Hong Kong Open (golf)

Hong Kong Open

Tournament information
Location	New Territories, Hong Kong
Established	1959
Course(s)	Hong Kong Golf Club
Par	70
Length	6,699 yards (6,126 m)
Tour(s)	European Tour Asian Tour
Format	Stroke play
Prize fund	$2,000,000
Month played	October
Tournament record score
Aggregate	258 Ian Poulter (2010)*
To par	−22 José María Olazábal (2002) −22 Ian Poulter (2010)* *These records only date back to 2001 when this tournament became a European Tour event.
Current champion
Justin Rose

Hong Kong GC

Location in China

Hong Kong GC

Location in Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Open is a golf tournament which is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the European Tour. It was founded in 1959 and has been part of the European Tour's schedule since 2001. The Hong Kong Golf Association, Hong Kong PGA, and Chinese PGA also receive a limited number of exemptions into the tournament for their members.

Since taking its place on the European Tour the event has always been held at the Hong Kong Golf Club in Sheung Shui, New Territories. The title sponsor was Swiss banking giant, UBS, who signed a four-year sponsorship agreement to cover the 2005–2008 tournaments and sponsored the tournament through 2012.

The tournament is usually played towards the end of the year, in November or December, and as such, up to the 2008 event, it has fallen into the following season for European Tour purposes. For example, the Hong Kong Open played on the 2–5 December 2004 was part of the European Tour's 2005 season. When the European Tour switched to a calendar based season from 2010, the 2009 schedule contained two editions of the Hong Kong Open.

In 2008, Florida-based Hong Kong amateur, Jason 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 Turespana Open Mediterrania in 1995.^[1] 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.^[2] Many of the worlds best known golfers have won the tournament, including Bernhard Langer, José María Olazábal, Kel Nagle, Greg Norman, Peter Thomson, Tom Watson, Pádraig Harrington, Colin Montgomerie, and Ian Woosnam.

In July 2013, the golf tournament was in jeopardy as both the organizers and potential sponsors have raised concerns over the complex becoming enmeshed in a controversial redevelopment plan for Fan Ling. Just four months before the event, both the schedule and the sponsors of the tournament have yet to be confirmed. A major sponsor in 2012 was the Hong Kong government with its Mega Events Fund putting up HK$15 million. Vicky Jones, of European Tour Asia, declined to say whether it has submitted an application to the Mega Events Fund for 2013, while 2012 title sponsor UBS's spokeswoman said last week that she has not yet been notified about this year's sponsorship.^[3] The tournament was played in 2013 without a title sponsor.

Winners

As a European Tour co-sanctioned event

Year*		Winner	Country	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
Asian	Euro
UBS Hong Kong Open
2015	2015	Justin Rose	England	263	−17	1 stroke	Lucas Bjerregaard
Hong Kong Open
2014	2014	Scott Hend	Australia	267	−13	Playoff	Angelo Que
2013	2014	Miguel Ángel Jiménez (4)	Spain	268	−12	Playoff	Stuart Manley Prom Meesawat
UBS Hong Kong Open
2012	2012	Miguel Ángel Jiménez (3)	Spain	265	−15	1 stroke	Fredrik Andersson Hed
2011	2011	Rory McIlroy	Northern Ireland	268	−12	2 strokes	Grégory Havret
2010	2010	Ian Poulter	England	258	−22	1 stroke	Simon Dyson Matteo Manassero
2009	2009	Grégory Bourdy	France	261	−19	2 strokes	Rory McIlroy
2008	2009	Lin Wen-tang	Taiwan	265	−15	Playoff	Rory McIlroy Francesco Molinari
2007	2008	Miguel Ángel Jiménez (2)	Spain	265	−15	1 stroke	K. J. Choi Thongchai Jaidee Robert Karlsson
2006	2007	José Manuel Lara	Spain	265	−15	1 stroke	Juvic Pagunsan
2005	2006	Colin Montgomerie	Scotland	271	−9	1 stroke	K. J. Choi James Kingston Lin Keng-chi Edward Loar Thammanoon Sriroj
Omega Hong Kong Open
2004	2005	Miguel Ángel Jiménez	Spain	266	−14	1 stroke	Pádraig Harrington James Kingston
2003	2004	Pádraig Harrington	Ireland	269	−11	1 stroke	Hennie Otto
2002	2003	Fredrik Jacobson	Sweden	260	−16	2 strokes	Jorge Berendt Henrik Nyström
2001	2002	José María Olazábal	Spain	262	−22	1 stroke	Henrik Bjørnstad

* The first year listed is the one in which the tournament was played and the Asian Tour season which it belonged to. The second year listed is the European Tour season that it fell into.

Pre-sanctioning by the European Tour

Year Winner 2000 Simon Dyson 1999 Patrik Sjöland 1998 Kang Wook-soon 1997 Frank Nobilo 1996 Rodrigo Cuello 1995 Gary Webb 1994 David Frost 1993 Brian Watts 1992 Tom Watson 1991 Bernhard Langer 1990 Ken Green 1989 Brian Claar 1988 Hsieh Chin-sheng 1987 Ian Woosnam

Year Winner 1986 Seiichi Kanai 1985 Mark Aebli 1984 Bill Brask 1983 Greg Norman (2) 1982 Kurt Cox 1981 Chen Tze-ming 1980 Kuo Chie-Hsiung 1979 Greg Norman 1978 Hsieh Min-Nan 1977 Hsieh Yung-yo (4) 1976 Ho Ming-chung 1975 Hsieh Yung-yo (3) 1974 Lu Liang-Huan (2) 1973 Frank Phillips (2)

Year Winner 1972 Walter Godfrey 1971 Orville Moody 1970 Isao Katsumata 1969 Teruo Sugihara 1968 Randall Vines 1967 Peter Thomson (3) 1966 Frank Phillips 1965 Peter Thomson (2) 1964 Hsieh Yung-yo (2) 1963 Hsieh Yung-yo 1962 Len Woodward 1961 Kel Nagle 1960 Peter Thomson 1959 Lu Liang-Huan

References

1. "Hak breaks Sergio Garcia's record, makes Euro Tour cut at 14 years old". ESPN. 21 November 2008. Retrieved 21 November 2008.
2. "With This Win: Miguel Ángel Jiménez" (Press release). PGA European Tour. 8 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
3. Chen, Bonnie (22 July 2013). "In a hole". The Standard.

External links

• Official website
• Coverage on the European Tour's official site
• Coverage on the Asian Tour's official site

Coordinates: 22°29′31″N 114°06′54″E / 22.492°N 114.115°E