ladies close
carding an excellent 71. Reaching the turn in an impressive three-under 33, the 14-year-old would have been ever further ahead had she not stumbled slightly down the closing stretch. On day two, Chan was again upstaged, this time by Discovery Bay member Mimi Ho, whose 71 propelled her into the lead after Lau slipped back with an 80. Chan, playing solid if unspectacular golf, was round in 73 to lie two back with 18 holes to play. But as is so often the case with champions, she found an extra gear on the all-important final day and wore down Ho with an imperious display of ball-striking. While not always at her best on the silky Discovery Bay greens, Chan's long game was in fine fettle – time in the gym and a minor swing change in the off season has enabled her to hit the ball considerably further than ever before – and after taking the lead for the first time in the championship halfway through the front nine, she accelerated away from the pack and finished in style.
Digging Deep Defending champion and pre-event favourite Tiffany Chan bounces back to record second successive Ladies title REPORT BY ALEX JENKINS PHOTOGRAPHY BY DANIEL WONG
T
iffany Chan finished strong to win the Hong Kong Ladies Close Amateur Championship for the second time in two years late February. The 17-year-old Diocesan Girls School student, the SAR's standout female golfer over the past three years, fired a nerveless final-round 70 at Discovery Bay Golf Club to reel in overnight leader Mimi Ho. Chan's three-day total of 219 (three-over-par) gave her a sixstroke triumph over second-placed Ho, while Kitty Tam showed a welcome return to form with a 73 to finish third, a further two strokes back. "It's a great way to start the season," said Chan, who made a final-hole eagle after hitting a 210-yard three-wood to within six feet of the flag at the riskreward par-five closer. "It's a very nice feeling to defend my title." With Stephanie Ho missing out on the tournament due to showbusiness commitments – the talented 18-year-old has, temporarily at least, hung up her clubs to focus on her flourishing singing career – Chan started the event as the clear favourite. But she didn't have everything go her way. An opening 76 put her five strokes behind surprise first-round leader Tiana Lau, who celebrated her inclusion in Hong Kong's Queen Sirikit Cup side by 70
HK Golfer・APR 2011
Lo Claims Mid-Amateur Crown Hong Kong Golf Club's Jane Lo carded a threeday total of 251to claim victory in the Ladies Mid Amateur Championship, which was played concurrently with the Close. Rounds of 84, 81 and 86 gave her a three-shot cushion over Helen Cheung, a Discovery Bay member, in second place. Lee Un Kyoung finished third, a further six shots adrift. Visit hkga.com for the full results.
Results Hong Kong Ladies Close Amateur Championship Discovery Bay Golf Club, 21-23 February, 2011
1 2 3 4 5= 7 8 9 10
Tiffany Chan Mimi Ho Kitty Tam Isabella Leung Michelle Ho Michelle Cheung Tiana Lau Michelle Yan Annabelle Gerber Christy Chong
76 73 70 76 71 78 78 76 73 75 82 75 78 80 77 78 77 80 71 80 86 85 78 80 85 81 83 87 84 86
219 225 227 232 235 235 237 243 249 257
HKGOLFER.COM
Junior showdown (clockwise from top): Kitty Tam; Michelle Cheung; Mimi Ho; Tiffany Chan and caddie Sharon Lam; Tiana Lau in trouble at the seventeenth; Lau in full flight; Isabella Leung
HKGOLFER.COM
HK GolferăƒťAPR 2011
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