From the President The early stages of t he Yea r of t he Horse ha s been a n excit i ng one for the HKGA with the announcement that the Association has signed a three-year agreement with Mercedes-Ben z Hong Kong that sees the luxury automobile manufacturer appointed as our Exclusive Car Partner. A key focus of t he H KG A i s t o c o nt i nu e growing golf in t he cit y a nd t he suppor t of Mercedes-Benz will be invaluable in helping us to create further playing opp or t u n it ie s for gol fer s of a l l a ge s a nd abi l it ie s. The commitment of such a notable brand is a sign of the ongoing strength of the game in Hong Kong and gives us reason to be extremely confident for the future. I would like to thank Andreas Binder, Chief Executive Off icer of Mercedes-Ben z Hong Kong, a nd his tea m for his endorsement of the HKGA and we very much look forward to promoting golf locally together. The traditional playing of the Hong Kong Close Amateur
Championship over the Lunar New Year holiday at Fanling proved to be a fine event, one that produced a very worthy winner in Martin Liu. Untraditionally, the tournament was blessed with clear skies and warm temperatures and Martin took full advantage, recording four splendid rounds to claim the title for the first time by two shots from Terrence Ng in second place. As well as the silverware, Martin earned a place in this year’s Hong Kong Open which I’m sure will prove to be a wonderful experience for him. Congratulations are also in order for Shinichi Mizuno and National Coach Brad Schadewitz, who will be travelling to Bangalore, India later this month for the Bonallack Trophy, a biennial amateur team event that pits the best players from Asia-Pacific against what is sure to be a strong European side. Shinichi will become the first Hong Kong player represented in the tournament’s 16-year history, while Brad has been selected as the team’s vice-captain. I wish them both the best of luck and hope they can play their part in winning the trophy back for the region. Finally, a message of good luck to Isabella Leung, who has been invited to tee it up with the pros at this month’s Mission Hills World Ladies Championship, a Ladies European Tour event, on Hainan Island. You’ll be able to read about how Isabelle does in the next issue of HK Golfer. William Chung President
Mimi California Bound Congratulations to Hong Kong international Mimi Ho, who has earned a golf scholarship to California State University, Fresno. Eighteen-year-old Ho, seen here signing her letter of intent, will commence college life in September and is set to become an integral part of the Fresno State Bulldogs women’s golf team. “Mimi’s addition to the programme will be a game changer,” said Emily Milberger, the head coach at Fresno State. “Her talent and experience are going to take this programme onto the national stage and I couldn’t be more excited to welcome her to the Bulldog family.” Ho became a member of the HKGA’s National Squad in 2010 and has a long list of titles to her credit, including the 2013 FCG World Championship, the 2012 MacGregor Hong Kong Junior Close Championship and the 2011 Singapore Junior Golf Championship. 48
HK GOLFER・MAR 2014
HKGOLFER.COM