From the President Miguel A ngel Jiménez, and the Hong Kong Open for that matter, just keeps getting better with age. Once again the colourful Spa n ia rd t h ri l led t he galleries at Fanling last month with a tremendously exciting finish to clinch his fourth Hong Kong Open title in a decade. It was hard luck for both Stuart Manley and Prom Meesawat, who lost out to Jiménez in the sudden-death play-off, but t he ma n from Ma laga , who turns 50 this month, undoubtedly earned his victory, which came about through a combination of his wonderful touch and never-give-in attitude. Make no mistake: his win, in which he extended his own record as the oldest winner on the European Tour, was richly deserved. After every Hong Kong Open there are always a host of people and organisations to thank, which is a reflection of how far the event has grown in its 55-year history. A tournament of this magnitude simply would not be possible without the concerted efforts of a great many, and the 2013 edition proved to be no different. Chief among the tournament’s supporters
is the Hong Kong Golf Club, which once again provided a magnificent venue, with its Composite Course in first-class condition. This time the Golf Club contributed financially to the running of the Hong Kong Open, and on behalf of the HKGA I would like to extend my thanks to the Club and its members for their generosity and understanding. There is surely no other tournament venue in the Asia-Pacific region which has supported a national Open to the degree that the Hong Kong Golf Club has over the years, and for this they should be applauded. A great deal of thanks must also go to the Hong Kong Government, whose Major Sports Events Committee (MSEC) awarded the tournament coveted “M” Mark status, and to all the official tournament partners, which included Amundi, DP World, MasterCard and Emirates, as well as the other two official sanctioning bodies, the European and Asian Tours. Credit, too, to the hundreds of volunteers who worked tirelessly throughout the week as well as the large number of spectators that gave the tournament its traditionally wonderful atmosphere. The HKGA looks forward to welcoming everyone back to the 2014 Hong Kong Open later in the year. Happy New Year. William Chung President
Mimi in Complete Command at Macau Ladies Open Hong Kong’s Mimi Ho cruised to victory at the Macau Ladies’ Open Amateur Championship last month following an accomplished display over the tricky cliff-top layout at the Macau Golf & Country Club. Ho, a long-time member of the Hong Kong international squad, fired rounds of 77 and 72 over the par-71 course for a two-day total of 149 and an emphatic 15-shot win. Emily Vickie Leung, also of Hong Kong, placed second after scores of 81 and 83, while Lin Jin bagged third spot, a further two shots adrift in third. Emily’s sister Estee Vivian Leung also had a tournament to remember after finishing as runner-up in the net competition.
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HK GOLFER・JAN 2014
HKGOLFER.COM