HKGA | HONG KONG OPEN AMATEUR
Liu poses with the trophy following his last-gasp victory; Ong (opposite) runs his first putt on the 18th way past the cup to set up a bogey
Liu
Leaves it Late
A brilliant bunker shot combined with a 15th hole collapse by Singapore’s Marc Ong gave Liu Yu-jui victory at September’s Hong Kong Open Amateur Championship, writes Alex Jenkins.
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Photography by Daniel Wong
hinese Taipei’s Liu Yu-jui claimed the Hong Kong Open Amateur Championship – and with it a coveted spot in next month’s Hong Kong Open – in one of the closes finishes in the tournament’s 82-year history late September. Twenty-two year-old Liu, who finished a distant second to England’s Edward Richardson at the 2012 edition of the event, posted a threeround total of 211 (one-over-par) over the New Course at Fanling to pip Singapore’s Marc Ong by a shot. Ong’s compatriot Jerome Ng finished a further stroke back in third while the in-form Doug Williams was Hong Kong’s best performer, three steady rounds earning the 55-year-old solo fourth. Liu had started the final round of the weather-delayed event one-stroke behind Ong but failed to make much headway as the 17-yearold Singaporean played almost faultless golf. Indeed, after a birdie at the par-5 14th, a hole that Liu could only par, Ong had extended his lead to three shots and had the trophy all but in his grasp.
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Clockwise from top: Shinichi Mizuno fired a secondround 69 on his way to finishing in a tie for fifth; Humphrey Wong had contrasting rounds but still secured a top-10 place; Leon Philip D'Souza enjoyed a strong final round after getting off to a disappointing start; Singapore's Jerome Ng finds something to laugh about on the 18th
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But then disaster struck. The 15th, a dogleg left par-4, might only measure 395 yards off the tips but it has caused all sorts of problems for players over the years – most notably perhaps Scotsman Simon Yates, who got caught up in the trees flanking the left side of the fairway and made a triple bogey to lose his lead in the closing stages of the 2005 Hong Kong Open, which was eventually won by Colin Montgomerie. Ong fared no better. An ugly seven, the result of his own entanglement with foliage, dropped him back into a share of the lead alongside Liu, with Ng just a shot of the pace. After regulation pars on 16 and 17 and with only a shot separating the top three players, the championship looked destined to be determined by a play-off. It wasn’t to be however, with the 18th providing the final twist in what proved to be a roller-coaster ride of a tale. With Liu in the back bunker and facing an extremely difficult shot to a tight pin, and Ng having his own problems on the home hole, Ong was firmly in the driver’s seat after hitting his approach to 35feet. But then a piece of magic. Undaunted by his situation, Liu played a high-risk splash that just cleared the lip of the bunker and rolled to within two-feet of the cup. It was a tremendous shot in the circumstances and Ong, perhaps still reeling from his earlier error, proceeded to charge his first putt eight feet past and then lipped out with the comebacker. With little more than a tap-in for victory, Liu made no mistake to seal his first win in Hong Kong. “I was so focused on my own game that I HKGOLFER.COM
didn’t really know the state of the tournament, which probably helped me,” said Liu, who captured the Singapore Amateur title in August. “I feel sorry for Marc, who played so well for 17 holes today, but I was proud of the way I never gave up. It’s very satisfying to win.” Liu, who became the first winner from Chinese Taipei since Chan Shih-chang in 2004, was more than delighted with not only the fine old trophy, which dates from 1931, but also the news that he’ll be returning to Fanling next month to tee it up at the European and Asian Tour co-sanctioned Hong Kong Open. “I’m really looking forward to playing here again – but this time with the pros,” said Liu. “I’ve taken part in a few smaller professional events back in Taiwan but the Hong Kong Open will be much bigger. It’ll be a great experience I’m sure.” Joining Williams in the top-10 for Hong Kong were Shinichi Mizuno, who tied for fifth, Ian Chiang (tied 10th) and Humphrey Wong (tied 10th), whose fine 67 in the second round was bookended by scores of 81 and 75. HKGOLFER.COM
2013 Hong Kong Open Amateur Championship Results 1 2 3 4 5= 7 8= 10= 12= 17= 19=
Liu Yu-jui Marc Ong Jerome Ng Doug Williams Huang Chi Shinichi Mizuno Alastair Hall Jack Tsai Edgar Oh Ian Chiang Humphrey Wong Ryan McKinnia Thomas Tan Jeffrey Wang Lin Chang-heng Leon Philip D’Souza Tim Orgill Tang Kei-hin Xiao Jieyu
TPE SIN SIN HKG TPE HKG ENG TPE SIN HKG HKG UK SIN HKG TPE HKG HKG HKG MAC
73 67 71 70 69 73 71 70 72 73 71 70 76 69 75 75 69 75 75 72 74 74 77 71 78 72 72 75 74 74 81 67 75 76 75 73 75 76 73 76 73 75 76 73 75 80 74 71 74 78 73 77 75 74 74 75 77
211 212 213 214 219 219 221 222 222 223 223 224 224 224 224 225 225 226 226
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