Yang and McIlroy to Hong Kong
Current leader of The Race to Dubai Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and US PGA Championship winner YE Yang of Korea will spearhead a world class field at next month’s UBS Hong Kong Open.
Yang, who became Asia’s first Major winner when he triumphed at Hazeltine National Golf Club in August, has confirmed his participation in the US$2.5 million showpiece.
Also in the stellar line-up will be defending champion Lin Wen-tang of Chinese Taipei, and McIlroy, the man he beat in last year’s unforgettable play-off duel.
Flying the flag for Hong Kong will be talented teenager Jason Hak, who created history at the 2008 UBS Hong Kong Open by becoming the youngest player to make the cut in a European Tour event.
This year’s edition of the historic event will be staged at the Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling from November 12-15.
Yang is relishing the chance to play in Hong Kong after his US PGA Championship heroics, when he hunted down World Number One Tiger Woods of America and won by three shots.
“Being Asia’s first Major winner is a dream come true for me, and it’s an honour to play in front of the Asian fans who have always shown such passionate support for the sport and its players,” said Yang.
“I’m very much looking forward to the UBS Hong Kong Open, as it is a tournament with a rich history and great tradition.
“I’m aware that nine of the previous Hong Kong Open winners have been Major champions, and I will be doing my very best at Fanling next month to become the tenth player to achieve that feat.”
The US PGA Championship was Yang’s second success of the year on US soil, after he claimed his first US PGA Tour victory at the Honda Classic in March.
He first leapt into the global spotlight in 2006 when he held off an elite field, which included an impressive chasing pack of Major winners Michael Campbell, Retief Goosen and Woods, to win the HSBC Champions in Shanghai.
Hong Kong fans will be eager to see Lin and McIlroy in action again after the duo traded shots in last year’s play-off, before Lin triumphed with a birdie at the second extra hole.
“Last year’s UBS Hong Kong Open provided the highlight of my career to date,” said Lin. “To win such an important tournament was a fantastic moment for me, and to do it in such an exciting play-off only added to the thrill.
“Naturally I have fond memories of Fanling. It is a picturesque golf course, but also a testing one with the emphasis on accuracy and skill. And the support from the fans is fantastic – the atmosphere on the final day last year was just incredible. I’m delighted to be returning.”
Lin will be heading to Hong Kong on a high after claiming the fifth Asian Tour victory of his career at last week’s Mercuries Taiwan Masters.
Following his near miss at Fanling, McIlroy claimed his breakthrough European Tour victory in February this year with a wire-to-wire success at the Dubai Desert Classic.
He has since gone on to enjoy an outstanding season with numerous top 10 finishes, including tied 10th at the US Open and tied third at the US PGA Championship.
He currently leads the European Tour’s Race To Dubai standings with season earnings of more than €2 million after finishing in a tie for second place at last week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland.
“Although I unfortunately came up just short last year, playing in Hong Kong was a wonderful experience and I thoroughly enjoyed four days of great golf,” said McIlroy, still only 20. “It will be a strong field once again, and I’ll be doing my utmost to go one better this time.”
Hak, born in Hong Kong and now resident in Florida, sent shockwaves through the golfing world when he carded two rounds of level-par 70 to make the cut at last year’s UBS Hong Kong Open.
At 14 years and 304 days, he eclipsed the European Tour record set by Sergio Garcia of Spain, who was 15 years and 46 days old when he made the cut at the Turespana Open Mediterrania in Valencia in 1995.
“Playing in my first UBS Hong Kong Open last year was an awesome experience, and making the cut simply added to a brilliant week for me,” said Hak. “It was great to be playing alongside such world-class players, and I’m looking forward to returning this year.”
Chi -Won Yoon, Chairman and CEO, UBS Asia Pacific, welcomed the quartet of players to the 2009 tournament. “We at UBS are counting the days until the opening of the 2009 UBS Hong Kong Open, which this year promises to be the best ever,” he said.
“We’re delighted to confirm world-class players such as YE Yang, who defeated Tiger Woods in August to become the first Asian to win a Major tournament, Lin Wen Tang and Rory McIlroy, who last year enthralled fans across Asia with their play-off duel, and the young Hong Kong golf star, Jason Hak, who last year, at 14, became the youngest player in the history of the European Tour to make the cut.
“We’ll see them all at Fanling come November 12. Please join us for what promises to be another spectacular UBS Hong Kong Open.”
The UBS Honk Kong Open – which is Hong Kong’s oldest professional sporting event, having started in 1959 – will once again be co-sanctioned by The European Tour and Asian Tour.
The tournament has been won by nine Major champions: Peter Thomson, Kel Nagle, Orville Moody, Greg Norman, Ian Woosnam, Bernhard Langer, Tom Watson, José María Olazábal and Padraig Harrington.
This year’s UBS Hong Kong Open is the penultimate event on The 2009 European Tour International Schedule, taking place a week before the season-ending Dubai World Championship presented by: DP World.
With only the top 60 golfers in The Race to Dubai list eligible to play the Dubai World Championship, the UBS Hong Kong Open has assumed even greater significance with players scrambling to secure their spot in the season finale.