AROUND THE HKGA
Local
Heroes
Hong Kong golf celebrated one of its greatest days last month after the men’s team claimed the silver medal at the National Games – otherwise known as China’s “Olympics” – in Shenyang, writes Alex Jenkins.
Courtesy of the LCSD
Flying the flag (clockwise from above): James Wong, Timothy Tang, Jason Hak and Motin Yeung pose in front of the final leaderboard with their richly deserved trophy; coaches Ducky Tang and Brad Schadewitz celebrate with the team; the women’s team of Tiffany Chan, Mimi Ho, Kitty Tam and Wong Lai on their arrival back in Hong Kong 52
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n a performance that surely ranks alongside that of the victorious side which claimed the inaugural Putra Cup tournament in 1961, Hong Kong – represented by newly-turned professional Jason Hak, James Wong, Timothy Tang and amateur Motin Yeung – put in a brilliant collective performance to finish on 15-under-par, 10 shots behind host province Liaoning which claimed gold. “It’s a bit overwhelming,” said a delighted Brad Schadewitz, the national coach. “The National Games is a huge deal and it’s taken
extremely seriously, so for us to win the silver medal is a fantastic achievement. All the best athletes in China take part … all the guys should be proud of themselves and be proud of doing it for Hong Kong.” After a strong start, Hong Kong made a big move on day three when, with three scores out of four counting, Yeung fired a classy 67 in combination with a 69 from Tang and a 72 from Wong. While Lioaning still maintained a healthy advantage, the performances gave the team a cushion ahead of the highly fancied Guangdong side in third place. Hong Kong’s HKGOLFER.COM
near neighbours, spearheaded by Liang Wenchong and Zhang Lian-wei, China’s top two players over the past 15 years, featured a team bristling with talent and experience. On a windswept final day, Hong Kong again got off to a decent start and at one point closed to within three shots of Liaoning, a side that boasted the at times brilliant Hu Mu. Gold wasn’t to be however. Liaoning and Hu finished in style, while Guangdong ran the SAR all the way before having to settle for bronze. “We didn’t realise they were closing so strongly,” said former Asian Tour player Tang, in reference to the Guangdong team who finished just one stroke behind Hong Kong. “We just played our own game and in the end it’s a great job accomplished.” While Hong Kong were by no means favourites for the National Games, which saw golf included for the very first time thanks to the sport’s re-introduction to the 2016 Olympics, Schadewitz said he was confident of a strong result ahead of the tournament. “I was excited to see James and Tim playing so well before we left for Shenyang. I knew Jason and Motin were coming in with some good performances under their belts, too, so I really HKGOLFER.COM
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The men’s team (above) during practice at the interestingly named yet wonderfully conditioned Shenyang Northern Bear Golf Club 54
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thought we’d have a chance,” said Schadewitz. “We might have surprised a lot of people but we didn’t surprise ourselves.” US-based Yeung, who has represented Hong Kong at amateur level for the past two years and is currently studying at Duke University, finished as the SAR’s leading individual. Rounds of 68, 72, 67 and 72 gave him an impressive total of 279, the third best individual score of the tournament. “It’s funny because Motin didn’t play all that well in the practice round, but we worked on an old habit that had come back into his swing and he performed when it counted. He was excellent,” added Schadewitz. Given the team’s make-up – HKPGA pros Wong and Tang combining with Hak, who only turned pro a month before the event and amateur Yeung – the side were performing together for the first time and didn’t have long to gel. But the chemistry, said Schadewitz, clearly worked. “The guys bonded great. In fact everyone – including the girls’ team and the coaches – all got on really well. We were the only medalists to stay in the athletes’ village, which I think helped. There was a real spirit among all the Hong Kong representatives, and it showed on the golf course.” In the women’s event, Hong Kong – represented by amateurs Tiffany Chan, Kitty
Tam, Mimi Ho and professional Wong Lai – finished in seventh spot. Guangdong, headed by major champion Feng Shanshan, clinched gold with Shanghai second and Beijing third. “The girls, like the guys, got off to a great start, and while they didn’t play as well on the other days, they only finished two shots out of fifth place,” said Schadewitz. “We also had a much younger team than the other sides, so all in all it was still a good effort.” Tom Phillips, the newly-installed chief executive officer of the HKGA, was on hand to meet the returning players at Chek Lap Kok and was generous with his praise. “Congratulations to the team and our coaches, Brad Schadewitz and Ducky Tang, on a tremendous effort,” said Phillips, who joined the HKGA in August after heading Sir Nick Faldo’s industry-leading Faldo Series of youth development programme. “Credit must also go to the sponsors of both the HKGA and the HKPGA, the Home Affairs Bureau, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department as well as the golf clubs of Hong Kong. Without their support over the years a result like this would not have been possible. It’s a great achievement for Hong Kong golf.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 56 HKGOLFER.COM
Q&A: MOTIN YEUNG Where does the National Games success rank among your list of other golfing achievements? Definitely on top of the list! This is the first time I have played a tournament with professional players – to compete against the likes of Liang Wen-chong and Wu Ashun is very special.
You finished with the third best total of all the players in the field. What was it about your game that was really working for you during the week? I was just hitting the ball really well. I didn’t miss many fairways and I had a lot of greens in regulation. That made the scoring a lot easier!
You know Jason Hak having played with him before, but how did you bond with the two HKPGA pros in the team – Timothy Tang and James Wong? We all became really good friends. They’re both really cool, and they even taught me some Cantonese. I loved hanging out with them.
What does it mean to you to represent Hong Kong? I’m really happy to play for Hong Kong and to play for Brad [Schadewitz, the national coach]. I think we had great team chemistry. Playing for Hong Kong also gives me many opportunities to participate in other international events such as the World Amateur Team Championship, which I played last year.
What were the expectations heading into the week? With Guangdong featuring both Liang Wen-chong and Zhang Lian-wei, was beating them a realistic proposition?
What are your immediate goals? Do you have any plans, like Jason, to turn pro?
We didn’t expect much, we just tried to play our best. Liang Wen-chong and Zhang Lian-wei definitely made up a good team, but we thought if we could play well, beating Guangdong wouldn’t be impossible.
To keep up with school work and play golf tournaments is very, very tough! So my first goal is to be able to succeed in school and finish all four years. Hopefully after college I will be able to play professionally.
NATIONAL GAMES – FINAL RESULTS
Courtesy of Duke Photography
Motin Yeung (above), the only amateur in the Hong Kong men’s team, was excellent, finishing with the third best individual score of the entire field, which comprised mostly professionals 56
HK GOLFER・OCT 2013
1 Liaoning
207 213 208 213 841
2
211
215
208
217
851
3 Guangdong
212
215
215
210
852
4 Fujian
219
213
213
217
862
5 Shaanxi
212 221 210 221 864
6 Hainan
218
212
223
219
872
7 Shanghai
222
212
222
219
875
8 Zhejiang
222
219
216
220
877
9 Sichuan
224
217
221
219
881
10 Macau
235
236
235
229
935
Hong Kong
HKGOLFER.COM