APGC
ASIA-PACIFIC GOLF CONFEDERATION NEWSLETTER
SEPTEMBER 2014
Teeing off: Australia’s top 10 ranked amateur Lucas Herbert (above), reigning US Amateur Champion Gunn Yang (inset top) and former Asia-Pacific Amateur winner Guan Tianlang (inset bottom).
CONTENTS Asian challengers on their way
1-3
Chairman’s message
2
The Majesty of Royal Melbourne
4
Q&A with Dr David Cherry
5-6
Matsuyana’s big win
6
Lifetime award for Peter Dawson
7
A golden experience for Paratore
7
Chan claims World University title
8
Asia-Pacific Senior Amateur Championship
8
asiapacificgolf.org
LOCALS READY FOR ASIAN CHALLENGE On paper Australia looks poised to end the Asian domination of the prestigious Asia-Pacific Amateur Golf Championships in October.
The host country will send a powerful team to the storied Royal Melbourne Club for the sixth edition of the tournament - but they will need to be ready for a string of well-credentialled
foreign invaders over 72 holes of stroke play on the Composite Course from October 23-26. Since the event began in 2009, it has been won by two Koreans – Han Chang-won
collected the inaugural trophy and Lee Chang-woo captured it in 2013 – Chinese teenage prodigy Guan Tianlang (2012) and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama (2010-11). Australians Taylor Macdonald, Lucas Herbert, Geoff Drakeford and Ryan Ruffels have led the region’s players on the World
Chairman’s message
APGC Chairman Dr David Cherry APGC has had a busy few months. The Bonallack Cup was a great success other than the fact the we lost again to Europe – that makes the overall standings 6-2 against. The IGU and Dilip Thomas in particular deserve our sincere thanks for the manner in which the event was conducted and the KGA club for giving up it’s course for the week.
The event was graced by the presence of Sir Michael Bonallack after whom the trophy is named. He is arguably the greatest amateur golfer ever and for our young players to meet him would have been a great honour. The Captain of the R&A, Mr Sandy Dawson, from Australia, was also present. I was well into my 50s before meeting such a person, so once again our players will have many good memories to reflect upon. The next Bonallack Cup is scheduled to be played in Turkey in 2016 – women will compete in their own version of the Bonallack Cup for the first time and I think this will herald a much closer co-operation between men and women in the APGC region. Our Secretary, Dilip Thomas, and I met with our partners in the AAC (The
Amateur Golf Rankings recently, › with Macdonald breaking into the top 20. But the local hopes will have to take on emerging stars such as Korea’s US Amateur Champion Gunn Yang, who is experienced on Australian courses, and Tianlang along with Chinese Taipei’s Cheng-tsung Pan and Dou Zecheng of China – both of whom are inside the top 50 on the amateur points table. Yang, who won the US Amateur Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club in August, has spent time in Australia as 2 ❘ APGC NEWSLETTER ❘ SEPTEMBER 2014
Augusta National Golf Club and the R&A) at the Masters Tournament to discuss the AAC, future locations and how improvements could be made in what is turning out to be an extremely successful event. Our AAC champion from 2013, Korea’s Lee Chang-woo Lee, performed extremely well but just missed the cut. He had an big task to emulate the efforts of Hideki Matsuyama and Guan Tianlang, but APGC can be proud of his performance. Taimur Hussein Amin, our Secretary General, has managed to get our sporting records up to date electronically and I thank him for his efforts. Taimur, Dilip Thomas and I recently represented APGC in the Rolex Trophy in Geneva which is a modified Pro-Am and, mainly thanks to the great play of Taimur, I am happy to report that the APGC won the Senior stage of the event. Taimur holed out for an eagle 2 on the first hole, which was more than useful. Our unpaid Secretary, KJ Lee, has worked well beyond what would be expected on our behalf. He has travelled to many parts of the world to further the aims of the APGC and we should all be grateful to his boss (himself) for giving him leave to do so much
a boy. He now attends college at San Diego State University in California but has decided recently to take a year off from his studies to play golf. He is familiar with the tricky fast-running greens of Royal Melbourne, having played metropolitan pennant golf for Kingswood Golf Club. He won the highly rated Riversdale Cup at Melbourne’s Riversdale Golf Club as a teenager. Yang told aacgolf.com he was keen to return to Royal Melbourne, a course consistently rated in the world’s top 10. “I had such great golfing
for us. As a consequence of his efforts and the increased subscriptions paid by members, the APGC finances look much healthier – to the point where our Chairman of Match Committee, Kei Muratsu, is planning an APGC Junior event (mixed) to be held in Chinese Taipei in 2015. There will be no junior event this year. I undertook to plan APGC events up to four years in advance. This has proven more difficult than expected, but I can announce that the APGC Seniors in 2015 will be in Qingdao, China, and in 2016 will be in the Philippines. We will be asking for expressions of interest to hold the 2017 Nomura Cup as a decision for that site will be made at our AGM in Melbourne in October. Announcements about future sites for the AAC will be made at this year’s AAC in Melbourne. Lastly, our R&A Rules delegate, Ishwar Achanta, has spent a considerable amount of time developing a Handbook to assist people running events in the APGC region. It is a well considered document which will serve APGC tournaments well and I thank him for his efforts. I hope to see many of you at this year’s AAC in Melbourne in October.
memories back in Australia and especially one of my favourite golf courses, Royal Melbourne Golf Club,” he said. “I am really excited to return back to my golf home ground and compete in the prestigious Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.” His victory at the US Amateur was a surprise to many observers. Yang entered the Championship at No.776 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR). He beat collegiate AllAmerican Seth Reeves and then world No.1 Ollie Schniederjans along the way, then was victorious against Corey Conners
in the final, 2 and 1. Sixteen-year-old Chinese superstar Tianlang, who at 14 created history by becoming the youngest player ever to compete at The Masters in 2013 after winning the 2012 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, is anxious to claim another win after a mixed year. Since playing and making the cut at Augusta last year he has played in four PGA Tour events (making the cut at the Zurich), and an event on both the Japan and European tours. He has also represented China in the Nomura Cup and trained
Approach with care: Royal Melbourne will host the Asia-Pacific Amateur Golf Championships.
at the IMG Academy in Florida. As host nation Australia will have a larger contingent of 10, which includes three members of the four-player team who won the 2013 Ten Nations Cup, an amateur event in South Africa. Among that trio is Ruffels, the reigning Australian junior champion who won his age group at the Callaway Junior World Golf Championships in the United States this year and who, at just 16, is regarded as an excellent prospect. “It’s pretty special to be playing a tournament here in Australia, where if you happen to play well for one week you’ve got a trip to the Masters secured,” Ruffels said. “It’s a huge incentive. Augusta is a place you dream of playing as a kid growing up.” Ruffels also added the Riversdale Cup to his trophy cabinet this year. The son of well-known Australian tennis professional Ray Ruffels, he grew up in Florida before moving to Australia and plays out of Victoria Golf Club in Melbourne. He finished in a share of 24th in last year’s Australian Open at just 15. Australian players confirmed to compete on home soil at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship are Taylor Macdonald, Lucas Herbert, Geoff Drakeford, Ryan Ruffels, Cory Crawford, Ben Eccles,
Jarryd Felton, Curtis Luck, Anthony Murdaca and Todd Sinnott. Drakeford, 22, plays for Commonwealth Golf Club in Melbourne and earned his place with a brilliant victory in the Porter Cup in the US in July. He has represented Australia many times overseas and is a member of Golf Australia’s national elite squad. He is to turn professional soon. Macdonald, 22, is also a member of Golf Australia’s
wins include the Tasmanian Open and the New South Wales Amateur title. Herbert, also 19, is a member of the Golf Australia national elite squad and plays out of Commonwealth Golf Club in Melbourne. From Bendigo in northern Victoria, he was third in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in 2013 and was a member of the Australian team that won the Ten Nations Cup team event in South Africa, posting a final-
If you happen to play well for one week you’ve got a trip to the Masters secured national elite squad and comes from Redcliffe in Queensland. He won the Victorian Amateur title in 2012 and recently advanced as far as the top 16 at the Western Amateur in the United States. At No.16 in the WAGR, he became the highestranked Australian male amateur in the world this year. MacDonald, who also played in the US Amateur this year, is famed in his home town for having carded a 57, 14-underpar, from the back tees at Redcliffe Golf Club several years ago. Felton, 19, is a West Australian and has already won a string of amateur titles having come out of Gosnells Golf Club on the outskirts of Perth. His
round 66 to secure the win. Luck, 18, is another product of the powerful Western Australian amateur team, coming out of Cottesloe Golf Club. Twice WA junior champion, Luck reached the final of the Australian Amateur this year and won his state amateur title. Murdaca, 19, has twice won the Australian Boys’ Amateur title – in 2010 and 2013. When he won his second national amateur title he matched a feat previously achieved by Adam Scott, his golfing hero. Murdaca hails from Grange Golf Club in South Australia and is a member of Golf Australia’s national elite squad. Sinnott, 20, was the hero of
Photo: royalmelbourne.com.au
Victoria’s win in the Interstate Teams matches this year at Federal Golf Club in Canberra, winning the last match to clinch the title. A product of the Victorian Institute of Sport golf program and a member at Metropolitan Golf Club, he has previously won the Portsea Amateur, The Dunes Medal and the Victorian Boys’ title. Crawford, 22, is from the same junior college, Hills in Queensland, which produced Jason Day. Originally from Tasmania, Crawford now plays out of Sanctuary Cove Golf Club in Queensland and has passed through the Queensland Academy of Sport golf program. He recently had his breakthrough win at the Malaysian Amateur Championship. Established in 2009 by the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), Masters Tournament and The R&A, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship will host a field of 120 of the highest-ranked players descend on Melbourne to experience the premier amateur golf competition in the region. The champion will receive an invitation to compete in the Masters Tournament in April 2015 and an exemption into The Amateur Championship, which is conducted by The R&A. In addition, along with the runner-up, places in The Open Qualifying Series are available, with the opportunity to qualify for The Open Championship at St Andrews in 2015. SEPTEMBER 2014 ❘ APGC NEWSLETTER ❘ 3
The Majesty of Royal Melbourne
Impressive: Royal Melbourne is widely regarded as one of the world’s best golf courses.
Royal Melbourne, venue for this year’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, boasts a CV to rival any club in the world.
The Alister Mackenziedesigned layout consistently rates in the top 10 on global rankings and has a long history of staging key tournaments. From 1930, when work began in earnest at the Black Rock site, Mackenzie completed the West Course while his partner Alex Russell, a member of the club and the 1924 Australian Open winner, later produced the East Course. The Composite Course, with 12 holes from the West and six holes from the East, has consistently been used for 4 ❘ APGC NEWSLETTER ❘ SEPTEMBER 2014
the biggest events and will be what faces players at the APGC’s signature event in October. Until 2003, few changes were made but with the increase in length afforded to players using modern technology, Royal Melbourne was forced to retaliate in the same way many traditional courses have done. Several holes on both courses were altered to increase the difficulty over the past decade. The Composite was chosen to host the Canada Cup in 1959, as the mix of holes meant players and spectators could avoid crossing busy roads and compete within the “paddock area”. Five-time British Open champion Peter Thomson and
fellow Australian and Open winner Kel Nagle defeated the crack US team of Sam Snead and Cary Middlecoff by 10 shots, repeating their victory from the event in Montreal five years earlier. This later became the World Cup, an event which was held at the club in 2013 and won by the Australian team of Adam Scott and Jason Day. Royal Melbourne has hosted the only two Presidents Cup tournaments played in Australia – 1998, the first held outside the US and won by the Internationals under the captaincy of Thomson, and in 2011 when the Americans gained revenge. The course has had its share
Photo: royalmelbourne.com.au
of beatings, though, probably the worst coming during the 2004 Heineken Cup when South African star Ernie Els shattered the course record with a 12-under-par 60. Incredibly, Els said he “kind of choked” over the final holes, making a bogey at the 15th and missing chances at the 17th and 18th holes. He said later though that Royal Melbourne was a “classic course” and he had simply produced what he called “a hell of a round”. Among other major events played at the course in the past are the Australian Open, the Australian PGA and the Australian Amateur Championship.
Q and A with new APGC Chairman Dr David Cherry Dr David Cherry, the new Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation, outlines his views on the relevance of the organisation in the region and its growth into the future.
As both a player and administrator, Dr Cherry has notched a series of achievements in the game. He took up golf at the age of five, had broken 80 by the time he was 12 and went on to represent South Australia in both junior golf and in Open golf for a record 17 years. During his amateur career he played for Australia in 1978, won 12 club championships at his home course, Royal Adelaide, and was a member of two winning interstate teams. As an administrator, Dr Cherry was captain of Royal Adelaide in 2006-7, served on the South Australian Golf Association for many years and on the Australian Golf Union from 1986 to 1998 when he was president. He also represented South Australia in Australian Rules football and in bridge and was in the All Australian Universities cricket team. A professor of Medicine at Flinders University in South Australia, Dr Cherry is one of the country’s foremost experts on pain management. He has represented Australia on the APGC since 1996. Dr Cherry, Can you describe in general terms the growing importance of the APGC to golf in the region:
The APGC, as one of the three overarching governing bodies of Amateur golf in the world [the other two are the European Golf Association (EGA) and the Americas group] has an increasing responsibility to grow the golf in its region and to ensure as much as is possible that the ethics and rules of
the game are followed. APGC now has 38 member countries and continues to grow, and is responsible for the AAC, the Nomura Cup (a stroke teams event) held every second year, the APGC Seniors held annually, The Bonallack Cup ( APGC versus Europe) every second year and is in the process of developing the APGC Junior Championship to be staged for the first time in 2015 in Chinese Taipei. We also work closely with the APGC Mitsubishi Diamond Cup – a professional event on the Japan Tour where our top amateurs are invited to compete.
Chairman of ANGC (Mr Billy Payne), the ANGC Chairman of Match (Mr Fred Ridley), the Captain of the R&A (Mr Sandy Dawson) and Chairman of the R&A General Cte (Prof Wilson Sibbert) attend and speak at this event provides an opportunity for APGC players to meet leaders in the world of golf. The AAC goes to huge lengths to ensure players from the remote parts of the huge APGC region, who may be from non-golfing and relatively impecunious backgrounds, can attend and compete on a relatively flat playing field.
We are a confederation of multiple countries, languages, colours and creeds Are you surprised at the rapid growth of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, which only began in 2009 and what do you put this down to?
Yes. Anyone involved with the development of the AAC would be pleasantly surprised at the progress the AAC has made. The three founding partners [Augusta National Golf Club (ANGC), the R&A and the APGC] have seen this event grow each year in every way. Media interest has been a huge part in that and I am grateful to the expert advice the AAC gets from our partners the R&A and ANGC in that regard. The event has been played on truly great courses and this year the venue is the iconic Royal Melbourne Golf Club – not that anyone needs an excuse to want to play in this event, but the opportunity to play on such great courses comes with entry. To have the likes of the
Players from Bhutan, Nepal, Mongolia, Cambodia and Samoa, for example, can attend for no costs to the player or their country. This is a great reflection of one of the tenets of the APGC and that is that we are a confederation of multiple countries, languages, colours and creeds – all unified and equalled by this great game. Thanks to our proud sponsors, and the efforts of the ANGC and R&A, the AAC has brought together the 38 member countries and I am proud of the fact that the secular and apolitical nature of the APGC is truly reflected in the AAC. Players competing should return home with positive vibes about the world and their belief that disparate nations can get along in harmony as a consequence of attending. How crucial to the recognition of the event was the quick win on the US PGA
Tour of Hideke Matsuyama this year after he turned pro following two victories in the Asia-Pacific title?
This was certainly a factor, but Hideke’s story is truly amazing. He attended the University in Sendai, which was flooded by the tsunami in Japan after the catastrophic earthquake that killed many of his fellow countrymen. Two months later he played in the Masters Tournament and not only made the cut (a huge achievement on its own) but went on to become the leading amateur. He won the AAC the following year and again made the cut at the Masters Tournament. He is destined for a major role in world golf and he would concede that the AAC went a long way to help him. Has the rise of Chinese teenager Guan Tianlang from an Asia-Pacific winner to the youngest golfer ever to play in The Masters re-enforced the results which can be achieved by the APGC in a dramatic fashion?
This is an unbelievable story. If people had told me a 13-yearold from China would not only win the AAC but go on to make the cut at the Masters Tournament and be the leading amateur, I would have sent people wearing white coats after them. Golf has only been played for the past 20-or-so years in China, but such is the growth of the game there, that great amateur players are appearing in numbers now. Hats off to the China Golf Association. At Augusta, Guan had to use a fairway metal to reach most of the par fours in two but his short game is such that he could get away with his shortness off the tee. Many of the APGC member nations are small and golf is in its infancy in these countries SEPTEMBER 2014 ❘ APGC NEWSLETTER ❘ 5
but have you seen an increase in interest in the game through their involvement in the organisation?
Yes I have and this makes being involved in the event so gratifying. The competition within all countries is desperate to get into the field but no more so than in the countries referred to. Can you imagine how exciting it would be, for instance, for a 16-year-old from Laos who never had a passport to play at Royal Melbourne in front of the people who potentially govern world golf? That would attract my attention as it does theirs. They know from talking to players that have competed, that the experience is worth every effort – hence Lebanese, Cambodians, Laotians, Bhutanese, Mongolians etc, do whatever it takes to get into the field, thus building interest in the game in their own country. The APGC has already spread into areas in central Asia and the Middle East. Is it possible to continue to expand to other
countries and consolidate the game in smaller nations at the same time?
The APGC is focusing much more attention on the Middle East than it once did. For instance, the 2015 Nomura Cup will be played in Abu Dhabi and the 2018 Bonallack Cup in Qatar. The APGC is hopeful that three or four more Middle East countries will soon join. The APGC has to rely upon each member country to develop the game within in its own country but we and the R&A are there to provide as much assistance as we can. Q: Have you seen an increase in interest from established professional bodies in the APGC after performances such as those of Tianlang?
Not really. We are an amateur body, concerned principally with amateur events other than the APGC Mitsubishi Diamond Cup. Do you forecast a greater influence from Asia on the game, both in terms of dominant players, equipment manufacture and innovative
golf course architecture?
I do, but we are already seeing that. We are the only region in the world where, thanks to China, golf is a growing commodity. Many countries, some of whom are in APGC, would concede there are too many courses already. However, the growth of men’s (to a lesser extent women as well) golf in China, women’s golf in Korea, golf courses in China, the Middle East and South East Asia all indicate growth of the game in the APGC region. Q: What are the hurdles that need to be overcome if the APGC is to achieve its full potential?
Distance is the great hurdle – while distance off the tee seems to get bigger, distances between countries and the cost of air travel don’t seem to get any less. APGC is much stronger financially than it once was and while we need to keep working on our finances, we are in a much better position to
provide assistance to developing members now. Finding a suitable airline partner would be heaven sent. Finally, how do you see the expansion of the organisation over the next decade and the possibility of female players teeing up in events in the future?
I think there is every possibility women will be part of APGC in the very near future. This can only come at the request of the women but I have reason to believe that is not far away. I would welcome this approach and I can say that women will take part in the next Bonallack Cup (Europe vs APGC) in Turkey in 2016. I look forward to seeing the best of women players from Korea, Japan, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong and China, combined with New Zealand and Australia, and the other APGC members, taking on the best Europe can offer. The men are 6-2 down against Europe – I can see the women reversing this trend.
EARLY US PGA WIN FOR APGC WINNER Former two-time Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion Hideki Matsuyana scored an early breakthrough on the US PGA Tour, snaring the Memorial Tournament at Jack Nicklaus’s course in Dublin, Ohio in June.
The Japanese star, who won back-toback Asia-Pacific Amateur crowns in 201011, defeated American Kevin Na on the first playoff hole, describing his victory as “a dream come true”. Matsuyama,22, was the same age Nicklaus was when he won his first PGA Tour event. “This young man is going to win a lot of golf tournaments,” Nicklaus said. “He has a lot of time left.” Matsuyama becomes the first Japanese player under 30 to win on the PGA Tour and the first player to win the Memorial in his first appearance. He did it the hard way though, cracking over the final holes with a double bogey at 16 and a bogey at 17 to trail Na by one shot at 12-under.
6 ❘ APGC NEWSLETTER ❘ SEPTEMBER 2014
Winner: Hideki Matsuyama claimed his first win on the US PGA Tour in June’s Memorial Tournament. Photo: randa.org
Needing a birdie on 18 to force a playoff, Matsuyama hit his approach shot to within two metres of the pin and rolled in the putt. He was able to win with a par at the first playoff hole when Na’s tee shot landed in water.
Matsuyama banked $US1.1 million and has now refocused on his goals. “I’m the fourth Japanese pro to win here on the PGA Tour and that goes to prove how difficult it is to win here,” Matsuyama said. “One of my goals when I was young was to win here. Now that I’ve done it, my goal is to win one of the four majors.” Matsuyama made the cut at the Masters in 2011 after winning a spot via his AsiaPacific Amateur success and the same year sealed his first professional tournament in Japan, the Visa Taiheiyo Masters. He has since won four times in Japan. His Memorial win capped a consistent season for the Japanese who had four top-10 finishes in 16 PGA Tour events after teeing up through a non-member earnings exemption. “To win my first PGA event is enough,” Matsuyama said. “But to win it here, at Mr. Nicklaus’s course, really gives me a lot of confidence. Hopefully, it will be a stepping stone.”
Lifetime award for Peter Dawson
Honoured: Peter Dawson receives his lifetime achievement award from Italian golfer Matteo Manassero.
Peter Dawson, the Chief Executive of The R&A, has received a special Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2014 HSBC Golf Business Forum in Abu Dhabi.
He accepted the honour from Italian star Matteo Manassero, who last year won the PGA Championship at Wentworth on the European Tour and was the winner of the Silver Medal as the leading amateur at the 2009 Open Championship at Turnberry.
The award recognises outstanding contribution, achievement and leadership in both the game and business of golf. Past winners include Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Greg Norman. George O’Grady CBE, Chief Executive of The European Tour, and Tim Finchem, PGA TOUR Commissioner, were the joint recipients of the 2013 Award. Dawson became Chief Executive of The
R&A in 1999 having previously worked in the engineering industry. He was appointed President of the International Golf Federation in December 2010. “It’s a thrill to receive this in front of so many people who are involved in the business of golf and love the game,” he said. “It’s a particular thrill to receive this from Matteo – I have known him for many years and at such a young age he is a fantastic ambassador for golf.”
A golden experience for Paratore Italy’s Renato Paratore overturned a three-shot deficit at the start of the day, moving from fifth to first, to win Gold in the Men’s Individual Stroke Play Golf Competition at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing.
The young Italian shot 66, meaning he was 11-under-par for his last 36 holes, to beat Sweden’s Marcus Kinhult into second place. Paratore, who was ranked fifth in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, birdied the 17th and 18th to go from being one behind to one in front and then had a nervous wait as Kinhult came down the 18th. “I played really good on the long game and putted well today,” he said. “I knew I was one off the lead when I was playing 17, so I knew I had to make two birdies to win. I was really pleased to make the birdies, one from 10 metres and one from six. “I was nervous watching Marcus playing the last hole but it is really nice to win the gold medal. My father is here and he is really excited for me. I can’t believe it. I’m very happy.”
Golden moment: Italian Renato Paratore won gold at the Youth Olympics in Nanjing. Photo: randa.org
Kinhult shot a final-round 69 to assure himself of silver but with just two holes to go he was in position to take gold. “It feels good, of course, I wanted to win, but Renato was better. He deserves it,” Kinhult said. “I saw the leaderboards on the 10th tee. I thought I have to play the back nine in
two-under-par to have a chance. I didn’t quite manage it. I knew I had to make the final putt to force a playoff but I hit a bad putt. “I have really enjoyed the Youth Olympics on and off the course, especially being in the village. That’s definitely cool. Being a part of the history, that’s cool too.” Thailand’s Danthai Boonma started the day in second but after shooting 73 looked set to miss out on a medal until Norway’s Viktor Hovland bogied the 18th, meaning the two players would play off for the bronze medal. It took two trips down the 18th to separate the pair but after a poor tee shot Hovland missed the green short right while Boonma hit it pin high to 10 feet. Hovland couldn’t get up and down, allowing Boonma a simple twoputt for bronze. “I’m so happy to get a bronze medal. I was pretty confident in the playoff but Viktor is a good player and he put some pressure on me. “I had to dig deep to find a way to beat him. The medal is very important for me and I believe the Thai people will like it.” SEPTEMBER 2014 ❘ APGC NEWSLETTER ❘ 7
Chan claims World University title Hong Kong’s Tiffany Chan pulled off one of the greatest results in the history of Hong Kong golf by winning the 15th edition of the World University Championship in Switzerland in June.
The 20-year-old from Tuen Mun has been Hong Kong’s outstanding female player over the past five years and she staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Spain’s Marta Sanz on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff after the pair had tied at 10-under 278 through four rounds of regulation play. Chan calmly holed a three-metre birdie putt on the 18th at the scenic Crans-sur-Sierre course in the heart of the Swiss Alps to best a strong field that included two members of this year’s winning United States Curtis Cup team. “It was really exciting to come good at the end of the day, especially as I didn’t start well at all,” said the former Diocesan Girls’ School student, who saw her overnight one-shot lead evaporate after making a bogey at the fourth and a double bogey at the fifth.
Winners are grinners: Tiffany Chan of Hong Kong with her gold medal from the 15th FISU World University Championship in Switzerland.
“It’s a big deal for me because of the strength of the players here. My goal was top-five, so to come away as the winner is very special.” Chan’s fightback began at the seventh, a hole she birdied, and was followed by another birdie at the eighth to draw level. But a Sanz birdie at the 13th saw Chan slip behind again, and when the Spaniard wowed the galleries
by sinking a monster 30m putt for eagle at the 14th, Chan was staring defeat firmly in the face. Undeterred, Chan, who now attends Daytona State College in Florida, rolled in her own lengthy eagle putt to remain in contention, and then ensured her place in the play-off by holing a pressure-packed three metre putt at the last. “It’s funny because I didn’t hit the ball that well but my putting and my short game generally has been really strong,” Chan said. “But I had a good session with Brad (Schadewitz, Hong Kong national coach) on the range before the final round and I played much better. It’s been a great week.” As a result of her performance in the University Sports Federation of Hong Kong China-endorsed event, Chan looks was poised to break into the top 50 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. “After this win I can aim higher,” Chan said. “I’m going to spend the next couple of months working hard on my weaknesses and will try to do my best.”
Australia out to reverse senior result Australia has named a six-man team in its bid to avenge defeat by New Zealand in last year’s Asia-Pacific Senior Amateur Championship.
The 2014 event will be played at the Discovery Bay Golf Club in Hong Kong from November 19-21. New South Wales players dominate this year’s Australian team, led by Stefan Albinski. He will be backed up by Paul Maslen, Denis Dale, Vince Clark, Roy Vandersluis and Victorian Gordon Claney, who is the only player not from NSW. The New Zealanders upset Australia to claim a slender three-shot win last year at the Montgomerie Links course in Da Nang, Vietnam. Hong Kong finished third.
Sweet spot: Discovery Bay Golf Club in Hong Kong. Photo: dbgc.hk
Discovery Bay Golf Club is situated on a mountain on Lantau Island but is within 25 minutes of the central financial district.
Regarded as one of South-east Asia’s most prestigious golfing venues, it was opened in 1983 and offers three testing layouts – the Diamond, Jade and Ruby nines. An additional nine holes was constructed and opened for play in June 1992. The original 18-hole course was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr, who demanded accuracy on the layout with surrounding mountainous terrain. The Diamond Course is regarded as the most difficult, with dramatic elevation changes and speedy greens. The Ruby Course offers vast views while the Jade Course features a number of sharp dog-leg holes and more water.
Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation
Chairman Dr David Cherry
Vice chairman Mr Dilip Thomas
Secretary general Mr Taimur Amin
Treasurer Mr Philip Hassall
Honorary secretary Mr Kyungjae Lee
Championship Mr Zhang Xiaoning Mr Rungsid Committee Luxsitanonda chairman Mr Keisuki Muratsu
Mr Mohammed Faisal Al-Naimi
The Asia Pacific Golf Confederation encourages all member nations to contribute news from their countries for inclusion in the APGC Newsletter. News items can be emailed to the editor Robert Grant at rob.grant1948@gmail.com 8 ❘ APGC NEWSLETTER ❘ SEPTEMBER 2014