More UBS Hong Kong Golf Open History
Moving with Times, But Never Forgetting the Past at the UBS Hong Kong Golf Open
Heritage dictates the status of any sporting competition and the place it occupies in the public’s heart，and that is why the UBS Hong Kong Golf Open will always be the jewel in the crown of Asian golf.
“Some Hong Kong golf tournaments that haven’t been around as long might focus on prize money as a way of making headlines, others might go out of their way to entice star players,” says Hong Kong Golf Association chief executive Iain Valentine.
“Of course, the UBS Hong Kong Open has fantastic prize money and some world class golfers in the field but, most of all, it has history.The tournament has been going for almost half a century and, during that time, it has featured great players, famous shots and moments of incredible sporting drama. Other tournaments in Asia simply don’t have this kind of appeal.
“When you think that the list of past winners includes eight Major champions, including all-time greats like Peter Thomson, Greg Norman, Tom Watson and Bernhard Langer, then you can start to appreciate the tournament’s heritage.”
The Hong Kong Golf Open was first staged in 1959 and has been held every year since at the magnificent Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling. The seeds were sown the year before, when HKGC member Kim Hall wrote to an Australian professional, Eric Cremin, asking if any of the Australian players due to take part in the 1959 Philippines Open would be interested in coming to Hong Kong afterwards.
Cremin enquired what money was on offer, so Hall approached the South China Morning Post and asked it to sponsor a professional tournament at Fanling. The Post agreed to put up P1,000 in prize money and the event became reality.
The inaugural tournament was captured by a young Taiwanese player, Lu Liang Huan, who secured a one-shot victory over a field that included some highly rated Australian stars.
The same player would become the HKGC’s resident professional from 1962-64 before gaining worldwide fame as the pork-pie hat-wearing “Mr Lu” who finished runner-up to Lee Trevino in the 1971 British Open. He returned to Fanling in 1974 to regain the Hong Kong Open crown.
The tournament has undergone many changes since the early days. Originally played each February, when it was at the mercy of rain, the Open switched to its current end-of-year slot in 1991.
Playing standards have risen, a trend accelerated when the European Tour began co-sanctioning the event in 2001, while prize money has soared, especially since UBS took over title sponsorship in 2005. A total of US$2.25 million is on offer this year.
Rich in tradition, yet thoroughly modern in approach, the Open continues to attract the game’s elite players, all keen to make their mark on a storied event.
As 2005 winner Colin Montgomerie stresses: “It was a real honour to see my name go on the trophy alongside some very famous names. And with the boost in prize money, UBS has really established the tournament as one of the elite events in the region.”
So welcome, everyone, to the UBS Hong Kong Open, a sporting event that moves with the times – but never forgets its past.