UBS Hong Kong Open

One of the most prestigious titles in Asian golf, the UBS Hong Kong Open has built a legacy of winners over the last five decades that truly sets it apart from other events in the region.

Once again, this November the UBS Hong Kong Open will welcome some of the world’s finest golfers to its traditional home, the Hong Kong Golf Club at Fanling in the territory’s northern reaches.

First played in 1959, the Open has a record of champions of which other events in Asia Pacific can only dream. Indeed, some nine players have won both a Major championship and the Hong Kong title, a unique achievement for the region’s third eldest national Open.

That first year, the tournament was won by Chinese Taipei’s Lu Liang-huan. Known as ‘Mr Lu’, the smiling star went on to challenge Lee Trevino at the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in 1971 before adding his second Hong Kong title in 1974.

Australian Peter Thomson, the five-time Open champion, was another to hit the headlines in the early days as the first Major winner to add the Hong Kong Open to his resume in 1960.

He pocketed three titles that decade, with another Chinese Taipei golfer, Hsieh Yung-yo, back-to-back champion in 1963-1964, posting four victories to be the most prolific champion in the event’s history.

Since those early days, the Open has continued to build a proud legacy of winners. Greg Norman (1979, 1983) and Ian Woosnam (1987) have both been triumphant, with fellow Major champions Bernhard Langer and Tom Watson winning titles in 1991 and 1992.

Two more Major winners came in the form of José Maria Olazabal (2001) and Padraig Harrington (2003), before European heavyweights Miguel Angel Jiménez and Colin Montgomerie added victories in 2004 and 2005. In 2007, the ever-popular Jiménez won his second Hong Kong title.

The tournament’s 50th edition, in 2008, saw a celebration of the event’s heritage, with nine former champions returning to Fanling. Headlined by Peter Thomson, names such as Langer, Olazabal, Montgomerie, David Frost and Kang Wook-soon were in the field.

In addition, young start Rory McIlroy and dual Major winner John Daly made the trip to Hong Kong in an all-star field.

In an amazing finish worthy of the 50-year milestone, Chinese Taipei’s Lin Wen-tang etched his name into the history books with a thrilling victory at the second hole of a sudden-death play-off.

Lin seemed out of contention on the first extra hole, finding himself deep in the trees from the tee. However, he fashioned an amazing recovery to make a remarkable birdie, a score matched by McIlroy.

The multiple winner on the Asian Tou then nailed his drive at the second play-off hole, with McIlroy this time finding the trees. However, the Northern Irishman responded with his own extraordinary recovery to 12 feet. Lin answered by knocking his approach to just two inches from the hole to secure the famous win.