From the President While the Hong Kong summer is not considered an optimal golfing season – the heat, humidity and the occasional risk of a passing typhoon make even the most dedicated of players have second thoughts about teeing it up – it has been a particularly busy time at the HKGA, with numerous events – both at home and overseas – taking place. In July our national coaches led a number of young players from the international squad on what has become an annual tour of the United States. Taking part in a variety of high quality tournaments, including the prestigious Callaway World Junior Championships in San Diego, the squad enjoyed fine results at many events and were able to take advantage of both excellent weather and top-notch practice facilities. Experiencing different playing conditions and competing against players from around the world is crucial in the development of our junior players, and the summer tour has been a great success in that regard. A special mention here to both Kitty Tam and Mimi Ho who won the Toyota Tour Cup Series event at Santa Ana and the FCG World Championship at PGA West respectively. These are strong tournaments and I congratulate the girls on their wonderful achievements. Readers will know that one of the key goals of the HKGA is junior development, something that has grown significantly
in recent times thanks to the involvement of EFG Bank, sponsors of our development programme. The 2013 EFG Bank Summer Junior Classic was meant to be played in early August at the Hong Kong Golf Club’s course at Deep Water Bay but unfortunately the event fell victim to poor weather. This was a great shame as the tournament has traditionally been played in a wonderful spirit and provided a lot of fun for all the competitors. The youngsters will, however, have a chance for more competitive action once the EFG Bank Junior Series commences again in September. As ever, our thanks must go to EFG Bank for their continued support. Last month saw the Hong Kong Golf Club at Fanling host the le coq sportif Hong Kong Junior Open Championship. Despite the challenging conditions – heavy rain fell throughout the final day – the tournament was completed successfully and saw Hong Kong players perform admirably. Lucas Lam became the first local player to win the overall boys’ division since 2009 thanks to a dominating display, while Vivian Li claimed second place in the overall girls’ category. Congratulations to them both. The Junior Open also coincided with the final day of Iain Valentine’s tenure as Chief Executive of the HKGA after 11 years in the role. I would like to wish Iain the best in the future and also welcome Tom Phillips who has taken over the reins. Tom has a wealth of golfing experience in the region and I look forward to working with him and all the staff at the HKGA for the remainder of my time as President. William Chung President
Kitty and Mimi Bag Top 10s at Asian Youth Games
Patrick Leung (Chung)
Kitty Tam (pictured) was Hong Kong’s top performer at the second edition of the Asian Youth Games, which was played between 1820 August in Nanjing. Tam, 16, fired rounds of 70, 76 and 69 for a three-day total of 215 (one-under-par) over the Zhongshan International Golf Club course to earn eighth spot in the elite field. Mimi Ho, Tam’s international teammate, finished in a share of 10th, four strokes further back. Clare Ameila Legaspi of the Philippines earned the gold medal thanks to a superb 15-under-par effort. In the boys’ division, Hong Kong was represented by Michael Regan Wong and Leonard Ho, and both benefited from the competition held over the challenging Gary Player-designed course. Wong finished with a total of 238 for 17th spot, with Ho a further stroke back in a tie for 18th. Chinese Taipei’s highly regarded Yu Chun-an secured a wire-to-wire victory after opening up the event with an attention-grabbing 64. 44
HK GOLFER・SEP 2013
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