APGC
Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation Journal
March 2016
Young stars vie for Hankins, Bonallack trophies In it to win it: Chinese Taipai’s Han-Hsuan Yu will compete for the inaugural Patsy Hankins Trophy.
Contents Young stars vie for trophies Princess crowned Hong Kong champ ‘I’m ready for Augusta’
1-2 3 4-5
Korea aims for three-peat
6
Women are Rio-ready
7
Chairman’s message
8
Chinese nearing golf’s peak – Spieth
8
Pace of play examined
9
R&A, USGA announce new rules HSBC Junior Tour Champions
9 10
The inaugural Patsy Hankins Trophy will showcase leading female amateurs from AsiaPacific and Europe next month while in the Sir Michael Bonallack Trophy Asia-Pacific will be out to break a decadelong drought. Both tournaments – run concurrently under the umbrella of the Asia-Paficic Golf Confederation – will be staged at Portugal’s Vidago Palace Golf Course, a layout which was
re-designed from an original Mackenzie Ross plan built in 1936. The Patsy Hankins Trophy format will be the same as the Bonallack Trophy for males and will consist of two teams
of 12 representing Europe and Asia-Pacific. There will be three days of play. The first two days will comprise five foursomes matches each morning and five four-ball matches each afternoon. On the final day, all 12 team players will compete in singles match play. A win will count as one point, a half yields half a point n Continued page 2
Young stars vie for trophies n From page 1
and a lost match will return zero. In the event of a tie, the trophy shall be retained by the holders. Patsy Hankins, a New Zealander who died unexpectedly last year at the age of 70, was one of golf’s most respected administrators. Hankins encouraged development in the women’s game and played a key role in the amalgamation of men’s and women’s golf. Players from nine countries will contest the maiden event – Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, the Philippines, New Zealand, Thailand, Korea and Chinese Taipei. Hong Kong’s Tiffany Chan is the highest-ranked player heading into the tournament at No.16 on the world rankings. A four-time member of the Queen Sirikit Cup National Team, Chan last year won the TLPGA Futures Open, finished third in the Hong Kong Ladies Open Amateur and Mid Championships and was in a share of 13th in the Hong Kong Ladies Open. Also playing and in the top 70 in the rankings are Japanese duo Hina Aragaki (29) and Nasa Hataoka (59), Korean Choi HyeJin (38) and Australia’s Hannah Green (67). Green won both the West Australian Amateur and the Dunes Medal in 2014 and last year was second in the New Zealand Open and tied for 11th in the Women’s Oates Victorian Open among an international class field which included former world No.1 Karrie Webb. Hataoka won the Faldo Series Asia Japan Championship last year as well as the Kanto Junior Championship and is seen as a strong challenger for the match play section. Choi Hye-Jin struck early this year, collecting the Ladies
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Swing away: Chinese Taipei’s Han-Ting Chiu will compete in the Sir Michael Bonallack Trophy.
Lake Macquarie International Championship while last year she was the World Junior Girls Champion. Her compatriot, Park Hyunkyung, No.80 in world rankings, was first in both the individual and team section of last year’s Queen Sirikit Cup and also won the Jeju Governor’s Cup. She also finished third in the Lake Macquarie event in Australia. From the Philippines, Princess Mary Superal is a former Kuala Lumpur Amateur and Faldo Series Asia Philippines winner and last year took out the Hong Kong Ladies Open Amateur and Mid Championships. New Zealanders Julianne Alvarez and Wenyung Keh are well-credentialed to take out the trophy in honour of their countrywoman Hankins. Alvarez is a former New Zealand Amateur and New Zealand stroke play winner while Keh had top-two finishes in two key events last year. Fifteen-year-old Han-Hsuan Yu from Chinese Taipei may be
young but has been playing golf for half her life. She won this year’s Victorian Junior Masters in Australia and had a string of top-four finishes last year, including a tie for third in the FCG International Junior Championship. The Asia-Pacific men’s team will be keen to help correct the imbalance in the Sir Michael Bonallack Trophy, which in its ninth edition. Europe has taken out the title effortlessly in the past four stagings and leads head-to-head clashes 6-2. Asia Pacific won back-to-back tournaments in Japan and Italy in 2002 and 2004. Australia, Japan, Korea, India and Chinese Taipei are each sending two players while New Zealand and Singapore will have one. Brett Coletta and Zach Murray will represent Australia. Coletta almost caused a boilover when he threatened to win last year’s US Amateur Championship, eventually finishing as the stroke-play medallist.
Murray has had strong and consistent form the past three years and last year won the prestigious Master of the Amateurs tournament. For Korea, Sung-ho Yun is set to make his presence felt after victory in the Korea Amateur Championship last year and a tie for fifth in this year’s Australian Amateur Championship. His teammate, Jae-Kyeoung Lee was joint runner-up in the 2015 individual section of last year’s Nomura Cup, alongside Chinese Taipei’s Han-Ting Chiu, and was low amateur in the GS Caltex Maekyung Open. Japan is also sending a strong team with 17-year-old Takumi Kanaya and the more experienced Toshiki Ishitoku. Kanaya, from Hiroshima, was low amateur – at 11th – in the last year’s Japan Open and the same year became the Japanese Amateur Champion. Ishitoku, third in the Japan Amateur, won last year’s New Zealand Stroke Play Championship.
Princess crowned Hong Kong champ
Crowned: Princess Mary Superal receives the Hong Kong Ladies Open Amateur Championship trophy from Hong Kong Golf Association President Mark Chan at the Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling. Photo: HK Golfer
Princess Mary Superal of the Philippines fired a spectacular final-round 66 to win the Hong Kong Ladies Open Amateur Championship in style at Fanling. The 18-year-old, who held a share of the overnight lead with local favourite Tiffany Chan, prospered in the benign conditions by carding seven birdies and just one bogey at the New Course to claim the title by four shots from fast-finishing Mimi Ho in second place. Chan, No.17 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, could only manage a lacklustre 72 to earn third, a further shot adrift. “To win this title means a lot to me,” said Superal, who claimed the 2014 US Junior Girls’ title and earns an exemption into the Hong Kong Ladies Open, a professional event scheduled for June at the Hong Kong Golf Club. “I was feeling good and I have
Final scores Hong Kong Ladies Open Amateur Championship 205: Princess Mary Superal (Philippines) 70, 69, 66 209: Mimi Ho (Hong Kong) 71, 71, 67 211: Tiffany Chan (Hong Kong) 70, 69, 72 214: Michelle Cheung (Hong Kong) 72, 75, 67; Isabella Leung (Hong Kong) 74, 67, 73 218: Pauline Del Rosario (Philippines) 71, 75, 72
my putter to thank – I holed a lot of putts today.” Chan, by contrast, was left to rue her own performance on the greens. Despite starting brightly with birdies at the first and third holes, a four-putt at the fourth dented both her confidence and her chance of securing a maiden Ladies Open triumph. “It was rough,” the 22-yearold admitted. “I made an eagle at the ninth to come back a bit but my
putting affected me and I lost some confidence.” Chan’s international teammate Ho was in a more buoyant mood following a 67 which gave her victory in the Hong Kong Ladies Close Amateur, which was held concurrently with the Open. “I was just trying to have fun out there,” said the 19-year-old, who made a late charge with four consecutive birdies down the stretch. “It’s a nice feeling to win the Close and finish runner-up in the Open with a bogey-free round.” Ho also secured a spot in the prestigious MercedesTrophy Hong Kong at Fanling in May. The Hong Kong Golf Association recently announced dates for the Road to MercedesTrophy Hong Kong 2016, a qualifying format that gives HKGA subscribers a chance to play in the internationallyrenowned MercedesTrophy event. The Road to MercedesTrophy
Hong Kong 2016 means leading Hong Kong players from the following HKGA tournaments qualify for the MercedesTrophy Hong Kong: the Hong Kong Seniors Open 2015; the Hong Kong Ladies Open and Close Amateur and Mid-Amateur Championships 2016; the 2016 Hong Kong Close Amateur and Mid-Amateur Championships at the Hong Kong Golf Club; the HKGA Spring Men’s Tournament at Discovery Bay Golf Club on March 7; and the HKGA Spring Ladies Tournament at Discovery Bay Golf Club on March 8. Now in its eighth year, seven winners from the MercedesTrophy Hong Kong 2016 will advance to the MercedesTrophy Asian Final on Australia’s Gold Coast in August. From there the leading Hong Kong player, if the owner of a Mercedes-Benz vehicle, will be invited to the MercedesTrophy World Final in Germany in October.
March 2016 ❘ APGC Newsletter ❘ 3
Living the dream: Eighteen-year-old Jin Cheng is excited to compete at this year’s Masters.
‘I’m ready for Augusta’ Boosted by an impressive performance in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters recently, reigning Asia-Pacific Amateur champion Jin Cheng believes he is ready to compete in The Masters at Augusta National in April. A spot in the field was the key prize for winning the APGC title – along with entry into final qualifying for The Open – and Cheng’s masterful course-record 62 in the opening round in Hong Kong starkly underlined his potential. From Beijing, Cheng turned 18 on March 6 and was looking ahead to “everything” in April. “Playing in Augusta is a dream
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‘Playing in Augusta is a dream for any golfer and I am no exception’ for any golfer and I am no exception … and now waiting for the dream to come true is exciting. “I’m looking forward to everything there – every round I play there, how the course is going to look and the facilities and Augusta itself … everything. “The best players of the world will all be there, so I’m just going to try to learn from them and enjoy the time I play with them.”
Cheng, who played much of his golf at night in Singapore to avoid the extreme heat and mosquitoes, looks up to world No.1 Jordan Spieth and Chinese star Zhang Lianwei as role models. He hoped to be grouped with defending champion Spieth, who enjoyed a breakout season in 2015 by winning the first two majors of the year, the Tour Championships and FedEx Cup bonus at just 22.
“I think Jordan is someone to learn from, he isn’t that old and isn’t much older than me,” Cheng said. “Such big achievements at this age is just incredible.” Cheng earned his spot in the Qatar Masters in Doha after his victory in Hong Kong in October. He fought off chilly weather at the Doha Golf Club to finish in a tie for 35th at the Qatar tournament, won by South African Branden Grace. “I am happy with the way I played here considering the windy and cold conditions,” Cheng said. “It was tough to adjust as
the weather has been changing every day, so there was some struggle, but I think I didn’t do that bad,” he said. He said he would benefit a lot from his experience. “This is my first time in Doha, in fact only my second time in the Middle East. I played in Abu Dhabi last week, and the conditions here are pretty similar, though I think it’s colder here. “It’s been a great experience playing with some illustrious names. I am just starting out, so for me every tournament is a learning curve, and you can learn so much by watching the pros. I hope this experience will hold me in good stead for Augusta,” said Cheng, who is still in high school in Beijing. Studying and improving his golf game is tricky for Cheng. “It’s difficult, yeah, but I think I have managed to balance it,” he said. And there were no immediate plans to turn professional. “Probably not in the near future, because I don’t think I’m ready for it. I need more experience and need to learn more. I hope I get to play more tournaments like this,” he said. Qatar Golf Association executive director Mohamed Faisal al-Naimi said he was happy to see Cheng playing the Qatar Masters. “He’s one of Asia’s most exciting talents and we are happy that he is here. Every year the Qatar Golf Association gives one playing spot to the winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, and Mr Jin Cheng won the title this year. We wish him all the best for his future tournaments, and hope that he will make a mark at the Augusta Masters,” al-Naimi said. He also earned praise from Australians Ryan Ruffels and Cameron Davis who were runners-up in the APGC Championship, before Ruffels turned pro. Ruffels played in the same group as Cheng during the first two rounds in Hong Kong.
Hot shot: Jin Cheng has signed a letter of intent with the University of Southern California.
“We’ve known each other for a long time, we are about the same age and we’ve gone through a lot together in junior golf,” Ruffels said. “We get along great. He’s a heck of a golfer and a great guy and to shoot 62 in the first round and keep the lead is amazing.” Davis added: “To play the way we did under the circumstances, the golf course was difficult and we feel like we can take on any golf course at the moment. “The pressure to win with that kind of prize (The Masters) on the line, that’s going to stick with you for a long time. To know you can play that well under the circumstances gives you a lot of confidence.” Billy Payne, chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the US Masters, said Cheng deserved his victory despite playing only 54 holes in the rain-shortened championship. “While weather regrettably shortened the event, we have
identified a very worthy and talented champion in Jin Cheng,” Payne said. “This is a moment of celebration. He showed his tremendous skill during the championship and we look forward to welcoming him to Augusta next April.” For Ruffels and Davis, they have the consolation of joining Jin at the British Open qualifying series at Royal Troon in July. “We are very much looking forward to welcoming Cheng and the runners-up to Royal Troon,” said Martin Slumbers, chief executive of The R&A. Meanwhile, Cheng and Honolulu’s Kyle Suppa, one of the top juniors in America, have signed National Letters of Intent with the University of Southern California, the school’s men’s golf coach Chris Zambri said. Apart from the APGC event, Suppa was impressed by Cheng’s resume as a whole. He has played as an amateur in multiple professional events in China, winning the PGA Tour
China’s 2014 Nine Dragons Open, becoming the first amateur ever to win a PGA Tour China event. In other PGA Tour China events, he was third in the 2014 Jianye Tianzhu Henan Open, tied for seventh at the 2015 Lanhai Open and at the 2015 Cadillac Championship and tied for 13th at the Pingan Bank Open. He also tied for sixth at the 2014 Western Junior Amateur Championship and tied for 12th at the 2014 Asia-Pacific Amateur. “Jin Cheng is the most accomplished incoming freshman we have ever had here at USC,” Zambri said. “In addition to years of great play as a junior golfer all over the world, Cheng has had consistent success on PGA Tour China. He will bring a tremendously high level of skill and experience to our lineup from day one. In addition, he’s a cool kid who will fit in perfectly with an already tight-knit group.”
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Beautiful: Ora Country Club; below, the 18th green on the South course.
Korea aims for Queen Sirikit Cup three-peat Korea is poised to continue its dominance of the Queen Sirikit Cup in April. The Korean team will have a home-course advantage with the 2016 tournament staged at the picturesque Ora Country Club in Jeju-do. Chasing a hat-trick of titles and its ninth victory in 10 years, the Koreans are clear favourites. Australia has been the only country stopping their clean sweep in the past decade, punctuating Korea’s run with success in the 2013 event in Chinese Taipei. Korea will also be after a record 18th overall championship. Australia was the standout force in the early years of the Queen Sirikit Cup, which
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made its debut as the premier Asia-Pacific Ladies Team Championship in Thailand in 1979. While Japan was the inaugural
winner, Australia won six of the next nine trophies. The Cup is an integral part of the history of the Thailand Golf Association and was launched
through the initiative of one of the Association’s founders, RaeVadee Tsuwan. The plan was to give female amateur golfers in the region a national team championship to compete for in a bid to help talented golfers who lacked resources to play at a higher level. A proposal was sent to the national golf associations of 14 countries – including Thailand, Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Burma, India, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea – to send teams. Nine took part in the first tournament. The annual event expanded and gained momentum as it rotated through various venues in the Asia-Pacific area.
Women are Rio-ready From the shores of Lake Geneva to the fairways of Rio de Janeiro, the world’s top women golfers had a taste of what to expect in 2016 when they paid a visit to the Olympic Museum and IOC Headquarters ahead of the Evian Championship late last year. Seven golfers from five continents, all with aspirations of going to this year’s Rio Olympics, played a nearestto-the-pin contest before taking a guided tour of the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, and posing in front of the Olympic Flame. Shanshan Feng (China), Julieta Granada (Paraguay), Fabienne In-Albon (Switzerland), Caroline Masson (Germany), Paula Reto (South Africa), Alena Sharp (Canada) and Maria Uribe (Colombia) were all inspired to realise their own Olympic dreams as they learned about past records and heroes. Staged at two editions of the Games (Paris 1900 and St Louis 1904), golf is returning to the Olympic program this year after a 112-year absence. After the contest and tour, several players met the International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach at the IOC Headquarters to discuss their hopes for when golf returns to the Olympic Games. President Bach insisted on hitting a few chip shots with the players in the garden afterwards and said: “I really enjoyed trying golf but the passion was greater than the performance.” World No.8 Shanshan Feng, who is one of China’s brightest medal prospects, said: “It was really great to learn more about the history of the Olympic Games and it has certainly inspired me to go for a medal. The Olympics are so popular in China and I am determined to represent my country with pride.”
Focused: Australian Olympic medal hopeful Minjee Lee.
Julieta Granada, who is Paraguay’s representative on the current Olympic ranking, said: “As I’m from South America I’ve got extra incentive to perform well in Rio. As well as competing, I’m looking forward to the carnival atmosphere at the greatest show on Earth.” Fabienne In-Albon, who is poised to represent Switzerland, added: “Representing my country in the Olympics has been a dream since I was a little girl. Now I have the chance to make this dream become a reality so I’m working very hard every day because I’m sure next year is going to fly by.” Germany’s Caroline Masson, who won the nearest-to-the-pin
contest, said: “It was a privilege to sit down with President Bach and the IOC staff and it was great to hear how much support golf has from the IOC in its return to the Games. I’m working really hard to make sure I’m in Rio next year.” South African Paula Reto commented: “I always watched the Olympics growing up in South Africa so it’s going to be fantastic to compete and I will do everything I can to play well.” Canadian Alena Sharp said: “To represent my country and compete for an Olympic medal would be an absolute honour and I’m going to work hard to achieve my goals.”
Photo: Golf Australia
Maria Uribe from Colombia stated: “For me, nothing will beat playing in the 2016 Olympics in my home continent, South America. I can’t wait for golf to return to the Games in Brazil after a 112-year absence and I’m sure the worldwide interest in golf will grow massively as a result.” After their inspirational visit, the players took the short boat ride back across the lake from Lausanne, Switzerland, to Evian, France, which is hosting the final Major Championship of 2015. With only months until the Games, watch the players compete in the Evian Championship and support them on the road to Rio in 2016.
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Chairman’s message
APGC Chairman Dr David Cherry Shortly after this goes to print, we will know the outcome of the Bonallack and Patsy Hankin trophies. The APGC has put a great deal of time and money (through its member countries) into what I believe is the premier teams event on the calendar. Our record in the men’s event is poor, but hopefully we can address this and also have our women make a winning start with what I think is a very strong team.
My thanks go to Taimur Amin, Matt Cutler and Andy Yamanaka, together with RaeVadee and her band of selectors for the time they all put in to see our best teams represent us. It was unfortunate that the venue had to be changed from Turkey to Portugal and on behalf of the APGC, I extend my sympathies to the Turkish Golf Federation for all of the planning they put in to hold a successful event. I have not been idle in the past three months, having completed a tour of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Jordan with Mohammed Al Naimi. One of the great privileges of being Chairman is to visit member countries and see how the APGC can help develop the game in those countries.
Qatar will have one of the best courses and practice facilities in the world in the next 18 months and they have kindly offered to let their neighbouring GCC members use these practice facilities. I was very impressed with the enthusiasm of the member countries in their efforts to develop the game and in particular young women of Muslim faith. I have asked Raybe Abbas, from Malaysia, to make this one of her tasks while on our Executive Committee. The situation is not as desperate as I thought it was and the holding of the above-named trophies in Qatar in 2018 should provide a further stimulus for local young women to participate. The APGC needs to encourage member countries to have nationally recognised rules officials as they are desperately needed for our events – both male and female. I am aware that representatives from Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Mongolia are going through that process and Kei Muratsu, Chairman of our Championship Committee, is looking forward to being able to add them to our small number (mainly Indian) of nationally qualified referees. I would like all member
countries to consider doing this and contacting our Secretary KJ Lee, so he can co-ordinate the R&A training required. I know we all wish Jin Cheng well for the forthcoming Masters Tournament. He has done extremely well in the Qatar Masters, which is now a tournament that makes available a position in the field for the AAC Champion. It is a tough ask with the top 50 players in the world playing and only 45 making the cut, but it can be done. Guan Tianlang – and Hideki Matsuyama, twice – have achieved this feat and gone on to be the leading amateur. As I have mentioned before, Jin was a worthy winner of our shortened 2015 AAC in Hong Kong as only two weeks later he was easily the best player at the Nomura Cup in Abu Dhabi. Finally, the APGC is on the verge of appointing a Tournament Director, to manage all of our events – both male and female, senior, open and junior. This will significantly add to the standard and consistency of these events and take a huge load off the shoulders of our Chairman of the Championship Committee.
Chinese nearing golf’s peak, says Spieth Chinese golfers are poised to break through and challenge for the game’s grand slam events, according to world No.1 Jordan Spieth. Spieth said China was on the brink of unleashing a force of competitive players after witnessing Li Hao Tong’s seventh-place finish in the WGC HSBC Champions event in Shanghai last November. The 20-year-old Li’s performance – just five shots astray of Scottish winner Russell Knox – was the highest finish of any Chinese player in World Golf
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‘Man, did he have heart … What he did was unbelievable’ Championship and US PGA Tour event history. With his father caddying for him, Li fired a total of 15-under for the tournament and collected £112,000 prize money. “Man, did he have heart,” said Spieth, who finished level with Li. “What he did was unbelievable.” German Martin Kaymer, a
two-time Major winner finished 30th in China and was quick to point out the emergence of Li alongside Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship winner Jin Cheng and believed Asia’s presence in golf would continue to grow. “Everyone in the professional game is passionate about the development of golf and reaching new audiences,”
Kaymer was quoted as saying in Britain’s Daily Mail. “The long-term investment in junior golf in Asia by companies such as HSBC is already starting to deliver amazing talent. “We’ve seen first-hand Asia’s enormous potential to deliver some of the world’s best players over the next 10 years. “Take Jin Cheng, for example. He’s a brilliant 17-year-old winner of this year’s Asian Amateur Championship who will play alongside us at next year’s Masters and Open Championship.”
Pace of play examined A recent golf industry forum in St Andrews took a close look at the issues surrounding pace of play and the time it takes to play golf.
The Time for Golf conference, held over two days, brought together representatives of national affiliated bodies with figures from some of the key organisations involved in administering the sport to discuss factors such as the golf course, management and player behaviour. The APGC was represented at the forum by Honourary Secretary Mr K.J. Lee. The conference followed on from the results of an extensive pace of play survey conducted by The R&A between September 2014 and March 2015 that attracted more than 56,000 responses from 127 countries. Among the key findings of the survey were that, while
Photo: The R&A
70 per cent of golfers were largely satisfied with the duration of their rounds, 60 per cent expressed the view that they would enjoy golf more if they played in less time. The forum was part of The R&A’s ongoing effort to identify ways to reduce the time it takes to play golf, and provided an opportunity for industry partners to contribute their views and discuss potential solutions.
One of the initial outcomes of the conference will be a set of guidelines on ways to improve pace of play that delegates will help finalise before distribution this spring. “We know that the time it takes to play golf is one of the barriers preventing many people from getting involved in the sport,” said Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A.
“It isn’t a problem that we can solve overnight, but it is clear that we must focus on making golf more enjoyable to play and watch.” Speakers at the conference included European Ryder Cup player Stephen Gallacher, Ladies European Tour player Rebecca Hudson, PGA Master Professional Denis Pugh and Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup Captain Nigel Edwards.
The R&A and USGA announce new rules The R&A and the United States Golf Association (USGA) have announced the latest revisions to the Rules of Amateur Status for golfers, which took effect on January 1.
The Rules of Amateur Status will be published within the 2016 edition of the Rules of Golf, a collaborative work by The R&A and the USGA that applies to golfers around the world. Among the most significant changes to the 2016 Rules of Amateur Status are the following: n Prize Money to Charity – New Rule 3-1b enables an amateur golfer to participate in an event where prize money or its equivalent is donated to a recognised charity, provided the approval of the governing body is first obtained in advance by the organiser;
n Golf-Related Expenses – New Rule 4-3 clarifies that an amateur golfer may receive reasonable expenses, not exceeding actual expenses incurred, for non-competition golf-related activities. Former Rule 4-3 becomes Rule 4-4; n Reinstatement to Amateur Status – The recommended guidelines on periods awaiting reinstatement are amended to provide that a period in breach of the Rules of up to six years (previously up to five years) should result in a period awaiting reinstatement of one year. David Rickman, The R&A’s Executive Director of Rules and Equipment Standards, said: “After the fundamental review of Amateurism conducted in the
previous Rules cycle we have had a period of consolidation and have continued to develop the uniform Code. The new Code provides flexibility in terms of supporting recognised charitable causes, while remaining faithful to the principles of Amateurism.” Thomas Pagel, Senior Director of Rules of Golf at the USGA, said: “The new Amateur Code continues to provide appropriate limits and restrictions to encourage the amateur golfer to focus on the challenge of the sport, rather than on any financial gains. We also want to make it easier for golfers to return to the amateur sport if they no longer wish to play professionally.” Additional comments on prize money to charity Until now, an amateur golfer has
been prohibited in all respects from playing for prize money or its equivalent in a match, competition or exhibition. However under new Rule 3-1b, an amateur golfer can participate in an event where prize money is offered and donate any winnings to a predetermined recognised charity, provided the approval of the governing body is obtained in advance by the event’s organiser. This change has been made to reflect the growing number of charitable golf exhibitions organised around the world in aid of worthwhile causes. As long as the organiser seeks prior approval from the governing body, an amateur golfer may donate any prize money to the identified charitable cause without compromising their amateur status.
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HSBC JUNIOR TOUR CHAMPIONS Golf ’s future stars have been in the spotlight with more than 200 local golfers taking part in junior tournaments staged by the Hong Kong Golf Association, including the finale of the 2015 HSBC Junior Tour. The HSBC Junior Tour Grand Final at Hong Kong Golf Club’s Deep Water Bay was the climax of the 2015 HSBC Junior Tour and saw 11-year-old Julius Yang take honours on the day with a 59 over two rounds of the ninehole, par-56 course. However, it was Timothy Chan, 12, who beat Yang and two others to the Boys’ 11-12 title for 2015, one of 10 agegroup winners to be crowned HSBC Junior Tour Champion after their success over six ninehole events last year. Deep Water Bay also hosted the HKGA’s Schools Holiday Competition, which featured pupils aged 12 and under from more than 20 different schools across Hong Kong. Eleven-year-old Maurice Leung of Hong Kong International School was the standout performer with a score of 64 over 18 holes. The 11 teams from Hong Kong and southern China were in action at Fanling for the Dr George Choa Cup. One of five HKGA teams emerged triumphant in the invitational event, led by Leon D’Souza, 17, who fired rounds of 68 and 69 on the New Course. The top-ranked player
Victorious: Winners from the HSBC Junior Tour Grand Final celebrate at Hong Kong Golf Club’s Deep Water Bay with trophies presented by Hong Kong Golf Association President Mark Chan (back centre) Photo: HK Golfer
was supported by 12-year-old Chloe Chan, who matched D’Souza’s 69 on day two, with Taiga Iwasa and Isaac Lam making up the winning team. The HKGA Winter Junior Championship took place at the Jockey Club Kau Sai Chau public golf course with 15-year-old Wu Sho-Wai showing the way with rounds of 70 and 72 over the tough North Course. Defending champion D’Souza finished two behind on 144 while the trio of Virginie Ding, Vivian Lee and Tiffany Wu shared honours in the girls’ division on 161.
Final scores HSBC Junior Tour Grand Final Boys 13-14: 61-Yu Ka-Jun; 62-Hu Ze-Sen. Girls 13-14: 70-Nicole Chan Huen-Tang; 72-Colette Szeto Wai-Sum. Boys 11-12: 59-Julius Yang; 65-Lincoln Lau Ching-Sum. Girls 11-12: 70-Lau Hoi-Ki; 71-Stephanie Wong Lok-Yin. Boys 9-10: 31-Markus Lam; 35-Kazer Ngu Tin-Yuk. Girls 9-10: 36-Vivien Mok, Charlene Chung. Boys 6-8: 37-Chan Shi-Hang; 39-Luke Brandler.
HSBC Junior Tour Champions 2015
Boys 13-14: Derek Yang. Girls 13-14: Tiffany Wu. Boys 11-12: Timothy Chan Nok-Him. Girls 11-12: Stephanie Wong Lok-Yin. Boys 9-10: Michael Yuen, Markus Lam, Leo Wong ChungLam. Girls 9-10: Vivien Mok. Boys 6-8: Luke Brandler. Girls 6-8: Arianna Lau.
Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation
Chairman Dr David Cherry
Vice Chairman Treasurer Mr Keisuki Mr Philip Muratsu Hassall
Secretary Mr Kyungjae Lee
Mr Taimur Amin Mr Zhang Xiaoning
Mr Mohammed Rae Vadee Faisal Al-Naimi T.Suwan
Nobuko Hirayama
Dato’ Rabeahtul Ning Li Aloya Abbas
The Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation encourages all member nations to contribute news from their countries for inclusion in the APGC journal. News items can be emailed to editor Robert Grant at rob.grant1948@gmail.com 10 ❘ APGC Newsletter ❘ March 2016