From the President My 12-month tenure as president of t he Hong Kong Golf A ssociation will end at the beginning of June and I would like to take this opportunity to discuss a productive and successful past year, one that saw Tom Phillips join the HKGA as CEO following the retirement of Iain Valentine last July. The development of junior golf in Hong Kong has long been a n i mpor ta nt issue for t h e H KG A a nd t h e continuing success of our young players is testament to that. Many of them have, on the back of their local and international tournament results, earned golf scholarships to a number of highly regarded universities, particularly in the United States, which is further proof that the effort both staff and players have put into this development is reaping rewards. Brad Schadewitz, the national coach, is excited by the number of talented young players coming through the system, which bodes extremely well for the future. Much of this ongoing success is down to the generosity
of our supporters, especially Mercedes-Benz, our newlyappointed Exclusive Car Partner, and EFG Bank, the lead sponsor of the Junior Development Programme. Their support has enabled us to provide more training and tournament participation opportunities for the territory’s junior golfers. This has been extremely important and is greatly appreciated by all of us who have seen Hong Kong players blossom on the international stage. My thanks must also go to the golf clubs of Hong Kong for their cooperation with the HKGA. Whether it’s the use of the clubs’ practice facilities or being able to secure tee times for national team training, their help and understanding has proved invaluable, as has the support of all the volunteers and staff at the HKGA. Last December witnessed another thrilling edition of the Hong Kong Open, which was won by Miguel Angel Jiménez with a record-equalling performance. The Spaniard joined Taiwan’s Hsieh Yung-yo as one of only two players in the championship’s long history to triumph at Fanling on four separate occasions. Finally, I would like to extend my best wishes to Ning Li as the incoming president. I wish him every success in presiding over the HKGA in what promises to be another exciting year ahead. William Chung President
Guangdong Rally to Win Interport Match Team Guangdong staged a final-day comeback to win the fifth Hong Kong-Guangdong Interport Junior Team Match on the New Course at Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling late March. Hong Kong led by a point after a tight opening day of foursomes and fourballs but the home side could not contain Guangdong in the singles. The visitors from mainland China won eight of the 12 singles matches to claim the Staunton Cup for the third year running with a final score of 14-10. Hugh Staunton (pictured with the winning side), a threetime President of the Hong Kong Golf Association, after whom the cup is named, commented: “The Guangdong team were too strong in the singles but, importantly, everyone benefited from the experience of match-play and both sides played in a great spirit.” 64
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Bonallack Trophy: An Experience to Savour Shinichi Mizuno and National Coach Brad Schadewitz (pictured) wrote their own piece of golfing history last month by becoming the first Hong Kong representatives at the Sir Michael Bonallack Trophy, the biennial amateur team match play event contested between Europe and Asia-Pacific. Held at the Karnataka Golf Club in Bangalore, India, Europe held off a strong final-day push from the Asia-Pacific side to retain the trophy, but for Schadewitz, who was selected as non-playing vice-captain, the experience was one to savour. “It hurts being on the losing side, of course, but both Shinichi and I have great memories of Bangalore,” said Schadewitz. “It looked like we had a chance in the singles on the final day but the quality of golf from both sides was incredible. Shinichi didn’t play his best golf but he was a fantastic teammate and he’ll gain a great deal from the experience.”
Tam Enjoys Solid Queen Sirikit Cup Outing Hong Kong – represented by Mimi Ho, Michelle Cheung and Kitty Tam – finished in 11th place at last month’s Asia-Pacific Ladies’ Invitational Golf Team Championship – the long-running Queen Sirikit Cup – which was held over the demanding Bunga Raya Course at Saujana Golf and Country Club in Kuala Lumpur. The team (pictured) ended the three-round event 34 strokes behind Korea, who won the title by six shots from China in second. The Philippines placed third. The pick of the Hong Kong players was Tam, whose nine-over-par total of 225 gave her a share of 16th (out of 39 competitors) in the individual competition.
Faldo Series Asia Grand Final Recap Mimi Ho and Michael Regan Wong were Hong Kong’s standout performers at the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final, which took place at Mission Hills Golf Club in Guangdong province in early March. Ho (pictured) improved with every round over the challenging Faldo Course at the world’s biggest club, firing 78, 77 and 76 to finish in fifth spot in the Girls’ Under 21 division. She fined nine shots ahead of her international teammate Kitty Tam, whose three successive rounds of 80 earned her 10th spot. Wong also impressed. The in-form youngster closed with a solid 73 to end the prestigious and long-running tournament in a tie for sixth (Boys’ 16 and under category).
Nerveless Nimmo Claims DWB Championship Donald Nimmo held his nerve to win the Hong Kong Golf Club’s Deep Water Bay Championship in fine style in early April. Buoyed by a hot putter and a dialed-in iron game, five-handicapper Nimmo (seen here receiving the coveted silverware from Mrs Sidney Cheng) was consistency personified over the par58 course, shooting consecutive rounds of 62 for a total of 124 and a three-shot margin of victory. Terry Collins, with a total 127, earned second place on count back from Arnold Wong and Kelvin Inge.
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