THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE HONG KONG GOLF ASSOCIATION VOTED THE REGION’S NO 1 GOLF MAGAZINE
ISSUE 128
HKGOLFER.COM OCTOBER 2017
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10 MOST UNIQUE AND SUSTAINABLE GOLF COURSES IN SOUTH ASIA
HIDEKI MATSUYAMA EYES ON THE MAJORS
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| CONTENTS
HK Golfer Issue 128
October 2017
36 On the Cover:
Following his victory at the WGC-HSBC Champions in 2016, Hideki Matsuyama had two additional victories on the PGA TOUR and finished first in the FedExCup’s Regular-Season standings. By the end of the season, he was the world No. 3 player and became the standardbearer of golf in Japan. Photo by AFP/Getty Images
Features
Plus…
29 | Around the HKGA
10 | Divots
Yoshihiro Nishi, the new President of Hong Kong Golf Association, shares his vision for the next 12 months. Interview by Louie Chan
News and events from Hong Kong and the region. By The Editors
32 | APGC Junior Championship Review
A pictorial review of the last 30 days from around the world. By The Editors
Japan won the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation Junior Championship Mitsubishi Corporation Cup 2017 at Fanling. By Louie Chan
36 | Cover Story
Cartier’s Tank watch was born in 1917 of a powerful vision, the culmination of a lengthy design process. Now 100 years old, the Tank watch has never been so new. By The Editors
42 | A Mouth-Watering Month of Golf
30 | Around the HKGA
48 | Bunker Mentality
It’s high time for golf to take a look from tennis, where men’s and women’s prize money is - at the ‘Majors’ at least - equal. By Mike Wilson
56 | The Tipping Point
Daniel Wong
Tips are not just a big part of caddies’ income but also a sacrosanct subject. By The Kilted Caddie
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19 | Tee Time
Pundits continue to tip Hideki Matsuyama as potential Major champion after his successful season, and it all started after he won the 2016 WGC-HSBC Champions. By The Editors October will highlight a truly momentous month for professional golf in Asia with the staging of three mega PGA TOUR tournaments. By Chuah Choo Chiang
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12 | In Focus
62 | By Design
Let’s take look on the ten most unique and sustainable golf courses in South Asia. By Paul Jansen
Hou Yu-sang of Chinese Taipei clinches the Esprit HK Ladies Open Amateur Championship title at Fanling. By Louie Chan
60 | The Meaning of Golf
A new column publishes excerpts from The Meaning of Golf that seeks to find the beating heart of golf. By Craig Morrison
76 | Crossword
This issue: “Nickname Time!” By Dr Milton Wayne
78 | Final Shot
Paul “Chef” Brown, the General Manager of Shek O Country Club talks about his best ever round, favourite courses and who would be in his dream fourball. Interview by Charles McLaughlin HKGOLFER.COM
HK Golfer
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE HONG KONG GOLF ASSOCIATION OCTOBER 2017 • Issue 128
Managing Editor: Louie Chan louie.chan@hkgolfer.com Contributing Editors: Dr Milton Wayne, Faye Glasgow, John Bruce, Nathan Goulding, Keith McLaren, Paul Jansen, Evan Rast, Mike Wilson, Robin Lynam. Art Director: Derek Hannah Photo Editor: Daniel Wong Administration Manager Cindy Kwok Publisher: Charles McLaughlin Published by:
TIMES INTERNATIONAL CREATION Times International Creation Limited 10B Lockhart Centre 301-307 Lockhart Road Hong Kong Phone: +852 3590-4153 Fax: +852 3590-4533
D E PA R T M E N T S 10 Divots 12 Global Focus 14 Asia Focus 16 Local Focus 19 Clubhouse 29 Around the HKGA 42 Asian Angle 48 Bunker Mentality 54 The Kilted Caddie 64 By Design 76 Crossword
Hong Kong Golf Club
78 Final Shot
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HK GOLFER is published by Times International Creation, 10B Lockhart Centre, 301-307 Lockhart Road, Hong Kong. HK GOLFER is published monthly © 2017 by Times International Creation. Published in Hong Kong. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited. PRINTED IN HONG KONG. 8
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| DIVOTS
HK’s Clearwater Bay Open returns for second year
The successful Clearwater Bay Open will return for a second year in 2017. The 72-hole tournament is set for October 30-November 5. In 2016, Australian Daniel Nisbet battled American Alex Kang. Nisbet won in a one-hole playoff in the first PGA TOUR-sanctioned event played at the stunning and picturesque course situated alongside the South China Sea.
Eligible players include all 2016 PGA TOUR China tournament winners, the top60 money-winners on the 2016 PGA TOUR China Order of Merit, the top-30 available players from the 2016 China Golf Association Ranking List, 10 open qualifiers and 10 sponsor exemptions. Also, among others, up to 10 current Web.com Tour or PGA TOUR members and the top-three available finishers on the 2017 Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit and the 2016 PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Order of Merit will be eligible to play. Nisbet gave his wholehearted endorsement of both the course and the tournament following his victory in 2016. “This is the most enjoyable week I’ve had on a golf course. This is the most breathtaking course I’ve ever played. It’s hard to play bad golf around here.” “The 2016 Clearwater Bay Open was a smashing success, with all credit going to our players and this tremendous golf course. This is a fabu lous club wit h whom we want to partner for the long term,” added Greg Gilligan, Managing Director, PGA TOUR China.
Asian Tour Heads Back to Ho Tram
Tom Eubank
The Asian Tour will return to Vietnam’s most acclaimed golf facility in 2018 and 2019, as the Ho Tram Players Championship will take place Dec. 6-9 next year, and then again at some point the following season. In 2015, the links-style layout on Vietnam’s south-central coast staged the Ho Tram Open, which was won by reigning Masters Champion Sergio Garcia and voted ‘Event of the Year’ by Asian Tour members. Since opening in 2014, the spectacular Greg Norman design has earned a number of major accolades, including ‘World’s Best New Golf Course’ at the 2015 World Golf Awards. The Bluffs was also the only course in Vietnam to make Golf Digest USA’s 20162017 ranking of the ‘100 Greatest Golf Courses in the World.’ “The Ho Tram Open was a huge success,” said Michael Kelly, Executive Chairman and CEO of Asian Coast Development Ltd. (ACDL), developer of the Ho Tram Strip. “It’s time for some of the world’s best golfers to come back to Ho Tram, and for us to once again show the world how spectacular The Bluffs and the country of Vietnam are.” 10
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Par-3 2nd hole of The Bluffs Ho Tram
HKGOLFER.COM
| DIVOTS
Nordqvist Claims the 2017 Evian Championship
HKGOLFER.COM
©Rolex/Chris Turvey
Role x Te st i mone e A n n a Nordq v i st h a s claimed her second Major title, at The Evian Championship, France, in a playoff following a closing round of five-under par. By achieving this momentous feat, the 30-year-old joins fellow Testimonees, Annika Sörenstam, Juli Inkster and Lydia Ko, among the prestigious list of past champions at the beautiful setting of Évian-les-Bains, overlooking the shimmering waters of Lake Geneva. The first to congratulate Nordqvist, after sinking the winning putt on the 18th green, were fellow Swede Annika Sörenstam and Gary Player, both legends of the game and part of the Rolex family. The fifth Evian Championship winner said: “I didn’t know Gary Player was here; I was excited to see him. Annika has been a huge role model and a huge inspiration for me and it’s great to see her this week. Nordqvist continued: “It’s a dream come t r ue , b ei n g f rom Eu rop e to o, w i n n i n g The Evian Championship. I’ve worked really hard over the last couple of years - this year has been testing a little bit, but I am very proud of myself for keeping my head up and staying positive.”
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Global Focus JT Caps Amazing Season with $10m Prize Justin Thomas finished second to Xander Schauffele despite burning down the back nine with a torrid finish that included three birdies in his last six holes. Thomas, who finished at 11 under, had a putt on the 18th that would have eventually gotten him into a playoff with Schauffele. However, none of that really matters because Thomas’ second-place finish was enough to secure him the FedExCup trophy and a US$10 million bonus for taking the season-long race. Thomas beat out Jordan Spieth for first. Thomas capped a five-win season by becoming the first golfer since Tiger Woods in 2009 to win the FedExCup without winning the Tour Championship (Phil Mickelson won it that year). He will unquestionably be the 2016-17 PGA Tour Player of the Year and has now earned just under $20 million total this season including the FedExCup bump. Photo by AFP/Getty Images
Asia Focus Kataoka Pulls Off Another Comeback Win It was an all too familiar scene for Japan’s Daisuke Kataoka again. Two of his previous victories on his domestic circuit were staged from comebacks. And it was no different for the Japanese’s chase for glory at this year’s Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup. Starting his final round one shot back, Kataoka had to stage another fightback. And this time, it was against the likes of Thailand’s Poom Sakansin and countryman Tadahiro Takayama at the Caledonian Golf Club in Chiba, Japan. As fate would have it, Kataoka birdied three of his last five holes to win his maiden Asian Tour title by two shots. “I didn’t think I had a chance to win today until Poom made the triple bogey on the ninth hole. The chances came for all of us,” said the Japanese. Kataoka’s breakthrough has propelled him to fifth place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit. Photo by Asian Tour
Local Focus From Tennis to Golf Tennis pro and local celebrity Cindy Lee can add one more item to her résumé: Amateur Golf Champion. Back in early summer, Cindy went through a series of golf training with Hong Kong Golf Club’s Director of Golf Dean Nelson and Club Professional Alan Gibson. Switching from tennis to golf might seem like the obvious choice from Cindy as the two sports share a lot of similarities in swing motion, yet are very different because of the ball weight and the mental game involved on each hole of the golf course. With the help of Dean and Alan, Cindy worked on her grip, posture, body balance and particularly backswing, which used to be too high a habit developed from her tennis career. Cindy Lee has indeed transformed her game as she won the Hong Kong Ladies Open Mid Amateur Divison 1 with a 12-stroke margin. “I could not be happier with my victory,” Cindy said, “I had some ups and downs during the tournament, but I kept my composure and pulled through.” Photo by Daniel Wong
CLUB
Away from the Fairways | TEE TIME
TANK IS A TANK THE TANK WATCH WAS BORN IN 1917 OF A POWERFUL VISION, THE CULMINATION OF A LENGTHY DESIGN PROCESS. IT WAS A TIMEPIECE WHICH SWEPT ASIDE TRADITION, SHOOK UP HABITS AND USHERED MODERN DESIGN INTO THE WORKSHOPS, DESTINED TO BECOME A WATCHMAKING ICON. NOW 100 YEARS OLD, THE TANK WATCH HAS NEVER BEEN SO NEW Tank Américaine, large model, steel. Mechanical movement with automatic winding HKGOLFER.COM
HK GOLFER・OCT 2017
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Tank Louis Cartier, small & large model, pink gold. Mechanical movement with manual winding - 8971 MC
T
he Tank is a universal watch. Its shape, as if governed by a golden ratio, is not quite square, not quite rectangular. By turns masculine and feminine, the Tank asser ts that freedom and elegance haveno gender. Loved by men and women of all generations, it is the ultimate eternally contemporary watch, made beautiful by its proper proportions. From Gary Cooper to Andy Warhol, from Madonna to Catherine Deneuve, the Tank watch is worn like a code, a tacit allusion. Since the very beginning, it has appealed to free-spirited men and women -free to appreciate its fine, understated design, enhanced by harmonious lines; free to choose a watch for its perfectly proportioned composition rather than the status it symbolises. Fir s t c reate d in 192 2, t h e Ta n k Lo u is C a r t i e r s y m b o lis e s t h e quintessential Tank spirit. In a distinctive design that spans the century, the Louis Cartier watch features brancards with fine, taut lines, softened corners and horns incorporated into the case. Clear-cut lines and a strict, measured composition forge the powerful style and character of this pure, enduring and timeless creation. Today the model offers two new faces, both powered by the 8971 MC mechanical movement with manual winding: a choice of pink or white gold in a women’s watch with diamond-set brancards or a fine, elegant pink gold model, a chic, incontrovertibly. Designed in 1987 and launched in 1989, the Tank Américaine updates the cur ved case of the 1921 Tank Cintrée watch: the rec tangular 20
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shap e b e co m e s m o re co mp a c t , w hil e the brancards are round. Combining w atc h m a k i n g a n d s t y l e, i t p l ay s w i t h geometry, alternating stark and softened edges, straight lines and curves, rounded corners and angles. The Tank Américaine was also the first Cartier watch to offer a curved water-resistant case. T he new Tank Américaine embodies t h e s p i r i t o f t h e o r i g i n a l Ta n k i n i t s co ntemp o r ar y, un d er s t ate d a es th etic . Showcasing clean lines and a strong presence on the wrist, the eternally elegant model makes an utterly modern statement in presenting steel as a precious material. Hesitating between square and re c tangle, Car tier chose a re c tangular form for one of its first watches - the Tank Cintrée, whose cur ved design hugs the wrist. A functional and aesthetic exercise, this watch was a precursor of the Tank Américaine of the 1980s. Its power ful shape is delimited by a pair of brancards that structure the whole. With this watch, Car tier achieves a true watchmaking prowess. Two versions - in HKGOLFER.COM
pink gold or platinum – reveal a skeleton movement that follows the curves of the case. Its transparent design only preserves the bare essentials: the hands, the chemin de fer and the overlapping gears in the b a ckgro un d , a ll co nt ain e d w i t hin t h e distinctive curve of the Tank Cintrée. Conceive of a work of art, and this watch juxtaposes the elegance of a bold aesthetic with a singular, uncommon calibre. W h e n c r e a t e d i n 19 9 6 , t h e Ta n k Française trans forme d the s t ylis tic features of the Tank watches. The case was attached to a metal bracelet, thereby r e co n f i g u r i n g t h e d e s i g n o f t h e s i d e brancards, dial with Roman numerals, “railtrack” minute circle, sword-shaped hands and a faceted winding crown adorned with a sapphire cabochon. The shape asserts itself in the curved case and bracelet, which form a seamless continuity of lines, volume and material. Its geometry is simultaneously softened and strengthened by bevelled brancards and the concave curves of the links: radical lines produced by watchmaking finishes. This practical yet attractive wristwatch has now been liberated, free to combine the purity of steel with a diamond setting.
Tank Cintrée skeleton, pink gold model. Mechanical movement with manual winding - 9917 MC. Limited edition of 100 pieces
Tank Française, small model, steel set with brilliant-cut diamonds. Quartz movement
HKGOLFER.COM
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ADVERTORIAL
Golf is a better game when there’s consolation in wine In a series of articles about the game we love, HK Golfer has invited our golfer-journalist-at-large, the SolitaireMystery@hotmail.com, to contribute his take on the game and anything around it.
View of Mayacama
S
onoma or Napa is the place to be if you’re into American wine. It is “the most” of anything to do with American wines: the most winery per surface area; the most grape types planted; the most volume produced; the most expensive wine; the most innovation; the most eclectic collection of owners and so on. You name it, you have it. But do you know that Sonoma is also where one of the most exclusive private clubs of America is found? Yes, this is where Mayacama is located, nestled in the hills of northern Sonoma County, not far from the charming town of Healdsburg; where membership is hard to seek, and the club boasts a golf course that is consistently ranked in the top 50 of the world - although few people I know have ever played on the course. The wealth and influence of the members who belong to this club are perhaps most evident by the private jets that
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land at the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport. Members arrive from all over the country (and some from other parts of the world) and disappear onto the club grounds daily, and even more so on the weekends. It is said that to become a member, one not only needs to seek nomination by an existing member, but also to survive the screening interviews of a few others. All this for the privilege to play on the Jack Nicklaus signature golf course? Perhaps not. This is Sonoma County after all. Where wine is the most important consideration in anything. Mayacama currently boasts a list of 35 Vintner members whose wines are consistently rated 92 points and higher. Yes, this is a pre-requisite for consideration to be a Vintner member. To understand the significance of this act is a walk down history lane, and a quick lesson as to why we don’t find the top, I mean really the top, quality American wine in the open market. HKGOLFER.COM
The French grew vine, made wine, bottled, and sold them across the world long before planes were invented. This leaves behind a legacy of négociants who ensured distribution of the end products across the globe. And thanks to this tradition, there’s en primeur and distributors in every continent. Everyone can very much buy the wine and the vintage we want as long as we’re willing to part with the necessary fortunes. America came to the wine game later, with some exceptions. Small producers sell directly to wine enthusiasts who happen to visit the winery. Direct mailing lists start and wine is sold straight to the end consumers, bypassing the middleman. Wine makers make more and end consumers pay less. Everyone wins, right? Not for the poor souls like you and me who didn’t make it on the list. We can never lay our hands on those wonderfully fermented grapes, pampered in boutique wineries in limited quantities and sold even before they are bottled. Yes, occasionally some entrepreneurial collectors who favor cash sell them on the open market, but provenance, my friend, is a high price to pay. I still remember my first sighting of a Wren Hop in a wine store in NYC. First, I was very much taken by the book cover design of its label; the juxtaposition of a muscular style wine in a museum art piece like bottle. Then my rational left brain took over. Too good to be true…? To buy or not to buy…? How did this limited production Pinot-for-Cab-lover wine get here…? Here in my hand lies a label where only a few thousand bottles have ever been produced. Back to ear th, and back to Mayacama. Members, I was told, have private access to the wines from the 35 Vintner members. A private allocation and auctioning system is in place to keep everyone happy. I know it’s a different world when you have money. Not to be a sour grape, but this is too much for me to handle and too little for me to drink. I protest. What exactly are we missing? Besides Wren Hop which I have mentioned earlier, let me introduce you to three other known Vintner members of Mayacama. Vineyard 7&8 - after a measured and patient search for a vineyard property in Napa Valley, the Steffens Family ended their quest when they acquired a for t y-acre proper t y atop Spring Mountain. Planted in the early 1980’s to eight acres of each Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, the property met the family’s stringent requirements to sustainably grow premium grapes allowing them to craft wines HKGOLFER.COM
Spy cam of a member’s wine cellar at the club.
Wren Hop wine - a piece of art inside and out.
Yet another exclusive dining spot for members at the club. HK GOLFER・OCT 2017
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with a true sense of place. Founded in 1999 and named after proprietor Launny Steffens’ life and background in the world of finance with a theme encompassed by numerics, and a keen interest in numerology - “seven” being a number of luck in western culture, while “eight” follows the meanings of prosperity and happiness in eastern culture - Vineyard 7&8 is the culmination of the family’s pursuit for producing fine wines including Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. F i s h e r V i n e y a r d s - s i n c e 197 3 , F i s h e r Vineyards has been blessed with outstanding estate vineyards in Napa Valley and Sonoma County. Today, Fisher Vineyards stands alone as the longest established winery to produce site specific wines from estate vineyards in both regions. Blessed by significant contributions over five decades from several of California’s greatest wine talents (including Paul Hobbs, Mia Klein, David Abreu, Aaron Pott and Adam Goodrich), Fisher Vineyards now releases thirteen smallproduction bottlings each year. Having produced the first near-perfect Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma (99 points from Robert Parker), the family remains focused on making timeless, world class wines. TOR Wines is a small family owned winery that sp e ciali zes in Nap a Vall ey C ab er n et Sauvignon, Syrah, and Chardonnay. Tor Kenward, a Napa Valley Vintner for over three decades, is champion of single vineyard wines. “After making wines here for over thirty years I believe the vineyard is the real winemaker. My job is to nurture and stay out of the way of greatness,” observes Tor previously. Many in the wine world would associate him as a godfather of the trade in Napa. In his most recent tasting with Robert Parker, TOR received three potential 100 point wines, and was featured recently on the cover of the Wine Spectator. I bet you didn’t know that, fellow oenophile. Top wines of the America and possibly of the world; yet, I’ll bet, not many of you readers have tried them all. Leave alone trying it side by side – in one club. Mayacama members have. I love golf and I appreciate a good wine. Mayacama seems to have a marriage of the two. So please – invite me. Any of you elusive, secretive Mayacama members out there who happen to read this article, please take me with you on your next trip to the club. I’ll carry your bags if you don’t let me play, and take in the course visually. You don’t have to buy me dinner prepared by the famed chef of the clubhouse restaurant, but I will seek consolation sipping the wine after the game. Dear Santa, all I want for Christmas is a Mayacama membership. Really. 24
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Vineyard 7&8 Cabernet Sauvignon. Beauty.
Famed Fisher Vineyards Vintages. Picture by a friend.
The 100 RP pts TOR Wines that I’ve yet to try. HKGOLFER.COM
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e focus solely on providing face-to-face advice and offer a dedicated, personal wealth management service to build long-term, trusted relationships. Together, we would look to create a working plan, providing you with a clear direction towards meeting your financial goals. This includes clarifying your objectives and researching all of the options available to you. As a Partner of St. James’s Place Wealth Management, a FTSE 100 company with over £79 billion client funds under management, we have access to a wide range of products and services that can be tailored specifically to your needs making it easier and simpler for you to manage your wealth. We have the experience to help you successfully secure and enhance your financial future by offering specialist advice in a wide range of areas including: Investments | Retirement planning | Estate planning | Education fees planning | Family protection An investment with St. James’s Place will be directly linked to the performance of the funds selected and may fall as well as rise. You may get back less than the amount invested. For further information, or to request your complimentary copy of The Investor magazine, please contact:
AGOST A.MAKSZIN Partner Tel: +852 28241083 Email: agost.makszin@sjpp.asia Web: www.sjpp.asia/aam
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PARTNERS IN MANAGING YOUR WEALTH
The ‘St. James’s Place Partnership’ and the titles ‘Partner’ and ‘Partner Practice’ are marketing terms used to describe St. James’s Place representatives. Members of the St. James’s Place Partnership in Hong Kong represent St. James’s Place (Hong Kong) Limited, which is an authorised insurance broker by being a member of The Hong Kong Confederation of Insurance Brokers CIB, a licensed corporation with the Securities and Futures Commission and registered as an MPF Intermediary with Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority. St. James’s Place Wealth Management plc Registered Office: St. James’s Place House, 1 Tetbury Road, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 1FP, United Kingdom. Registered in England Number 4113955.
Understanding Inheritance Tax
Dispelling myths
There are some common misunderstandings about Inheritance Tax. UK Inheritance Tax (IHT) is a tax levied on the estate (money, property and possessions) of a person who has died – or in certain circumstances where lifetime gifts have been made, as outlined in myth 4 below. It affects anyone who is deemed domiciled in the UK and / or owns non-excluded assets in the UK. As you may or may not be aware, some changes have been announced recently to the way IHT will be calculated. A new main residence nil-rate band of £100,000 has been introduced from April 2017, increasing each year up to £175,000 in 2020. Whilst this move will come as a relief to a good many individuals, eligibility will depend on individual circumstances and not all will be able to benefit from it. IHT remains a threat to many estates and it is a tax about which there remain many misconceptions. Myth one: UK Inheritance Tax doesn’t apply to me now I’ve moved abroad UK InheritanceTax is applicable to your worldwide estate if you are deemed domiciled in the UK, even if you are no longer living there. Two special rules apply to those who have emigrated from the UK: the three-year rule, and the 15 out of 20 rule. If an individual’s permanent home was in the UK at any time in the three years before they died, or if that individual had been resident in the UK for at least 15 of the 20 tax years up to their death, then, in most cases, they would be treated as domiciled in the UK for purposes of Inheritance Tax. These rules are expected to be confirmed in the finance bill. HMRC only recognises a change of domicile if there’s strong evidence that someone has permanently left the UK and intends to live abroad indefinitely. Even if the individual remains non UK resident, they will revert to their domicile of origin if they become resident in another country. Myth two: UK Inheritance Tax doesn’t apply to me as I am not a British citizen If you own assets in the UK (except excluded assets), regardless of your residency, nationality or domicile, your estate will be subject to UK Inheritance Tax on your death, or on gifts made during your lifetime. Myth three: There is only one tax rate for UK Inheritance Tax – 40% Actually, there are three rates applicable to the estate: 40%, 36% and 0%. The 0% rate, or ‘nil rate’ (which is different to an exemption), applies up to £325,000 per person, a level which the government has frozen until April 2021. UK IHT is
a cumulative tax, so all gifts made in the seven calendar years preceding an event (normally death) count towards this total. Once you breach that ‘nil-rate band’, you will pay 40% on the remainder. The Budget in 2011 added a new band. If the deceased leaves 10% or more of their net estate to charity, then the tax rate is 36% above the nil-rate band (and after deductions for UK IHT exemptions and reliefs). The government introduced this to encourage charitable giving and to support the voluntary sector. Myth four: UK Inheritance Tax is only paid on death Actually, UK IHT must be paid on some gifts while the donor is still alive. There are three types of gift for tax purposes. First, there are those that are exempt, where an immediate charge to UK IHT will never be due. Next, there are those that are ‘potentially exempt’, where a tax may arise if the donor dies within seven years – and where the cumulative value, of such gifts together with the value of the donor’s estate on death, exceeds the donor’s nil-rate band. Finally, there are gifts that are ‘chargeable’ or taxable.The most common form of chargeable gift arises when a discretionary trust is set up. The tax rate applicable to such gifts is 50% of the death rate and is immediately payable, though tax only becomes due once the total value of chargeable gifts made by the donor within the last seven years exceeds their nil-rate band. Gifts to bare trusts and disabled trusts are exempt. Myth five: “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes” Benjamin Franklin’s renowned quote was making the point
A D V E RT I S I N G F E AT U R E
that the new United States Constitution, however solid it looked, was not guaranteed to hold; not as certain as it is that one’s wealth will be taxed. However, in the case of UK IHT, it is generally only extreme wealth or, more likely, poor planning that makes payment inevitable. From charitable and party political donations to gifts made to spouses and civil partners, there are many ways to save your heirs an IHT bill. In the UK, there is an annual gifting exemption of £3,000 that can be carried forward if it wasn’t used in the previous tax year, providing the potential for a married couple to remove £12,000 from their joint estate immediately. In addition to gifts out of so-called ‘excess income’, there are more esoteric exemptions, such as gifts for maintenance of a dependent relative. The availability of these exemptions and the suitability of their use will, of course, vary based on individual circumstances.
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The ‘St. James’s Place Partnership’ and the titles ‘Partner’ and ‘Partner Practice’ are marketing terms used to describe St. James’s Place representatives. Members of the St. James’s Place Partnership in Hong Kong represent St. James’s Place (Hong Kong) Limited, which is part of the St. James’s Place Wealth Management Group and is a member of The Hong Kong Confederation of Insurance Brokers CIB, a licensed corporation with the Securities and Futures Commission, and registered as an MPF Intermediary. St. James’s Place Wealth Management plc Registered Office: St. James’s Place House, 1 Tetbury Road, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 1FP, United Kingdom. Registered in England Number 4113955. To receive a copy of The Investor magazine produced by St. James’s Place Wealth Management, please contact us at hongkong.info@sjp.asia.
The level and bases of taxation, and reliefs from taxation, can change at any time. The value of any tax relief depends on individual circumstances.
Agost A. Makszin Partner of St. James’s Place Wealth Management Tel: +852 2824 1083 / +852 5588 2212 Email: agost.makszin@sjpp.asia Web: sjpp.asia/aam
HONG KONG GOLF ASSOCIATION
Yoshihiro Nishi Elected as the New President of HKGA The new President of HKGA shares his vision with Louie Chan for the next 12 months.
LC: You have been the VP of HKGA in the past 12 months. What do you think was the greatest achievement of HK Golf? YN: The achievement along with the past Presidents Mark Chan and Harald Dudok van Heel was HKGA’s effort in developing golf in HK from grassroots, and we are on the right track. My role now is to make sure that what we began two years ago will continue into the future. As the new President, I will work hard to keep good attention to develop the junior program and passing on the torch into the future. LC: Instead of passing on the torch, will you bring up new ideas to the association? YN: In the next 12 months, I would like to reach out more to the local community. 2018 will be the 50th anniversary of HKGA, and I would like to celebrate this event together with all golfers in HK. HKGA must reach out to our over 9,000 registered handicap members a nd l isten to t heir voice a nd HKGOLFER.COM
communicate more. I also would like to take a more leadership role for all golf industry to be sustainable in the future. It is also time to think out of the box. I support the idea of developing indoor golf handicap system which was proposed by Danny Lai, our CEO and we have already begun discussing this matter with USGA. We have to be very f lexible in looking into the future of golf while maintaining the tradition. I would like to see HK to be the first place to issue certified golf Handicap to i ndoor gol fers a mong i nter nat iona l golf associations. LC: You knew Hideki Matsuyama, our cover star when he’s still an amateur. What’s your impression of him? I had k nown Hideki since 2011 when I made a trip to Singapore to attend APGC Championship held at Singapore Island Country Club. He won the championship that year and made the door open for him to participate in the Masters tournament, and I helped Hideki as a translator for his media interview. I felt that by the age of 19, Hideki already saw himself would play in the bigger field in the future. I saw him at the gym in the hotel 5:30am before his 9am practice round, and he was the only one training. I then saw him spend more than 2 hours on the putting green after the round until it got dark. He went on win ning t he tourna ment, a nd I saw h i m aga i n at t he g y m on Monday morning. For Hideki, with strong deter m i nat ion , w i n n i ng seemed ju st a process to reach the higher goal and I am not surprised by his success now on the PGA TOUR. I certainly hope to see him become the next Asian Major winner sooner or later. HK GOLFER・OCT 2017
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Louie Chan: Congratulation Nishi-san for being elected as the new president of HKGA! Yoshihiro Nishi: It’s certainly an honour to be the President of the organisation with a long history since 1968, and has such a high reputation and tradition among international golf community. I have been an international committee member of Japan Golf Association since 2011 and people in the golf community speak highly of HKGA - the quality of the tournament and activity they run over the years. I came to HK in 2010, and I never expected to become the President of HKGA. My destiny has brought me here. I am very proud and very excited about this assignment.
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Hou Crowned Esprit HK Ladies Open Amateur Champion Hou Yu-sang of Chinese Taipei beat a strong field of amateur lady golfers from Hong Kong and across the region to clinch the title at Fanling, writes Louie Chan.
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Esprit HK Ladies Open Amateur 2017 Champion Hou Yu-sang
Kenneth Lam, Vice President of the HKGA, presents the Esprit HK Ladies Close Amateur Championship trophy to Isabella Leung 30
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ou made eight birdies and carded a bogey-free final-round 64, as she finished on 210, three ahead of compatriot Lin Jie-en. Philippines duos Annyka Cayabyab and Francesa Olivarez-Ilas finished third and fourth, five and six shots back respectively. Isabella Leung was the leading local, finishing seven shots back on 217 in a tie for fifth. Her final-round 70 was also good enough to win the Ladies Close Amateur title. Selina Li and Chloe Chan finished tied for second on 222. “I am satisfied with my performance in the first two rounds. I made four consecutive birdies from the 6th to 9th hole today (in the final round), which is more of a standard performance for me,” Leung concluded. Having topped an international field that included more than 90 amateur golfers from 5 different countries, Hou will now return to Hong Kong to take on the professionals. By winning the Ladies Open Amateur Championship, the Taiwanese teen received an exemption from the Hong Kong Golf Club into next year’s Hong Kong Ladies Open. Hou said in her victory speech, “I would like to thank all the sponsors from Esprit to the Hong Kong Golf Club and the Hong Kong Golf Association for organising this event. And thank you all my teammates. I had so much fun and you guys are amazing! I am pleased to win this tournament and look forward to coming back again.” In the Open Mid-Amateur Championship for players aged over 25, Hong Kong’s Cindy Lee and Huang Chun-chin from Chinese Taipei took the Division 1 and 2 titles respectively. Leading final scores (Open): 210 – Hou Yu-sang (TPE) 71 75 64; 213 – Lin Jie-en (TPE) 72 72 69; 215 – Annyka Cayabyab (PHI) 74 72 69; 216 – Francesca Olivarez-Ilas (PHI) 73 72 71; 217 – Isabella Leung (HKG) 74 73 70, Huang Yu-ping (TPE) 71 75 71. Leading final scores (Close): 217 – Isabella Leung 74 73 70; 222 – Selina Li 73 76 73, Chloe Chan (HKG) 74 74 74; 224 – Hu Jing 71 77 76; 226 – Vivian Lee 78 75 73; 230 – Tiffany Wu 74 79 77; 233 - Kimberley Wong 74 81 78; 234 – Lo Sin-yu 72 78 84. HKGOLFER.COM
HK Team Misses Out On the Bronze Medal Jon Wallett, HKGA Golf Development Director, recaps on the HK teams’ performances and results at the Taipei 2017 Universiade and 13th National Games of China.
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he golf tournament at the Taipei 2017 Universiade was a first-class event over the difficult and challenging golf course at the Sunrise Golf & Country Club. The standard of players was very high with a good representation of 33 nationals and 127 competitors from all over the world. The HK Men’s team comprised of Matthew Cheung (72-7170), Terrence Ng (79-75-70) and Michael Wong (73-76-73). The Ladies team was represented by Isabella Leung (79-73-73), Michelle Cheung (76-77-74) and Kitty Tam (79-79-80). 2 scores from 3 counted each day for the team event. The HK team improved their position each day, but unfortunately, the play was cancelled on the last day at 5pm due to thunderstorms. Terrence had already finished, and Matthew was on the 17th at 3-under with a par 5 finishing hole. At the time, we were in 7th place as a team, with a high chance of finishing in the top three of the field. Also, Matthew was in 8th place in the individual. In the end, the tournament took the results from the first three days, meaning Matthew finished in 10th place in the individual, the Men’s team finishing 9th and the Ladies team finishing 11th. A big thank you to Ladies Captain Joanne McKee for her assistance with the team - it was a long week with most days starting by taking a bus between 4:30am and 6:30am each morning and then finishing the day at 9pm each day with the team talk for the next day. One week after the Universaide, the HK team was in Tinjuan playing the 13th National Games of China. All the teams from different municipalities, provinces, autonomous regions, the People’s Liberation Army and sports associations in China have to qualify for the event. But HK and Macau are invited to participate, totalling 10 Men’s teams and 9 Ladies Teams (Macau did not put forward a Ladies Team). This is obviously the biggest tournament for the Chinese golfers. Most of the field were professionals, and all the best Chinese players in the world were presented. Li Haotong, who finished 3rd in the British Open, and Feng Shanshan, the world No.6 LPGA player both competed. Matthew Cheung played with 2 Chinese players who had just earned their PGA TOUR card on the first day, and Kitty Tam played with a LPGA player who shot 64! Nevertheless, the Men’s team were competitive and finished 4th, miss out on the bronze medal by only one shot. Motin Yeung had the best tournament of his Pro career to date, finishing in the top 10. Jason Hak is undoubtedly a big talent, and he had received financial offers to play for other teams. But he chose to represent HK on this occasion, and he shot 70-72-73-73. The course was good - challenging around the greens and an excellent test of golf. Tim Tang struggled scoring 78-79-82 but then came back with an excellent subpar 71 on the last day. He has not played tournaments for a long time and then to play in a big event on a very tough course was a big ask. But he prepared well for the event, practised hard and was an active and supportive team member throughout the week and it was great to see him have this crucial round for the team on the last day. Matthew played some good golf and had the best score for the HK team on day 2 with 71, and another 71 on the final day with a birdie-birdie finish. I believe Matthew can do well and over the last 18 months, his World Ranking has gone from approximate 1,000 to currently in the 600s. For the Ladies team, Michelle Cheung scored 76-77-84-73, Isabella Leung 79-7779-74, Virginie Ding 83-76-83-78 and Kitty Tam 84-77-79-83. A big thank you to Team Captain Mr Ning Li and assistant Mrs Betty Ng, who both did an excellent job throughout the week. HKGOLFER.COM
Matthew Cheung at the Taipei 2017 Universiade
HK Ladies team at the Universiade (from left to right) – Michelle Cheung, Kitty Tam and Isabella Leung
Jason Hak at the 13th National Games of China HK GOLFER・OCT 2017
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APGC JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP REVIEW
Japan Clinched APGC Junior Championship Mitsubishi Corporation Cup Title Japan won the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation Junior Championship Mitsubishi Corporation Cup at Fanling by seven strokes, writes Louie Chan.
Yuki Ikeda and Yuka Yasuda, representing Japan Team 2, competed for their individual rounds by each carding a 66 for a total 263
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he 2017 APGC Junior Championship Mitsubishi Corporate Cup fields 76 of the top juniors in 38 teams representing 20 countries and territories across 40 members of APGC. It follows the Youth Olympic Games format, pairing a junior male and female player in each team. Following fourball and foursome rounds on the first two days, the competition moved to an individual stroke-play final round. It was a seeded draw where each participant played with their own ball in a standard 18-hole round with the leading players teeing off last. Unlike days one and two, day three generated two scores, one each for the male and female member of each team. The combined total scores of these four rounds determined the team winner, while the male and female leading player in the final round are rewarded with a playing spot in the Asia-Pacific Open Golf Diamond Cup 2017 in Japan in September and the 2018 Korea Women’s Open in June 2018 respectively. Yuki Ikeda and Yuka Yasuda, representing Japan Team 2, competed for their individual rounds by each carding a 66 for a total 263, 17-under-par for the week, to win by seven strokes. 32
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Australia Team 1, consisting Jed Morgan and Grace Kim, took the runner-up spot, while two teams were tied in third place - Kwon Seo-yun and Oh Seung-hyun of Korea Team 1, and Keita Nakajima and Yuri Yoshida of Japan Team 1 - each with a total score 276, 4-under-par. “We are thrilled to have won the APGC Junior Championship Mitsubishi Corporation Cup. We partnered really well this week and tried very hard to make sure we didn’t make too many silly mistakes. We managed to do it and are very excited,” said t he 16-year-old Yasuda. Hong Kong Team 1, represented by Taichi Kho and Chloe Chan, was the best placed local team. With each scoring a two-overpar 72 in the individual round today, the duo finished in a respectable eighth place overall, carving out a total score 1-under-par 279 total. “I am satisfied with my performance today and this week overall. I was a little unlucky with a few putts today, but to finish inside the top 10 in the individual round against the players in this field, I am very pleased. I have learnt a lot from Taichi this week, who gave me advice on the choice of clubs for different situations, and if I get to pair with him again next year, I will be pleased,” commented Chan. 15-year-old Si Ngai of Macau carded a final-round 65 that featured six birdies to become the standout in Fanling. Si will take his spot in Japan in four weeks while Jeong Yun-ji of Korea received her ticket to Korea after being declared the leader of the girls’ individual round on countback. Like Si, she also completed with a five-under 65. Please go to www.hkga.com for more information and final leading score about the championship. HKGOLFER.COM
Team HK – Chole Chan & Taichi Kho
Team HK – Yue Yin Ho & Selina Li
Team Australia
Team Japan
Team HK – Kevin Wu & Iris Wang
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The HK Crew!
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COVER STORY I HIDEKI MATSUYAMA
The defining moment of Hideki Matsuyama, the standardbearer for golf in Japan’s young and ascendant career, was winning the 2016 WGC-HSBC Champions.
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h e n H i d e k i Mat suya ma bega n to play at the 2 016 Wo rl d G ol f ChampionshipHSBC Champions, he was just another good, young player, a talented 20-something on the brink of stardom. By the end of the week, Matsuyama had emerged as an international force. Matsuyama followed his victory at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions with two additional victories on the PGA TOUR and finished first in the FedExCup’s Regular-Season standings. By the end of the season, he was the world No. 3 player. When pundits spoke about potential Major champions, Matsuyama’s name was mentioned in the same breath as Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy. And it all started at the HSBC Champions. That should not be surprising. Since t he tou r na ment b ec a me a World G ol f Championships event in 2009, the HSBC Cha mpions has produced a rol l ca l l of
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“The tournament has been growing a lot in the last few years,” said 2010 WGC-HSBC Champions winner Francesco Molinari
exceptional winners. Four of the eight are Major champions, and the other four have been members of either a Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup team. Players from six different countries have won the event over the last eight years, making it truly an international tournament.
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Hideki Matsuyama poses with the winner's trophy after the final round of 2016 WGC-HSBC Champions
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Matsuyama celebrates his victory with his caddy following the final round of 2016 WGCHSBC Champions 38
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“It’s great for the growth of the game in that part of the world. The tournament has been growing a lot in the last few years,” said 2010 HSBC Champions winner Francesco Molinari of Italy. “More and more players from the U.S. are going over there to play. I think it’s great to go there and allow fans to experience once a year golf live, a chance to see the best players in the world.” For his part, Molinari has found China very much to his liking. Besides his 2010 HSBC Champions’ triumph, he teamed with brother Edoardo to win the World Cup of Golf for Italy in Shenzhen in 2009. Molinari will be playing in his seventh HSBC Cha mpions, t r y i ng to det h rone Matsuyama who defends his title Oct. 23-29 when the tournament returns to the Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai. The top players in the game will gather in China for one of the most important tournaments of the fall, one that can set the tone for the 2017-18 season - just like it did for Matsuyama. This year, the HSBC Champions will be the third of three Asian events in a row, following the US$7 million CIMB Classic in Malaysia and the first-year US$9.25 million CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES in South Korea. T he H S BC C h a mpion s v ic tor y wa s
significant in many ways for Matsuyama. In addition to a three-year PGA TOUR exemption, Official World Golf Ranking points and prize money, he became the first player from Japan - the first from Asia, actually - to win a WGC event. It tied Matsuyama with Shigeki Maruyama, one of his boyhood heroes, for most PGA TOUR wins by a Japanese player, a mark that Matsuyama has since broken. “ To win the HSBC was probably my biggest achievement,” Matsuyama said. “I was the first Asian to win that event, and to me, that was a big deal.” Matsuyama’s win at the HSBC Champions wa s a def i n i ng moment i n h is you ng, ascendant career. It was a tremendous victory over a field that was stacked with the best players in the world. Matsuyama opened the tournament with a 66 and never slowed. He finished with rounds of 65-68-66 to finish at 17-under. He completed the final 45 holes without a bogey and won by seven shots over Henrik Stenson and Daniel Berger, the thirdwidest margin of victory in a WGC event. “Hideki played just unbelievable, and it was a pleasure to watch,” Berger said. “He struck it well. He putted well. He chipped it well. He did everything well, and that’s why he won by so many.” HKGOLFER.COM
“They do a great job here. I think you’ll see more and more guys wanting to come over here and play,” said World No. 1 Dustin Johnson, who won the event in 2013
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much pressure on myself. But I know other people expect a lot of me and all I can do is just try my best.” The HSBC Champions has a history of producing great winners, like Matsuyama. The event was created in 2005 and became an official European Tour and Asian Tour event a year later. It achieved World Golf Championships status in 2009 and became a part of the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup schedule in 2013. The tournament draws the game’s best players each year. In 2016 the field included ten major champions and eight of the top-10 players in the Official World Golf Ranking. Twenty-five countries were represented in the 78-player field. “It says something about HSBC. It says something about this golf tournament,” said World No. 1 Dustin Johnson, who won the event in 2013. “They do a great job here. I think you’ll see more and more guys wanting to come over here and play.” “We play [HSBC Champions] outside the U.S., so I think it’s very important for global fans to have a chance to see the players there and to be part of such an amazing tournament that’s part of an amazing series of tournaments such as the WGCs,” Molinari added. “It’s now nice to see the American stars travelling more and playing a lot all over the world.” Scotland’s Russell Knox, the 2015 HSBC Champions’ winner, said, “It’s amazing when you get to play against the strongest fields in golf. There are so many massive names here, and it’s the best way to test your game to see how good you stack up against the best of the best.” Most of the competitors, like Matsuyama, bring a lofty goal. “Becoming No. 1 in the world is the goal I think of all of us out here,” Matsuyama said. “I still have some weak links in my game that I have to work on, but hopefully, little by little, I’ll be able to improve and to fix what I need to, and hopefully someday compete for No. 1.” HK GOLFER・OCT 2017
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In fact, barring an unprecedented collapse in the last round, the only drama on the final day was whether Matsuyama would wind up with 30 birdies for the week. A bold approach shot on the 72nd hole wound up in the water and Matsuyama had to settle for 29. W it h h i s t a n k of con f idence at f u l l capacity, Matsuyama continued to build on his HSBC Champions’ victory. He won again at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February -successfully defending his title and again at the World Golf ChampionshipsBridgestone Invitational in July. Only Justin Thomas (four) won more times during the 2016-17 regular season. Matsuyama, who was married and became a father in 2017, has been forced to deal with increased scrutiny from the media, especially in his native Japan. A large corps of reporters and photographers are on hand at each event to chronicle his success. The attention has helped raise his profile in his home country to the point, where he is virtually unable to go out for a meal without being recognised. It has also made him the standard-bearer for golf in Japan and elevated what fans imagine for him, a fact he recognises. “The expectations of people around me are high,” Matsuyama said. “I don’t really worry too much about that. Hopefully not put too
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ASIAN ANGLE
A MouthWatering Month of Golf
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October will highlight a truly momentous month for professional golf in Asia with the staging of three mega PGA TOUR tournaments in Malaysia, South Korea and China offering a super cool US$26 million in total prize money, writes Chuah Choo Chiang.
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Justin Thomas shakes hands with Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak as they pose for pictures during the awards ceremony after Thomas's victory in the 2016 CIMB Classic
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The US$9.25 million CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES will also feature Korea’s newest star Si Woo Kim, winner of THE PLAYERS Championship in May
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nternational superstars led by world No. 1 Dustin Johnson, third-ranked Hideki Matsuyama, world No. 4 Justin Thomas and Major champions Jason Day a nd Ada m Scot t are amongst the big names headed full speed to the Far East, long regarded as the next bastion of growth for the game. The US$7 million CIMB Classic at TPC Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, where Thomas will bid to become the first player since Steve Stricker in 2011 to secure a three-peat of wins, will get Asia’s festival of golf rocking and rolling when the only PGA TOUR tournament in Southeast Asia returns for its eighth edition from October 12-15. The TOUR then breaks new ground with its first official FedExCup tournament in South Korea when the US$9.25 million CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES makes its debut. CJ Corporation, one of the nation’s largest
conglomerates with a global vision, signed a 10-year deal to host what will be one the world’s most lucrative golf tournaments. Day, Scott and Thomas, who has enjoyed a standout 2016-17 campaign with five wins including a first Major triumph, will headline the CJ tournament which will also feature Korea’s newest star Si Woo Kim, winner of THE PLAYERS Championship in May. T he t h ree-tou r na ment ex t ravaga n za concludes with Asia’s lone and prized World Golf Championships showpiece, the US$9.75 million WGC-HSBC Champions at Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai where Japan’s rising son Matsuyama will defend his title against a stellar field which includes topranked Johnson, winner of the tournament in 2013. A g a i n st a b ac kd rop of g lob a l st a r s headlining the exciting stretch of events which form the early 2017-18 PGA TOUR
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Can Li Haotong propel his career to America with a home victory at the WGC-HSBC Champions? event in global golf. Quality of field is the calling card for this tournament which has earned the reputation of ‘Asia’s Major’, and for the past three years, we have attracted 40 of the world’s top 50 golfers. Following recent heroics, China’s leading players are truly coming of age at just the right time. This event means so much to them. It is their major. It first inspired them into the game then nurtured their skills. Now it gives this new generation a chance to unleash their talents against the world’s best. All in front their home fans. It’s a mouth-watering prospect.” Indeed, it’s going to be a mouth-watering month of golf in Asia. Chuah Choo Chiang is Senior Director, Communications of the PGA TOUR and is based at TPC Kuala Lumpur.
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Fall schedule, the Asian Tour’s leading golfers such as S.S.P. Chawrasia, Scott Hend and young talent Phachara Khongwatmai, will have every opportunity to shine under the international spotlight. The CIMB Classic, sanctioned with the Asian Tour, will include the leading ten players from the region’s Order of Merit in addition to two Malaysians, while the CJ CUP could see up to twenty Korean or Korean descent golfers going head-tohead with the game’s top stars as it lives up to the tournament’s tagline of “Bridge to Realization”. A victory at Jeju island will lead to a coveted PGA TOUR card and a world of earning and playing opportunities. Similarly, leading players from Asia and China will also be exempt into the WGCHSBC Champions where a golfer like Li Haotong, famous for his third-place finish at the British Open in July, can propel his career to America with a home victory. There will be no doubting that Thomas will start as a firm favourite to sparkle in Asia, especially after a spectacular season. A return to Malaysia will provide happy memories as his first PGA TOUR title was recorded in the 2015 CIMB Classic. In eight rounds at TPC KL, he has accumulated 59 birdies, two eagles and stands at a staggering 49-underpar. PGA TOUR commissioner Jay Monahan, du r i n g t h e l au n c h of t h e C J C U P @ NINE BRIDGES, hopes that the newest tournament on the schedule will positively shape the landscape of the game in South Korea and beyond. “ Th is a n nou ncement is a h istoric landmark for the PGA TOUR as we add another tournament in Asia. We had such a phenomenal experience in Korea at The Presidents Cup (in 2015), and we hoped an official, permanent event in this great country would be the result of that success,” said Monahan. “We have a tremendous population of Korean golfers on the PGA TOUR, and we anticipate that will continue as THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES inspires a new generation of players, not only in Korea but also around the world.” Since ma k ing its debut in 2005, t he HSBC Champions has celebrated a myriad of international winners in a tournament many have labelled as “Asia’s Major”. Giles Morgan, HSBC Global Head of Sponsorship and Events, must take credit for being a driving force behind the tournament’s growth into a WGC tournament. “WGC-HSBC Champions is our flagship
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BUNKER MENTALITY
Gender
Defender As Mike Wilson argues, it’s high time for golf to take a look from tennis, where men’s and women’s prize money is – at the ‘Majors’ at least - equal.
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ow we are officially in autumn. It’s time to air that hoary old chestnut that is a firm favourite of Bunker Mentality, namely the vast, iniquitous and outdated differential in prize money earned by male and female professional golfers around the world. And, with the winner of his national Ladies Scottish Open this year making a mere 18.5% of her male equivalent. It is 10 years since the last of the four tennis ‘Majors,’ Wimbledon, introduced equal prize money for the men’s and women’s singles and getting on for half-a-century since the U.S. Open became the first of the sport’s Grand Slam events to offer equal remuneration for both sexes. Of course, the arguments raged then - as they still do to a much lesser extent - not so much on the point of principle. But on the fact that the winner of this year’s women’s singles title at the U.S. Open will win the same amount - US$3.5m - as the men’s singles champion whilst playing a maximum of three sets per match compared to the gruelling maximum of five required of the men. A nd , i n some re spec t s, t hat ’s a fa i r
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argument, equal pay for equal work. But don’t expect the men to be having their workload reduced or the women theirs substantially increased anytime soon. However, it seems as if professional golf is stuck in a time warp. Women, playing exactly the same 72 holes in their U.S. Open and Women’s British Open as the men, admittedly slightly shorter holes to take cognisance of the respective hitting power of the genders. But the best female players in the world face exactly the same challenges as their male counterparts, challenges which include playing under pressure, competing against the very best of the rest, playing in wind and rain, out of bunkers and the rough, avoiding out-ofbounds and that cruellest of all mistresses, Lady Luck herself. Having covered four open championships in the month of July, the Scottish Open followed by the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, then the Ladies Scottish Open and finally the Ricoh Women’s British Open, the most striking differences were how much fun the women’s events were to cover as a journalist. More so for those intrepid photographers how much the female players seemed to be enjoying - as opposed to the men seemingly
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Korea's In-Kyung Kim celebrates with the trophy after her victory in the 2017 Women's British Open Golf Championship at Kingsbarns Golf Links - she earned 27% of US$1.9m won by Jordan Spieth at Royal Birkdale HKGOLFER.COM
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English poster-girl Charley Hull said, “I don't know, really. I suppose because men have more coverage, so then more people watch it, so it's better sponsorship.”
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enduring - their God-given talent and how accessible, amenable and open the top female players are, to fans and the media. Watching women’s golf at the elite level was like watching in 3D, high-definition colour. The men’s events one-dimensional and seemingly in black-and-white, and yet there were four-times the number of press, including golf ‘Number-ones,’ and feature writers in attendance at the men’s events. Having calculated that Mi-Hyang Lee, the winner of the Ladies Scottish Open made exactly 18.5% of the US$1.25m earned by Rafa Cabrera-Bello a fortnight earlier for winning the men’s version over the self-same Dundonald Links golf course. And that the winner of the Ricoh Women’s British Open (In-Kyung Kim) would win 27% of the US$1.9m won by Jordan Spieth at Royal Birkdale, the pre-tournament press conferences ahead of the Women’s British Open presented a perfect opportunity to gauge the mood in the ladies locker-room. Asked about the gender pay gap, Scotland’s Catriona Matthew said, “I think equality is moving in the right direction,” adding, “Obviously in an ideal world, you'd love it to be the same amount in each, but I think
certainly we're heading in the right way.” Meanwhile, English poster-girl Charley Hull said, “I don't know, really. I suppose because men have more coverage, so then more people watch it, so it's better sponsorship,” adding, “But I don't know. I think it's getting there, but I can't answer that question though, I don't think about it too much.” So, it was left to the Grand Dame of women’s golf, Laura Davies to hit the nail on the head. “We need backing from Europe corporate, we need them to put their money behind us [and] think we're a good product, because I think we are,” said the 54-year-old, insisting, “I think the girls do a great job in the ProAms and the way they conduct themselves at tournaments. “But we need people to step up with the money to back us. TV, we're getting more TV now, but we're not seeing the results from it,” continued the winner of 84 titles worldwide, admitting, “I'm just a golfer. I don't know why. “If you're saying women's sport doesn't get the support it deserves, I agree with you 100%,” reflected the four-time ‘Major’ winner, concluding, “I don't know why we don't get the support.
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watering US$9.25m prize fund for a limited field event on the PGA TOUR in Korea this month, significant inducements are having to be offered to golf’s ‘Top brass,’ to take part, perhaps spooked by the latest missile crisis on the Korean Peninsula. That same week, for a prize fund of just US$2.2m, each and every one of the LPGA elite will be battling-it-out in far-flung Taiwan in search of the US$300,000 top prize, somewhat less than the appearance fees the PGA TOUR ‘Top dogs,’ are said to be seeking to take part in the CJ Cup in Korea. Ask any tennis journalist or ex-player for three words to explain why women’s tennis is as strong as it is and has been enjoying parity with their male counterparts for the best part of a generation, and they will recite, ‘Bille,’ ‘Jean’ and, ‘King.’ And, with a host of retired superstars such as Davies, Annika Sörenstam, Lorena Ochoa and Se Ri Pak. W it h s o m a ny wo m e n n ow r i g ht l y occupying senior marketing roles and decisionmaking jobs in TV, perhaps, were they to try it, women’s golfers and their administrators might just find themselves pushing against an open door; if they never ask the question, they will never receive an answer.
“We need backing from Europe corporate, we need them to put their money behind us [and] think we're a good product, because I think we are,” said Laura Davies, the 54-year-old Grand Dame of women’s golf
HK GOLFER・OCT 2017
AFP/Getty Images
“The LPGA Tour is so well backed, and I would have thought we would get something like that in Europe, but for some reason, the corporate world isn't that interested in us at the moment. Hopefully, that will change, so fingers crossed.” And perhaps within those responses from three of women’s golf’s finest, past, present and future, lie some of the reasons why the gender prize money gap is as wide as ever. Firstly, contrary to what Matthew says, equality is not moving in the right direction and women’s golf, particularly in Europe where the Ladies European Tour is on its knees, they are not heading in the right way. Secondly - and it’s hard to be critical of the 22-year-old Hull who is just enjoying life and playing for sums of money hitherto unimaginable - perhaps more of the senior players need to start thinking more about their plight, and acting upon it. Thirdly, Davies may be, “Just a golfer,” but with her status, experience, inf luence and connections, “Fingers crossed,” is no strategy at all, whilst, “The LPGA Tour is so well backed,” that’s only by comparison with Europe and Asia. Rumour has it that, even given an eye-
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THE KILTED CADDIE
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John Daly plays from the 3rd tee during his second round of the 2015 Open Golf Championship on the Old Course at St Andrews
The
Tipping
Point
The Kilted Caddie explains why the subject of caddie tips is sacrosanct…
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I
AFP/Getty Images
Davis Love IV and his father Davis Love III who caddies for him during a practice round prior to the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills 56
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am not a huge fan of the automatic lev y i ng of ser vice cha rges on restaurant bills. It doesn’t sit well that I’m expected and obliged to pay for service. Surely that’s up to me. But I suppose I’m a bit touchy about this because the subject of caddie tips is sacrosanct, even if sometimes a tad incendiary and at least of a bit slippery one. Now come to think about it, tips are a big part of my income. Nevertheless, they are discretionary, even if reaching handsome heights at times. But in defence, it’s not cheap to hang out here in the home of golf and in some ways a caddie can add a lot to the enjoyment to a round. But not always. A chap from Dallas in our group last week carried his own bag after his ‘bad experience on t he Old’. H is cadd ie was seemingly awful, arrogant and simply ruined his big day. He’d been forced to have words at the 10th, intimated that he was sure a nice guy but that he should lay off a bit. He appeased the man by saying he would still get a tip at the end. After the 18th and unsure of what to pay he asked the starter who inferred that ninety dollars would do all round. However, he thought he’d up it to a hundred to ease what had become a frosty relationship. But this it didn’t. In fact, he was dumbfounded when the caddie uttered the line “that’s not enough”. I mean what can you say to that!
A hundred dollars equates to seventy quid which is well above the caddie fee of fifty. De facto the caddie can’t object. But he did. If I get on a bus and don’t give the driver the full fare he can say that. For sure. But when we are talking about a discretionary tip, no, sorry no. We work on behalf of a charity, The Links Trust, which doesn’t impose mandatory levies for gratuities. It’s not an upmarket Indian restaurant chain. Shocked and requesting enlightenment at what was enough he was told ’at least another twenty’. Our man was so taken aback he delved into his pocket and found another twenty which he gave in disgust to the brazen chap. And that’s a shame for this wayward caddie to sully our fair trade. For caddying in St Andrews is not a taxing job if you excuse my very awkward and unfortunate pun. It beats picking raspberries, cockle gathering, even haggis hunting. In fact, if I’m honest I’d say it beats working altogether. It saves me a gym fee and provides much interesting material for my writing. On a human level, I would say it can be at least insightful and sometimes fascinating. We get the opportunity to meet all sorts of people, and on any given day we just don’t know who will pitch up. You n g D u nc a n got Joh n Da ly la st summer, and Mr Barack Obama was in town in June to play the Old. Unfortunately, I didn’t get his bag as I was deeply ensconced in a bar behind the 18th green and savouring the chilled delights of Mr Kohler’s excellent Sauvignon Blanc and some rare Scottish sunshine. To be honest, I wouldn’t have been the chosen caddie anyway as they went for an experienced older character who I dare say was a safe and reasonable choice. However, they should have chosen a man called Tom Stevenson. Cologne Tom as I call him is the most charismatic, affable, i n d i v id u a l , a mu si n g, k n ow l e d g e a bl e , interesting, erudite, distinguished looking and eccentric chap ever to have pulled on a caddie bib. To boot, he was a +3-handicap golfer. In fact, there is a rumour going around that Tom sometimes declines to accept pay for his work! Anyway, I am sure he would have hugely impressed the ex-president and help brighten the image of the St Andrews caddie across the pond. He certainly would have been my tip, alongside bin 555, for that beautiful sunny June day. Please write to thekiltedcaddie@gmail.com if you have any comments. HKGOLFER.COM
Barack Obama was in town in June to play the Old Course last summer
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| THE MEANING OF GOLF
Golf Cannot be Sold to Those Who Don’t Play It In this new column, we will publish excerpts from The Meaning of Golf, written by Craig Morrison, who seeks to find the beating heart of golf through its history, its tournaments, its characters, stories and challenges. This is a book that all lovers and fanatics of the game will appreciate and associate with.
W
hat is the meaning of golf? It’s a disappointment, rarely entirely gratifying. It always sees us hit imperfect shots and we believe we have let ourselves down. In all accounts of the greatest rounds, the sub-par rounds, the sub-60s even, there appears always to have been the possibility of at least one stroke less. The world’s best golfer in 2000, when winning 12 tournaments, reckoned he hit only one perfect shot in an entire season. So, golf is a game of mishits, but in this way, it’s a great pleasure, the perfect pursuit. It is exceedingly satisfying because it leaves us, ultimately, unsatisfied. So, we crave more. It’s crack cocaine (though some drug addicts function more effectively than golfers: burning less money, spending less time away from loved ones, being more effective in the workplace…) In golf, each shot is unique. In basketball, say, every free throw is made from the same spot, the same distance in a similar environment. This cannot be said of golf where every strike is quite different. That much is obvious when one considers climatic conditions, laws of probability, the competitive circumstances, the endlessly different courses worldwide… In this way golf teaches us adaptability. 60
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Golf worked for poor shepherds in Scotland just as it works for bankers spending their weekends in The Hamptons. It reminds all of us that whatever we want for will ultimately be deprived us. The first economic principle is that people always want more. It’s part of the human condition. And golf - in spite of the luxury it sometimes affords us and the sums it can cost us - always bites back, reminding us we can’t have everything. In this way, it’s spiritual. Through golf we can measure ourselves not wholly by money, not even by happiness. It sees us measure ourselves against nature, or an approximation of nature, and we find ourselves reassuringly wanting. Can we live with ourselves? Can we stand the truth of exactly what and who we are? Is it possible to know one’s weaknesses, one’s failings, and still carry on? This is the sort of stuff one might learn in a life and death situation. At a push, we get some ideas about it in the middle of a long training run. But we can learn a little of such things through golf as well. When fully engaged with golf it begins to ask questions of us. Golf is both trivial and significant. To be germane about it, golf is a game in which one tries to put a small ball into a hole from different distances, eighteen times, in as few shots as possible, the shots being struck with a variety of implements (varyingly unfit for the purpose is the usual addendum). To take a grander HKGOLFER.COM
view, to look for the significance, golf is the most interesting of all sports, the one in which demanding physical skills - dexterity and timing especially - must be used alongside considerable mental skills, not exactly intellectual ability, but at least the ability to control or quieten the mind. It cannot be sold to those who don’t play it. The elevator pitch for the game, the one just proposed, is not great. But many exquisite joys are inexplicable to the uninitiated. Who really liked their first strong drink, their first cigarette? A favourite piece of music - one’s desert island disc - is rarely a tune so catchy it was appreciated at first listening. The hit single (to use a dated term), doesn’t always last like the trickier album track (to use another). Golf is like that. There are barriers to entry which, when overcome, increase its desirability. For the first-time player, unless their inaugural strike takes glorious flight, golf’s appeal is not obvious. But it grows on you, like a dangerous illness. Hopefully, you learn to live with it. Like all good pursuits it is impossible to master. Even golfing mediocrity is tough to achieve. Despite that, in fact because of it, golf is endlessly appealing to those who will embrace it. But it’s not easy to love. Falling for golf is a bit like falling for your kidnapper. It’s a kind of Stockholm Syndrome. In strokeplay golf a round is constructed shot by shot. Like a house of cards, it doesn’t take much for it to collapse. It begins hopefully with one passable strike out on to a suitably wide first fairway. The player then gingerly knocks one onto the first green. Two putts and they’re on their way. They take the ignominy of some silly dropped shots and perhaps even make them up with a birdie or, depending on ambition, a smattering of pars. As the round goes on the importance of each shot grows. The validity of every shot already gone hangs on the one about to be played. Shot adds to shot until a bitter end or perhaps a sweet finale. But what’s the use of 17 good holes and one shocker? And so, it is the player begins to ‘feel the heat’, to soak up pressure ‘down the stretch’. After a run of great holes, a golfer finds himself in uncharted waters and begins to panic... It might all be trivial in the grander scheme of things. Nobody dies. All concerned will get home to their beds just the same. But in the moment, it is crushing. And in the moment, at the top of the game, a Major tournament perhaps, the heat is white hot, the sort of sensation few of us will ever know. In cricket, the batsman approaches a high score in a similar way, for a while at least, HKGOLFER.COM
Craig Morrison is the author of 18 Greatest Scottish Golf Holes and 18 Greatest Irish Golf Holes. He is a freelance golf writer, a contributor to many international titles, including HK Golfer. An Anglo-Scot, he lives in Somerset, England.
Discover the meaning of golf by downloading a copy at: www.amazon. com/Meaning-GolfCraig-Morrison-ebook/ dp/B074C2LBRH
building his innings, each shot taking on increased importance. To get over the century is tough and when it happens it is monumental. But then the pressure’s off. 110 runs is a glorious score. More would be better. But the anxiety is gone. Arguably the pressure’s off when he has made what he knows to be an acceptable score. For the first few batters 50 might do. Tail-enders could be happy with 20. When they pass these scores, they can relax. But in golf the burden only grows and the tension is there till the final putt drops. In matchplay, golf we can free ourselves of such fears. We play against our opponents, the overall tally not being part of the equation. Playing alone, we compete simply against ourselves and the course. But in all golfing formats we know, with complete clarity, if we’ve done well or otherwise. We don’t need a scorecard or a result to tell us if we have done ourselves proud. Golf is full of contradictions. Consider these. It is therapeutic but vexing. It can be cruel, torturing the mind, yet it is a pleasant escape. It might be played with friends but is in essence a solitary pursuit. And playing this sport well often leads to panic which in turn brings on poor play. But golf’s not a sport, is it? How can this inherently safe, low-impact, non-contact hobby be considered sport? You don’t necessarily work hard, physically, when golfing. You don’t really have to change your shoes. Surely, it’s simply a pastime. Yet golf’s adherents believe it is a sport, a superior sport even (and not just in the attitudes of some of its snobbier institutions). Most definitions of sport refer to skill and physical exertion, competition in the name of entertainment. Older definitions relate to fun, as in he’s a good sport. Golf meets and exceeds the physical skills and competitive criteria while also functioning as a pastime for the less than athletic who happen to be good sports. That the battle between players is abstract, that it can be simply a player versus the course, that the winning is in numbers and not blows landed, puts off those want contact in their games. There’s no actual physicality, no rough and tumble, yet most of us have met golf club secretaries we’ve wanted to punch. And many of us have thrown a club or at least an invective. HK GOLFER・OCT 2017
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| BY DESIGN
South Asia’s Unique
Sustainable Golf Courses
and
Award-winning architect and our regular contributor Paul Jansen discusses the ten most unique and sustainable golf courses in South Asia.
The Old Course at Fanling is a charming affair
About Paul Jansen
Hong Kong Golf Club
Paul is widely regarded as one of golf’s most well-travelled Golf Course Architects. After having schooled in South Africa, he began his career in the U.S. before relocating to Europe where he worked for Nick Faldo Design on a variety of projects in Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia. In 2011, Paul established Jansen Golf Design & Construction with a focus on creating highly sustainable golf courses that provide strategic, stimulating and memorable golf that is fun.
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The Old Course is marked by numerous unconventional crossing holes and blind spots - this is the famous 10th aka Tommy Tucker
Hong Kong Golf Club (Old Course) - Hong Kong
Top: Hong Kong Golf Club; Bottom: Paul Jansen
Let’s start with the Old Course at Fanling, which is a charming affair. Holes are fresh and original and derive their beauty and uniqueness from the surrounds. The golf course is marked by numerous unconventional features including crossing holes and numerous blind shots and highlights that golf can be quirky and fun.
Royal Colombo Golf Club - Sri Lanka The oldest golf club in Sri Lanka (est. 1880) is situated in the heart of the city on only 96acres. The most remarkable feature is the railway line that divides many of the holes on the front nine. During the week trains frequently pass the golf course and add to its overall charm. HKGOLFER.COM
The railway line that divides many of the holes of Royal Colombo on the front nine
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The Nuwara Eliya Golf Club is perhaps the most unique golf course in all of Asia
Nuwara Eliya - Sri Lanka The Nuwara Eliya Golf Club is perhaps the most unique golf course in all of Asia. Situated at nearly 2,000m above sea level and the focal point of the town, this 18-hole golf course is routed on less than 100 acres. Be sure to take a course map at the start because holes don’t follow any formula rather bobble about the landscape like a roller coaster. Crossing holes are the norm, blind shots are frequent and features such as roads and fences needed to be surmounted on route to the hole. Pedestrians use the golf course to get from A to B, and during my visit, some of the fairways were being used as a place of gathering. An unforgettable journey of discovery.
Delhi Golf Club - India
Paul Jansen
The famous Lodhi course which has hosted the Indian Open on numerous occasions 66
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India’s most prestigious golf club - in the middle of the city of Delhi - consists of 27 holes laid out over 220 acres of prime real estate. The golf course includes the 9- hole Peacock course and more famous Lodhi course which has hosted the Indian Open on numerous occasions and is a strong test of golf. The golf club is identifiable because of a large number of tombs that dot the property and often at staging areas. Add to that birds such as peacock wonder the course freely and add to the overall experience. HKGOLFER.COM
Carey Island Sports Club is surely Malaysia's most quirky golf course
Carey Island Sports Club Malaysia Carey Island Sports Club is surely Malaysia’s most quirky golf course. The original nine holes were built in the late 1920’s for the local band of Europeans living on Carey Island - about 1-hour drive from the hustle and bustle of Kuala Lumpur. The nine-hole golf course officially only opened in July 1930 with a further nine holes added the past few years. Thankfully the original nine remain untouched and make for a real adventure. Imagination and creativity are required to plot your way around the property all the time making sure to appreciate the numerous golf features like impressive trees, vegetation, fences, ditches, roads and homesteads.
Bagan Golf Club - Myanmar
HKGOLFER.COM
It’s like playing golf back in ancient time at Bagan
HK GOLFER・OCT 2017
Paul Jansen
Bagan is a truly amazing place and everyone should visited at least once in a lifetime. In an area no larger than Hong Kong, you will find up to 3,000 ancient pagodas - built between 9-11AD dotted about the terrain in random order. It just so happens that the Bagan Golf Club is routed to take advantage of 14 such monuments with much more framing the golf course in the distance. It is like playing golf back in ancient time.
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Popa Taungkalat Monastery is a close second to St Andrews as the best backdrop in golf
Popa Golf Club - Myanmar If the town of St Andrews is the best backdrop in golf, then the Popa Taungkalat Monastery is a close second as it looms large in the distance when playing the Mt Popa Golf course - a few hours drive from Bagan. The nine-hole golf course at the foothills of Mt Popa is maintained by the locals including their cattle. The golf is as varied as it comes and hazards include roads, gullies, trees, bunkers, fences, cattle… and the rest.
Yay Tagon Taung Golf Club - Myanmar
Paul Jansen
Yay Tagon Taung Golf Club embraces the term “less is more”
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A round of golf on most golf courses in Myanmar can put you back as little as $5 including at the wonderful Yay Tagon Taung Golf Club - about an hour drive from the city of Mandalay. This 27-hole golf facility embraces the term “less is more”. The golf course is uncomplicated with few man-made features which allows the golfers the opportunity to appreciate the beautiful surrounds much more. HKGOLFER.COM
Each hole is alive with the sound of the jungle at Jagowari
Jagowari Golf & Country Club Indonesia There are only a few golf courses on the planet that are routed through thick jungle thicket, and many of these can be found in the region surrounding Bogor - about an hour drive outside of Jakarta - whereas as many a ten golf courses are bounded by impenetrable bush and fast flowing river streams systems. One of the most impressive is the 45-hole facility at the Jagowari Golf & Country Club. The holes are well crafted and take you on a journey of discovery around the property. Each hole is alive with the sound of the jungle, and the attention to detail is second to none. As one of Asia’s best golf courses, it is also refreshing to see the use of native broadleaf carpetgrass on the fairways which requires very little input. Welcome to the Jungle.
Royal Bangkok Sports Club - Thailand
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The Royal Bangkok Sports Club could perhaps best be described as an obstacle coursengle at Jagowari
HK GOLFERăƒťOCT 2017
Paul Jansen
The Royal Bangkok Sports Club could perhaps best be described as an obstacle course. It is an unbelievable scene on what is perhaps the best multi-use sports facility anywhere. Golf holes zig-zag around the property all the time trying to avoid the multitude of unusual golf features that dictate the play - like the race track or cricket field or driving range building.
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EVENTS
CHENG QUALIFIES FOR TAWGC GRAND FINAL Turkish Airlines presents the 5th edition of Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup ( TAWGC), the largest amateur golf tournament around the world. The global amateur golf competition, where thousands of participants will compete at qualifying events in 100 destinations worldwide, is one of the several international sports organisations backed by Turkish Airlines, the airline that flies to more countries than any other. Now in the fifth year, Hong Kong featured 52 players, all personally-invited guests of Turkish Airlines. Edmond Cheng won the individual competition with 47 Stableford Net points and progressed to the Grand Final in Antalya, Turkey, this October and November. David Tin Lung Leung was runner-up, Gary Leung was third and Edith Law and How Liang Te won the nearest-the-pin prizes. “We would like to offer our congratulations to everyone who made the Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup qualifier in Hong Kong such a special day,” said Ahmet Serhat Sari, General Manager for Turkish Airlines Hong Kong. “It was a fantastic tournament and well done to our winner, Edmond Cheng. They still have so much to play for in Antalya, but everyone else will be looking forward to coming back again next year. All finalists are to enjoy a sevennight stay at the five-star luxury Titanic Deluxe Belek hotel in Antalya, Turkey and will be flown with Business Class from their qualifying destination by Turkish Airlines. The overall winners of the tworound Grand Final at the Titanic Golf Club progress to play in the 2017 Turkish Airlines Open pro-am. The TAWGC Amateur Series of fers key clients and industry experts the opportunity to network with like-minded business executives at the same time as enjoying and competing at some of the world’s most prestigious courses. It forms part of a wider commitment to golf by Turkish Airlines, who, in addition to the Turkish Airlines Open, also sponsor events on the Ladies European Tour and Challenge Tour. 70
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Ahmet Serhat Sari (right), General Manager for Turkish Airlines Hong Kong, presents the individual champion trophy to the winner, Edmond Cheng
Simon Hague, the gross Stableford winner in action
Louie Chan, our Managing Editor, warms up at the driving range
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Located on one of the finest private plots within The Wentworth Estate and set within three acres of mature landscaped gardens. Dawn Hill, Waverley Drive, Wentworth Virginia Water, Surrey, UK • Guide Price £29,000,000
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Arguably the best apartment in The Heron, the leading residential building in the City of London. The Heron, Moor Lane, Moorgate, London, UK • Guide Price £4,950,000
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3 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms 2 Receptions Duplex Apartment High Ceilings’
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www.barnes-privateoffice.com
A supremely elegant and classically styled mansion of natural Bath stone construction on this internationally renowned private estate. Westbourn, Wentworth, Surrey, UK • Guide Price £23,000,000
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Available with planning permission to create an architecturally pure masterpiece. Sandylands Park, Englefield Green, Surrey, UK • Guide price £7,500,000
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CROSSWORD
NICKNAME TIME! ©2017 Dr Milton Wayne
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ACROSS
DOWN
2. See 17A 7. (& 24A) Masters winner The Duck (“El Pato”) Pictured 11. See 6D 12. Young Japanese phenom The Bashful Prince (3,8) 14. The Penguin (3,5) 17. (& 25D, 2A) The Mechanic 18. The Big Easy (5,3) 19. (& 17D) Lefty 20. See 21A 21. (& 20A) Boom Boom 23. The Wee Ice Mon (3,5) 24. See 7A 27. See 5D 29. Wild Thing (4,4) 30. See 8D 31. See 28D
1. See 11D 3. The Big Wiesy (8,3) 4. See 29D 5. (& 27A) The Walrus 6. (& 11A) The Black Knight 8. (& 30A) The Great White Shark 9. (& 16D) Shrek 10. See 24D 11. (& 1D) Paddy 13. (& 15D) Spiderman 15. See 13D 16. See 9D 17. See 19A 22. See 26D 24. (& 10D) Mrs Doubtfire 25. See 17A 26. (& 22D) The Pink Panther 28. (& 31A) Rors 29. (& 4D) The Golden Bear
HK GOLFER・OCT 2017
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WIN "THE GOLFERS" PRINT To enter, complete the crossword and send a scan or photo of the completed grid to Crossword@HKGolfer.com, with “October Crossword” as the subject. Remember to include your name, address and contact number. Entries close on 15 November 2017. ONE LUCKY WINNER WILL BE DRAWN FROM THE CORRECT ENTRIES.
A luxury print, measuring 38” x 26”, has been produced and is available exclusively in Asia through the HK Golfer. Each print is accompanied by a printed key identifying each of the characters, and makes the perfect gift for any golfer. Yo u m ay a ls o v isi t H KG o l f e r Sh o p. co m, w r i te to store@hkgolfer.com or call us on 3590 4153 if you wish to purchase a print for only HK$888 (inc. free delivery).
PREVIOUS ANSWERS
Congratulations to Bert Chong of Chai Wan who won the August crossword.
Hill & Adamson, “The Golfers” HKGOLFER.COM
HK GOLFER・OCT 2017
77
FINAL SHOT
New Course at the Hong Kong Golf Club
Paul “Chef” Brown Charles McLaughlin talks to the General Manager of Shek O Country Club about his best ever round, favourite courses and who would be in his dream fourball.
When did you start playing – and where? 1970 in Hong Kong as my father was a member of the then Royal Hong Kong Golf Club. I learnt to play golf on the verandah at home, hitting balls into curtains that were made as a net - my dad would not let my twin brother and I on the golf course until were up to a decent standard and knew the etiquette and rules. How often do you play? I try to play at least twice a week, either at Fanling or Shek O. What’s been your best ever round? I have had a 67 on the New Course (Fanling) and a 61 at Shek O, both in friendly games - I have had 8 holes-in-one.
Richard Castka/Sportpix International
Do you have a favourite course? The New Course at Fanling is my favourite in Hong Kong. In Asia, it is the Jack Nicklaus designed Springfield Royal Country Club in Thailand. Who would be in your dream fourball? I like to play with my son, brother and mates - then again, I would not turn down a game with Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller and of course, Jack Nicklaus! 78
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MORE INFORMATION Paul Brown was born in Kent in 1956, then moved to HK as a child and went to Island School. In 1974, he became an apprentice chef in the Peninsula Hotel (hence his nickname!) and after working in the Regent Hotel for 5 years went on to open “Browns” in 1985, the first ever wine bar in Hong Kong. This was followed by the opening of “Greens” a few years later! Paul was manager at HKGC’s Deepwater Bay Club for 10 years, then joined Shek O as the General Manager in April 1999.
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