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HK Juniors Enjoy Summer Tour Success
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HK Golfer・AUG 2011
Boulet and Fung Share HKPGA Honours Dominique Boulet and Derek Fung were declared joint winners of the HK$70,000 HKPGA Order of Merit - Leg Two event at Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club in late June after heavy rain caused the cancellation of the final round. The Fanling duo posted matching first rounds of 70 over the scenic cliff-top layout before foul weather curtailed the event. Asian Tour player Timothy Tang finished in third after a 71. "I played a nd putted reasonably wel l throughout and the course was in good shape," said Fung. "Bu it's a shame we couldn't finish all 36 holes." The Ladies' division, which was played a week later at the same venue, experienced the other side of Hong Kong's notoriously unpredictable summer weather. In sweltering conditions, first-round leader Sylvia Chan was forced to withdraw from the event due to heat exhaustion, which left the door open for Annie Lau and Jannet Sheng, who finished with two-day totals of 161, to take the event to a sudden-death play-off, which Lau won with a par at the demanding opening hole. Betty Ng placed third, a further two shots back. "It was not easy to play well under these conditions," said Lau (pictured). "I had to tell myself to be patient and fortunately I was able to putt well over the final nine holes." HKGOLFER.COM
UBS' Confirms End of HKO Sponsorship The Swiss banking giant has confirmed that its title sponsorship of the Hong Kong Open will end following this year's edition, which will be played from December 1-4 at Fanling. Executives at UBS, which has sponsored Hong Kong's oldest professional sporting event since 2005, said the bank will be turning its sponsorship focus away from golf. Since the start of its involvement, UBS has increased prize money at the championship from US$700,000 to US$2.75 million. Iain Valentine, Chief Executive of the HKGA, said: “We would like to thank UBS for all their efforts over the past seven years in bringing the tournament to the position it is now in, and the Golf Association is confident that any new sponsor will take the tournament to an even higher level in the years to come." Ian Poulter (pictured) won the 2010 tournament and is expected to return alongside US Open champion (and perennial Hong Kong Open contender) Rory McIlroy in December.
HKPGA Order of Merit – Open Division Following Leg Two 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Jimmy Ko Jean Van de Velde Derek Fung Timothy Tang Dominique Boulet Grant Gibson Tang Shing-chi Paul Riley Wong Woon-man Liu Kai-mung
HKGOLFER.COM
25,502 points 23,775 22,950 15,653 15,647 11,948 9,632 7,770 6,484 6,115
Club Results
Leonard Ho won the July Monthly Medal gross section held on the Eden Course at the Hong Kong Golf Club with a 74; Marcus Tsang won the nett section with a 66. John Ball claimed the honours in the gross section of the American Cup, also held on the Eden Course, with a 71, which was one better than runner-up Joe Pethes. At the Shanghai Visitors Cup, the pairing of Ken Ko and Albert Mok emerged victorious thanks to their stellar nett 62 over the Old Course ... At Clearwater Bay, Ryan Li and Glenn Yee won the JK Lieu Cup in early July; Jackson Chu and Tommy Lui placed second. In difficult conditions, Pia Fung recorded the lowest gross score at the July Medal, carding a 90, while Miki Motogui won the nett prize following her round of 75. Mei Wu was the runner-up after a 77. HK Golfer・AUG 2011
Charles McLaughlin
Even discounting Tiffany Chan's remarkable result at the Callaway World Junior Championship (see page 40), the junior summer tour of the United States saw some notable performances by Hong Kong golfers. At the World Junior Championship, held in San Diego, Kitty Tam put in a wonderful display to finish in a tie for sixth in the Girls' 13-14 age division following her three-round total of three-over par. Tam had shown her form a week earlier at the San Diego Junior Masters, where she finished in second place, just one shot behind the winner. There was success, too, for James Inge, who finished in a tie for 14th in the Boys' 13-14 age bracket at the Junior World. Inge closed with a memorable oneunder 71 at Riverwalk Golf Club to end the tournament on a score of 219, threeover. Steven Lam showed a welcome return to form at the SCPGA Jack Kramer Memorial tournament in early July by carding three solid rounds to finish in fifth place on one-under 215, just four shots back of the winner. Jackie Chan (224) placed 12th. Terrence Ng, meanwhile, proved what a consistent player he has become by claiming victory in the Boys' division at the College Golf Combine - West Combine, which took place at Oak Valley Golf Club a week later. Seventeenyear-old Ng fired rounds of 71 and 69 to take the title in fine style. Jackie Chan (fourth) and Shinichi Mizuno (tied fifth) also impressed. In the Girls' division, Tiffany Chan bounced back from an opening 77 with a 69 to place fourth and Mimi Ho put in consecutive 74s to end the event in a share of sixth.
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