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.
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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
HK GOLFER・OCT/NOV 2010
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