The Hong Kong Open is a golf tournament which is played on the Asian Tour, and formerly on the European Tour. It was founded in 1959 and in 1962 was one of the five tournaments that made up the inaugural Far East Circuit, later known as the Asia Golf Circuit. It remained part of the circuit until 1996, before joining the Asian Tour, then known as the Omega Tour, in 1997. It became co-sanctioned by the European Tour in 2001, as part of the 2002 season.
The Hong Kong Open was played in spring from its inception until 1994,[1] but since 1995 has usually been played towards the end of the year, in November or December, and as a result has often fallen into the following year's European Tour season.
In 1958, Hong Kong Golf Club member Kim Hall wrote to Australian professional Eric Cremin to see if those players playing in the Philippine Open in 1959 would consider staying in the region to play in Hong Kong. Hall then approached Peter Plumley, secretary of South China Morning Post, who was also a golfer. Plumley then persuaded his boss to sponsor 1,000 Australian pounds in prize money in the name of South China Morning Post. Then, the first Hong Kong Open was launched in February 1959.[1] According to Hong Kong Golf Club member Willie Woo, Kim Hall was very keen for the tournament and he talked a lot with Australian golfers, including Peter Thomson. Woo helped to get Taiwanese players through his connections.[2]
The first tournament was hosted by Sir Robert Black, the then-Governor of Hong Kong. Around one thousand spectators joined the tournament.[3] Taiwanese golfer Lu Liang-Huan won the inaugural edition of the tournament.[4] The success of the Hong Kong Open prompted first Singapore in 1961, and then Malaysia and Japan in 1962, to introduce their own tournaments and bring about the setting up of the Far East Golf Circuit.[4] The circuit further expanded into a regular ten-tournament tour, called the Asia Golf Circuit, that existed until the end of the twentieth century.
Despite the SCMP's original agreement to maintain 1,000 pounds sponsorship of the Hong Kong Open, it was felt that prize money would need to be increased if the best players were to be attracted. To that end the 1963 event was jointly sponsored by the SCMP and British American Tobacco, with the purse being increased to 4,000 pounds as a result.[4]
Due to poor weather conditions during the 1966 event, the Hong Kong Golf Club lost HK$10,442 as the money put up by the sponsors was insufficient to cover expenses. As a result, the club decided that in future it could not undertake to assist financially in any way, but would continued provide the courses and the general facilities.[4] The 1968 tournament was the first edition to be shown live on television.[4] In 1969, the newly formed the Hong Kong Golf Association took up the task of organising the tournament.[4] In 1971, the Hong Kong Open was on the verge of disappearing due to low spectator numbers and financial problems, but with the assistance of the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation, who were keen to retain the event on the Asia Golf Circuit, the tournament was saved.[5][6][7]
In 1996, Hong Kong golfer Dominique Boulet finished fourth, the best result by a local golfer.[8] In 2008, Florida-based Hong Kong amateur Shun Yat Hak became the youngest player ever to make the cut in a European Tour event, at 14 years and 304 days, eclipsing the record set by Sergio García at the Turespaña Open Mediterrania in 1995.[9] At the other end of the age spectrum, Miguel Ángel Jiménez became the oldest golfer ever to win on the European Tour when he won in 2012 at age 48 years, 315 days, and extended his record by defending his title in 2013 at age 49 years, 337 days.[10]
In 2013, organizers and potential sponsors raised concerns over the complex becoming enmeshed in a controversial redevelopment plan for Fan Ling.[11] The tournament was played that year without a title sponsor.
In 2020, the Hong Kong Open organizers announced that the tournament would be postponed till 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions.[12]
In March 2023, it was confirmed that the Hong Kong Open would return after a two-year hiatus as an Asian Tour event. The tournament would also gain International Series status.[13]
^Due to 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, the event was postponed and rescheduled and was removed from the European Tour schedule. It proceeded as a sole-sanctioned Asian Tour event.[14]
^Hend won with a par on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.
^Jiménez won with a birdie on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.
^Lin won with a birdie on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff; Molinari was eliminated on the first extra hole after making a par to Lin and McIlroy's birdies.
^Frost won on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff, after McClellan had holed his second shot from the fairway for an eagle 2 on the final hole of regulation play to force the playoff.
^Langer tames Fanling, South China Morning Post, 11 February 1991
^American Green wins golf Open, South China Morning Post, 26 February 1990
^"Claar's gift for his lucky wife". The Straits Times. Singapore. 20 February 1989. p. 29. Retrieved 9 April 2020 – via National Library Board.
^"Hsieh's title with birdie blitz". New Straits Times. Malaysia. 15 February 1988. p. 14 (27 in paper). Retrieved 21 December 2023 – via Google News Archive.
^"Norman ends the Taiwanese run". The Straits Times. Singapore. 26 February 1979. p. 26. Retrieved 4 March 2020 – via National Library Board.
^"Hsieh's title again". The Straits Times. Singapore. 26 February 1978. p. 31. Retrieved 16 March 2020 – via National Library Board.
^"HK open to Taiwan's Min-nam". The Straits Times. Singapore. 28 February 1977. p. 26. Retrieved 16 March 2020 – via National Library Board.
^"Taiwan sweeps". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. AP. 12 April 1976. p. 18. Retrieved 3 March 2020 – via Google News Archive.
^"Yung-yo recovers-just in time". The Straits Times. Singapore. AP. 24 February 1975. p. 21. Retrieved 17 March 2020 – via Google National Library Board.
Ben Campbell
