AGEAS HKPGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Park History
Rewrites HKPGA
Australian claims historic fourth Ageas title after a flawless final round at Clearwater Bay, writes Alex Jenkins. Photography by Daniel Wong,
In full flow: Unho Park on his way to a course-record round of 64 at Clearwater Bay 36
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A
“I have no idea what it is about Hong Kong and this tournament but when I come here I always seem to end up winning.”
u s t r a l ia’s Un ho Pa rk continued his love affair with the Ageas HKPGA Championship by claiming t he t it le for t he fou r t h consecutive year last month thanks to a f lawless final-round display at Clearwater Bay Golf and Country Club. Park, who held the joint overnight lead with rising Hong Kong star Mickey Chan Chunhung, posted a course record 64 for a three-day total of six-under 206 and a four-shot victory over compatriot Scott Barr in second place. Chan, 23, holed a 7ft eagle putt at the last to finish third, a further shot back. “I’m ecstatic,” said Park, who finished in 27th place on the 2014 Asian Tour Order of Merit. “I have no idea what it is about Hong Kong and this tournament – I’ve never won on the Asian Tour – but when I come here I always seem to end up winning.” The Singapore-based Park, who collected a cheque for HK$85,000, got off to the perfect start with a birdie at the demanding par-3 first hole and never looked back. Another birdie arrived at the fourth and a four-under backnine, which included an eagle at the par-5 15th, meant he was able to cruise to victory. Park started his remarkable Ageas HKPGA Championship run in 2012 with a hard-fought victory over Dutchman Guido van der Valk. The following year he capitalized on a late mistake by Hong Kong’s James Stewart to retain the title, while in 2014 he became the first player in
FINAL STANDINGS 1
Unho Park
AUS
74 68 64
206
15
Wong Woon-man
HKG
74 72 82
228
2
Scott Barr
AUS
75 68 67
210
16
Jovick Lee
HKG
80 73 77
230
3
Mickey Chan
HKG
74 68 69
211
17
Dominique Boulet
HKG
83 73 75
231
4= CJ Gatto
USA
74 73 70
217
18
Brad Schadewitz
HKG
78 75 79
232
Timothy Tang
HKG
75 70 72
217
19= Liu Lok-tin
HKG
79 82 72
233
6
Terrence Ng (A)
HKG
76 73 69
218
Jang Chel-hoo
TPE
82 74 77
233
7
Chau Pui
HKG
71 72 77
220
21= Hamish Gardner (A)
HKG
79 79 76
234
8
Cheng Ka-yiu
HKG
79 71 71
221
Shen Po Shao
TPE
82 76 76
234
HKG
76 74 72
222
Tang Wai-chun
HKG
80 75 79
234
SIN
78 70 74
222
Andrew Good
ENG
84 77 74
235
Tang Man-kee
HKG
81 73 81
235
9= James Stewart
38
Lam Chih Bing
11
Oliver Roberts (A)
HKG
79 73 72
224
12= Nathan Goulding
AUS
78 76 72
226
Tsai Tsung Yu
TPE
75 74 77
226
Lee Shih Hung
TPE
76 72 78
226
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* First round: North Course, Jockey Club Kau Sai Chau Second round: New Course, Hong Kong Golf Club Final round: Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club
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Clockwise: Mickey Chan impressed on his return from the US to finish third; Scott Barr had to settle for his second runner-up finish in as many years; Park celebrates his victory with HKPGA Founder Joe Hardwick, Ageas’ Stuart Fraser and HKPGA Chairman Daniel Liu
history to win three successive titles thanks to a one-shot win over Barr at Fanling. “I played really nicely today and putted really well – I holed a few bombs out there – so hopefully I can continue this kind of form when I get back on Tour,” said Park, 41, whose next outing will come at the European and Asian Tour co-sanctioned Malaysian Open in early February. Although he couldn’t muster the performance needed to overhaul the experienced Park, 23-year-old Chan was rightly satisfied with his week’s work, which will stand him in good stead as he heads to both the PGA Tour China Series and OneAsia Tour qualifying schools in the upcoming weeks. “I’m pretty happy with the way I played – being in the final group is a great feeling – but there’s room to improve and hopefully I can do better next time around,” said Chan, who recently returned to Hong Kong after playing on the mini tours in the United States after turning pro last year. “It was great to play with both Unho and Scott – I really felt like I learned a lot from both of them – and this week has given me a bit more confidence in my game,” Chan added. HKGOLFER.COM
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Hong Kong’s Tim Tang in action on the final day
Terrence Ng was the top-ranked amateur, placing solo sixth
2010 champion CJ Gatto showed form on his way to a tie for fourth
Chau Pui made the early running on day one at Kau Sai Chau but faded to a 77 on the final day
Wong Woon-man was another who finished disappointingly after a bright start
James Stewart, seen here in the first round, grabbed a share of ninth 40
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