HKGolfer
HK Golfer Style: Audemars Piguet, The Last Drop, Aston Martin One-77
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE HONG KONG GOLF ASSOCIATION ISSUE 48
HKGOLFER.COM
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2010
$40
BIGGEST EVER ISSUE!
Ryder Cup Heroes Back at Fanling UBS HK OPEN SPECIAL DISPLAY UNTIL DECEMBER 15
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TRAVEL GOLF IN FIJI
contents
HK Golfer
Issue 48
October/November 2010
116 After two close calls Rory McIlroy will be hoping it’ll be a case of third time lucky when he goes in search of his first UBS Hong Kong Open victory. (Photo by AFP)
Features
Plus…
45 | UBS Hong Kong Open Preview
20 | Boss of the Green
HK Golfer’s guide to the best event of 2010, which will see the cream of the European and Asian tours battle it out at the Hong Kong Golf Club By The Editors
79 | From Putting Green to Pop Star
A review of the Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars Perpetual Calendar, one of the horological highlights of 2010 By Ariel Adams
100 | Profile: Wayne Grady
28 | Driving Range
106 | Top 10 One Major Wonders
30 | Liquid Assets
A report on the growing popularity of Italian reds and a Tuscan winery making waves among Hong Kong drinkers – Tenuta Sette Ponti By Robin Lynam
116 | Pride of the Pacific
32 | Whisky
126 | Growing Pains
34 | Profile
A report on the game’s current crop of young female talents and the issues they face as their careers develop By Lewine Mair
130 | Down to the Wire
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HK Golfer checks out the ultra-exclusive One-77, probably the greatest Aston Martin that will ever be made By Ben Oliver
The ultimate guide to the little-known players who walked away with golf’s most glittering of prizes By Mak Lok-lin With the opening of the magnificent Natadola Bay, Fiji now finds itself on the global golfing map By The Editors
25 | Tee Time
Q&A with Hong Kong international Stephanie Ho – renowned singer, talented golfer Interview by Joey Mok The 1990 US PGA Champion, in town to play in the Ageas HKPGA Championship, talks to HK Golfer about his illustrious – and intriguing – playing career By Alex Jenkins
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Hong Kong-based professional Jeanie Kwok models the latest collection from Hugo Boss Photographed by Graham Uden
An examination of Colin Montgomerie’s captaincy and player ratings from what proved to be a thrilling Ryder Cup By Andrew Mullen
The exclusivity continues with this review of the Last Drop, one of the world’s greatest blended whiskies By John Bruce Vacheron Constantin’s Yann Bouillonnec tells HK Golfer how golf helped shape his career in the luxury watch-making industry By Mathew Scott
98 | Corporate Q&A
With Stuart Fraser of Ageas Insurance Company, title sponsors of the HK PGA Championship Interview by Alex Jenkins
Charles McLaughlin (Fiji); Graham Uden (Fashion)
On the Cover:
HKGOLFER.COM
Local Focus No Holding Back
C.J. Gatto plays his tee shot at the signature 14th hole during the final round of the Ageas HKPGA Championship at The Jockey Club Kau Sai Chau Public Golf Course. American Gatto, who is based in Shenzhen and plays on the China and OneAsia tours, carded a three-round total of 212 (four-underpar) over the North Course to win his first professional title. Tournament headliner and 1990 US PGA Champion Wayne Grady (also in shot) placed second, four strokes behind. This year's championship returned to the HKPGA event schedule for the first time since 2004. Turn to page 88 for the full story. - Alex Jenkins Photo by Charles McLaughlin
hkpga championship
Icing on the Cake For Gatto
Shenzhen-based American star denies veteran Grady to scoop the Ageas HKPGA Championship REPORT BY ALEX JENKINS PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHARLES McLAUGHLIN & DANIEL WONG Additional photography by King Lai
C
.J. Gatto kept a battling Wayne Grady at bay to claim his first professional title at the Ageas HKPGA Championship late September. Shenzhen-based Gatto, 25, who started the final round with a seven-shot lead, closed with a 74 over the North Course at The Jockey Club Kau Sai Chau for a three-day total of 212 (four-under-par), four shots ahead of tournament drawcard Grady, who carded a oneunder-par 71. Singapore's M. Murugiah placed third, a further two shots adrift. "It feels awesome to have finally done it," said Gatto, a regular on the China and OneAsia tours, who played alongside PGA Tour star Ryan Moore on the University of Nevada Las Vegas 94
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(UNLV) golf team. "I was feeling a little nervous early in the round but overcame that and was pretty solid, especially on the greens. Playing with Wayne was a cool experience. He's a great guy." Hong Kong's top performer was HK PGA Order of Merit leader Wong Woon-man, who fired rounds of 75, 72 and 74 to finish in solo fourth. T he h ig h l ig ht of G at to's tournament was a brilliant 67 on the second day, a round that included an astonishing two eagles – at the par-5 1st and par-4 6th, where he drove the green – and six birdies. Gatto, who entered the paid ranks t wo years ago, earned HK$58,000 for the win. The cha mpion sh ip, wh ich wa s inaugurated in 1974, hadn't been played since 2004 because of a lack of sponsorship. Despite having only competed in two Champions Tour events this season , 53-year-old Grady – best-known for winning the 1990 US PGA Championship, a year after suffering a play-off loss to Mark Calcavecchia at the Open Championship – showed his class over a beautifully-conditioned North Course with a gutsy final-round effort. "I was able to narrow the gap a little but it was never going to be enough," said Grady, whose illustrious playing career includes a World Cup win with fellow countryman Peter Fowler in 1989. "Hat's off to C.J; he played very well and looks to have a good future ahead of him." Gatto hails from Columbus, Ohio, home town of the legendary Jack Nicklaus, and his gritty display over the home stretch would have made the 18-time major champion proud. "Jack's the greatest player of time and a personal hero of mine," said Gatto.
Clockwise from top right: Wong Woonman; Wayne Grady takes relief; C.J. Gatto in action; Paul Riley on the green; Jimmy Ko pitches up; M. Murugiah of Singapore chips on.
Ageas HKPGA Championship Final Standings 1 2 3 4 5 6= 10
C.J. GATTO Wayne GRADY M. MURUGIAH WONG Woon-man Grant GIBSON LIN Gu-cui YUAN Tian James STEWART Jovick LEE Andrew GOOD
USA AUS SIN HKG HKG CHN CHN HKG HKG HKG
71 67 74 73 72 71 72 75 71 75 72 74 72 76 75 77 75 72 77 75 72 73 75 76 74 74 76 75 77 73
212 216 218 221 223 224 224 224 224 225
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Clockwise from top right: Eric Ma blasts out; James Stewart, who finished in a share of sixth, had reason to smile; Is it safe?; Andrew Good looks on; Dominique Boulet, a two-time HKPGA Championship winner, drives from the 9th tee; Jovick Lee on the 18th.
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corporate q&a
Stuart Fraser
HK Golfer catches up with the CEO of Ageas Insurance Company (Asia) Ltd, title sponsor of the HKPGA Championship
given the time of year the event is played – there's a bit of a lull at the end of September on the Asian Tour. If we can secure the appropriate levels of support both locally and regionally we will give the championship the appropriate investment to raise its profile. You're a golfer yourself. When did you first swing a club? I was nine years old. My father and uncle introduced me to the game. Golf wasn't played that much by kids at that time – even in Scotland where I'm from – but there was never a problem with accessibility to courses, which helped enormously. I quickly got the ‘golfing bug’ and would spend most of my school holidays playing at our local club. What's your current handicap? It's 11. I'm a member at The Hong Kong Golf Club but I'm not really playing much. My lowest handicap was two when I was 17. I was also fortunate enough to have played county golf at both junior and senior levels for Clackmannanshire and Leicestershire 'B' team respectively. What is your favourite course in Asia? The Bukit Course at Singapore Island Country Club. I was a member there for seven years in the 90s. The Bukit has been home to many championship events and demands the player to hit every club in his bag. It's a superb course in a great setting.
W
hat attracted you to title sponsor the HKPGA Championship, an event that hasn't been played since 2004? We already had a sporting presence in football through FCBescola, the junior football programme run in conjunction with Barcelona FC; however, we also wanted a “space” in golf. We did sponsor a World Cup Qualifier for golf but after two years believed we had extracted as much value as we could; so we had a look at what other opportunities were available to us from which we could secure the right exposure. We strongly believed the HKPGA represented such an opportunity. You've agreed to sponsor the HKPGA Championship through until 2012. Where do you see the event – in terms of the quality of the field, prize-money on offer and its recognition throughout the region – by that time? We will take a good look at this year’s event to see what lessons can be learned and how we can make this a bigger and better tournament. One of the key objectives must be to attract more foreign players, which is certainly possible 98
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Do you ever go on golf holidays? Not really. I may do in later years. I always take my clubs when I go back to Scotland and have a few rounds with my son Graeme. I love Carnoustie; my family spent many summer holidays there. The golf course is a great test of golf; challenging but good fun too. It's my favourite of the Open Championship venues. I've played all over the world but I still think British courses have the edge. I'm not a fan of the modern style of courses, but they're built like that because of [the improvements to] technology, which I think is something that could potentially spoil the game. How would you describe the golf scene in Asia today? Explosive! It's really all happened in the last 10 years. For me, the major influence has been China. Golf has always been played in Thailand and the Philippines but China is now leading the way with phenomenal prospects. The awareness of golf in Hong Kong has also increased dramatically and it is becoming more accessible, although it'll never be like Scotland in that regard. Golf is just going to grow and grow in the region. – As told to Alex Jenkins HKGOLFER.COM
profile
Wayne Grady
Open, we have a great bunch of guys there,” says Grady, who also notched a world cup win with countryman Peter Fowler in Spain in 1989. “Peter Allis is just an awesome commentator – so much fun to work with. And who’d have thought that Ken Brown, who was a bit of a rebel and tearaway when he was a player, would take to it so well. He’s great too.” But what was the worst moment for Grady as a commentator?
“That’s easy: Tom Watson at The Open last year. I’ve played with all the greats – Sneed, Palmer, Nicklaus, Trevino – but Watson remains my favourite, my hero. I could play with him everyday, but what happened to him a Turnberry… I could have cried. Everyone thought he had won when he hit that second into 18, but he got a bad bounce. I was commentating at the time and I had to shut up. I just couldn’t say anything. But that’s golf, I suppose.”
Major Moment: Grady (below) enjoys a laugh with his caddie for the week, Les Curl; Grady: "I was competitive but I didn't have that killer instinct."
HK Golfer caught up with the affable Australian after his debut appearance at the Ageas HKPGA Championship STORY BY ALEX JENKINS PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHARLES McLAUGHLIN
W
ayne Grady’s isn’t a name that instantly comes to mind when you think of the golfing greats of the late eighties and early nineties. But in one 18 month stretch, from spring 1989 to late summer 1990, the Australian entered a realm normally reserved for the likes of Nick Faldo and Greg Norman with a spectacular run of form that netted him a major championship, a world cup win, a flurry of top PGA Tour finishes and very nearly the biggest prize of them all – the Open Championship title. Grady, who was in Hong Kong last month to compete in the Ageas HKPGA Championship, is typically forthright on his success of 20 years ago. “It was all down to bloody hard work,” says the likeable 53-year-old Brisbanite, who finished second to American CJ Gatto at Kau Sai Chau following a solid final-round performance. “I had a reasonable talent – nothing exceptional – but there’s really no secret: I just worked really hard on my game.” Grady first made headlines around the world at Royal Troon in 1989 when he looked like becoming only the second Australian golfer since Peter Thomson to lift the Claret Jug. Considered something of a journeyman, Grady entered the championship on the back of his first American tour victory at the Westchester Classic, then one of the PGA Tour’s biggest events, and instantly made his mark on the Scottish links. Taking the lead on Friday, Grady held on gamely until he made a bogey at the penultimate hole of the tournament to fall into a playoff with American Mark Calcavecchia and childhood friend Greg Norman. His concentration broken, Grady would end up losing to Calcavecchia, whose win also condemned Norman to yet another runner-up finish in a major. “Troon is still very disappointing, but it would have haunted me to this day had I not won the US PGA the following year,” said Grady, who turned pro at the age of 21 with only A$9 (about HK$65) in his pocket. “I remember a reporter followed me outside the media tent following the play-off and asked if I felt sorry for Greg. I could have hit him. I really didn’t care about Norman. I went out for a few drinks that night, but it certainly wasn’t in celebration.” While his win at Shoal Creek in August 1990, where he beat Fred Couples by three shots, elevated Grady to the status of major champion, the Australian remains philosophical about his place among his peers. 100
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“Very few people have a chance to win a major, and I was very conscious to not let what happened at The Open be what people wrote about me, which is why the US PGA was so important. “But I wasn’t like Greg [Norman]. I had 40 second-place finishes in my career, which means there’s definitely something wrong in my make up. I was competitive but I didn’t have that killer instinct. Norman was killed when he didn’t win. Tiger [Woods] hates finishing second. I would get a thrill just by playing well.” Although Grady says he hasn’t retired from golf, the HKPGA was only his third start of the year, following two Champions Tour events in America. “I don’t practice enough now,” says Grady, who played in Hong Kong on the invitation of his friend Dominique Boulet, the event organizer and a two-time HKPGA champion. “But I really enjoyed the week. I hadn’t played in the heat for more than six months so it a bit of a shock, but [the North Course at] Kau Sai Chau has some world-class holes – particularly the parthrees – and the course was in great shape. And yet again I had another second place,” he laughs. Rather than playing, Grady spends more of his time now as a television commentator – both in his native Australia and the United Kingdom, where he works for the BBC alongside Peter Allis during The Open and has been lauded for his no-nonsense approach behind the microphone. “Nothing compares to the week of The HKGOLFER.COM
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