Seasoned professionals Wong Woon-man and WilsonĀ Choy, together with one of Hong Kongās top amateursĀ Doug Williams, will join four-time Major winner Ernie ElsĀ and defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez at theĀ prestigiousĀ Hong Kong Open after finishing in the top three of theĀ Qualifying Tournament at the Hong Kong Golf Club earlierĀ today.
TheĀ trio found themselves at the top of the leaderboard amongst aĀ field that started with 43 after two rounds of play toĀ secure well-deserved playing spots at the 56thĀ Hong Kong Open. Organised by the HongĀ Kong Golf Association, local talents are invited toĀ participate in the Hong Kong Open Qualifying TournamentĀ every year to compete for the chance to come face-to-faceĀ and test their skills against some of the best golfers inĀ the world.
TakingĀ place from October 16-19, 2014, the Hong Kong Open will beĀ the penultimate event on The European Tour InternationalĀ Schedule before the lucrative Final Series. With decoratedĀ stars such as Els and Jimenez already
confirmed to play in Fanling, Wong, who won by seven shotsĀ after two solid rounds of 68, simply could not hide his
excitement at the prospect of going head-to-head againstĀ world class champions.
āI am extremely happy. It has been hotĀ and quite tough these two days but I am satisfied with theĀ way I played. I hope we, as local Hong Kong players, canĀ play well at the Hong Kong Open so we can showcase what weĀ canĀ do, and create more awareness for the sport of golf in HongĀ Kong.ā
HeĀ added, āWith the participation of Ernie Els, thereĀ will be more attention paid to the tournament, which can
only be a good thing.āĀ
TheĀ Hong Kong Open holds the honour of being the only nationalĀ championship in Asia to be held at the same golf club sinceĀ its inauguration in 1959. Past winners include MajorĀ Champions Rory McIlroy, Bernhard Langer,Ā Greg Norman, Peter Thomson, Tom Watson and Ian Woosnam.Ā
Asian greats Lu Liang-huan, Chen Tze-ming, Lin Wen-tang andĀ Kang Wook-soon have also tasted victory inĀ Fanling.Ā
Supported by the Hong Kong Golf Club, PremierĀ Partners Amundi and DP World and Official Airline Emirates,Ā the tournament joined the Asian Tour Schedule in 2000 beforeĀ being co-sanctioned the following year with The EuropeanĀ Tour as part of the 2002 International Schedule.
