Gross title, with Christine Kwok earning the Nett prize after a 76.
October’s Masters Golf Fashion Hong Kong Open Amateur Championship was highlighted by an Australian victory and two notable performances by local golfers.
HK Success at Macau Opens Golfers from Hong Kong dominated November’s Macau Open Amateur tournaments, which were held at Macau Golf & Country Club. In the Men’s event, Doug Williams holed a remarkable 60-foot putt for birdie to overcome Derek Paton at the first playoff hole after the pair finished regulation play on a two-round total of 153. Two weeks later, 18-year-old Demi Mak (pictured here) clinched the Ladies’ title with solid rounds of 72 and 74 to win by five strokes from her twin sister Ginger. Tiffany Chan placed third, a further four strokes adrift. 42
HK Golfer・Dec 2009/Jan 2010
TEEN TITAN
HKGOLFER.COM
REPORT BY ALEX JENKINS PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHARLES McLAUGHLIN
Daniel Nisbet, Discovery Bay Golf Club HKGOLFER.COM
HK Golfer・Dec 2009/Jan 2010
43
compatriot, Jhonnel Ababa, who fired a 65 in the third round – the low round of the week – placed third, a further four strokes adrift. “It feels great to have f inally won an overseas title,” said Nisbet, who by virtue of his win earned a berth in the following week’s UBS Hong Kong Open, where he narrowly missed the cut. “It’s a great golf course and the conditions were really testing. I played well, but I had to. The quality of golf among Asian amateurs is really high. It was really tough out there.” He wasn’t wrong. The opening two rounds were characterized by high winds, making the already formidable clifftop layout, with its swift, undulating greens and myriad hazards, a very tough proposition indeed. To add to the difficulty, par on the Diamond-Ruby championship course was reduced to 71 for the tournament – the 492 yard fourth was converted into a brutish par four – and it wasn’t until the third round that a score in the 60s was recorded. Surviving the initial 36 holes with respectable rounds of 72 and 74, Nisbet came to life on day three with a 68. Entering the final round paired with Fernando and Ababa, the overnight leader, the highly-rated Australian plundered four front nine birdies to steal a march on his playing partners. Playing almost flawless golf, Nisbet carded two more birdies on the back, and despite a heart-in-mouth moment at the last when his drive flirted with the Out of Bounds flanking the right side of the hole, the Royal Queensland member was in a class of his own.
Title contenders (from top): Mhark Fernando and Jhonnel Ababa of the Philippines pushed Nisbet all the way; Roderick Staunton tied for fourth. 44
With his win, Nisbet became the highest ranked Australian in amateur golf, climbing to 42 in the Royal & Ancient’s world rankings, a nd now has h is sights set on t urn i ng professional in 2010. “I’m going to see how it goes over the next few months, but I’ll be targeting the [US] PGA Tour qualifying school towards the end of next year,” said Nisbet, who won four major Australian amateur titles in 2009 to set a new national record. “But winning the Hong Kong Amateur is really important to me. It shows I can compete away from home, so hopefully I’ll be able to use this experience going forward.” Roderick Staunton and Steven Lam led the way for Hong Kong, finishing in a tie for fourth, nine shots behind Nisbet. The
H
e’s still only a teenager but keep an eye out for Daniel Nisbet in the months a nd years a head. The 19-year-old Queenslander, who has dominated the Australian domestic golf scene over the past 12 months, enjoyed a stellar final two rounds as he wrapped up his first international triumph in style at Discovery Bay Golf Club. Nisbet, a strapping six-footer with a laidback persona, played his final 36 holes in eight-underpar, good enough for a two-shot win over Mhark Fernando of the Philippines. Fernando’s
HK Golfer・Dec 2009/Jan 2010
In the hunt (from top): Lester Peterson won the Mid Amateur title by twelve shots from Hong Kong's Tim Orgill; Steven Lam was top HK finisher.
HKGOLFER.COM
HKGOLFER.COM
HK Golfer・Dec 2009/Jan 2010
45
duo, fresh from playing all four rounds at the Asian Amateur Championship the week before, notched up solid performances, with Staunton in particular looking sharp. A third round of 68 vaulted the 27-year-old into championship contention, although any hopes of him becoming the first local winner of the tournament in over a decade were dashed by a lacklustre final round of 74. 16-year-old Lam, who entered the event in a rich vein of form following a stunning 65 a Kau Sai Chau only two weeks previously, cobbled together four decent scores, but was left to rue a decidedly cold putter. “From tee to green I was OK, but I couldn’t get anything to drop on the greens,” he said. The same couldn’t be said of the champion. Growing up on the Bermuda grass greens of tropical Queensland, Nisbet felt right at home at Discovery Bay and was deadly with the flatstick. And while having a brilliant amateur career doesn’t always translate into success at professional level, you have to think that Nisbet has all the traits to go very far indeed. C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
HK AMATEUR – TOP 10 OVERALL
Solid performers (from top): Nisbet will turn his attention to the PGA Tour qualifying school in 2010; Hong Kong's Derek Paton complied four tidy rounds to finish inside the top twenty. 46
HK Golfer・Dec 2009/Jan 2010
1 2 3 4= 7 8 9 10=
Daniel Nisbet Mhark Fernando Jhonnel Ababa Jerome Ng Steven Lam Roderick Staunton Lester Peterson Huang Yong Le Lam Zhi Qun Matthew McBain Tim Orgill
AUS PHL PHL SIN HKG HKG AUS CHN SIN AUS HKG
72-74-68-66 73-75-66-68 73-77-65-71 74-78-69-68 74-72-71-72 74-73-68-74 74-71-74-71 83-73-70-72 72-72-79-78 81-75-72-74 78-79-70-75
280 282 286 289 289 289 290 298 301 302 302 HKGOLFER.COM