Some familiar faces and a few new kids on the block will look to ignite their LINK Hong Kong Open dreams in the event’s qualifying tournament on Thursday and Friday.

“The Voice of Asian Golf”, Dominique Boulet, will be giving his dulcet tones a rest for two days at the Hong Kong Golf Club’s New Course as he takes another crack at playing in a tournament in which he finished fourth in 1996 – still its best finish by a Hong Kong golfer.

He will be joined in the hunt to feature in the 63rd edition of the city’s Open by Hong Kong Golf Club professional Brian O’Donovan, who so memorably made the cut in last year’s tournament.

Also representing the club in its 135th year will be trainee pro Michael Regan Wong, who last week qualified for the Macau Open.

Source: https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3280825/justin-rose-tom-kim-and-who-else-hong-kong-open-qualifying-set-tee

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Dominique Boulet, regarded as “The Voice of Asian Golf,” will be giving his dulcet tones a rest for two days as he takes another crack at playing a tournament where he famously placed fourth in 1996 – the best-ever finish at the Open by a Hong Kong golfer.

He will be joined by Hong Kong Golf Club pro Brian O’Donovan, who memorably made the cut at last year’s Open with tremendous home support, leaving not a single a dry eye on the course.

Also representing the Club in its 135th anniversary is trainee pro Michael Regan Wong, who qualified for the Macao Open last week.

Joining them this week will be a handful of rising stars, including amateurs Anthony Fang, Andrew Chan and Michael Yuen – fresh from his second consecutive Hong Kong Junior Open Championship.

“The Qualifying Tournament presents a great opportunity for young players, and some who have been around awhile, to be a part of this historic tournament and to play alongside some of the greats of the game,” said Andy Kwok, captain of the Hong Kong Golf Club.

Local hero Taichi Kho is among those who has already signed up for the Link-sponsored showpiece, scheduled for November 21-24 at the Hong Kong Golf Club. He will be joined by British star Justin Rose, who won here in 2015, rising South Korean sensation Tom Kim and reigning champion Ben Campbell of New Zealand.

Source: https://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news/section/8/266653/Chance-for-city’s-golfers-to-secure-Hong-Kong-Open-places

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Organized by Golf Saudi and the China Golf Association (CGA) and hosted at the sprawling Mission Hills Resort Shenzhen, the competition will see some of the world’s best golfers compete from Friday 4 October to Sunday 6 October on the acclaimed Jack Nicklaus designed World Cup Course. The Aramco Team Series presented by PIF in Shenzhen adds to the many Series stops Golf Saudi has organized around the world, helping further elevate professional women’s golf.

The individual champion from Hong Kong last year, Xiyu Lin, is fresh off her Olympic success, where she claimed a bronze medal for China in Paris.

Set to wow the Chinese fans this week, Lin shared her thoughts on the unique pressures and pride that came with standing on the podium in Paris in August.

“I haven’t really digested it until now,” said Lin speaking to Chinese media. “Although it has been almost two months [since Paris 2024], every time I look back, it’s a special experience. I didn’t go into the Olympic Games in the best form, but I was able to adjust myself, and then get a medal, which was the biggest dream. I feel very thankful!”

Last year, Lin overcame Korean star Jin Young-Ko in unusual circumstances at Hong Kong Golf Club, as an impending Typhoon cut the tournament short by a day, and an early playoff was forced at the start of the final day – with the Chinese star sinking a long putt to claim the individual title.

The conditions for this year are set to be a lot kinder, and while there has been heavy rainfall in Shenzhen of late, Lin has praised the staff at Mission Hills Resort Shenzhen for the condition of the course.

“I am surprised that this course is in such a good condition this week, because my mom and dad are in Guangzhou, and they told me every day that it was raining non-stop. The course has put in a lot of effort to get it to this state, and I think the greens are pretty fast.”

Also representing the host country, Muni He underscored the significance of staging tournaments in China, highlighting the positive effects these events have on the development of women’s golf throughout the region.

With the event co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour (LET) and CLPGA, the field will feature 20 CLPGA players, offering them the chance to rub shoulders with China’s elite women’s players.

He, now in her sixth year on tour, was keen to praise the pipeline of talent coming from China, and recognize the increasing talent pool making the jump to the LPGA Tour.

“This year, there are a lot of Chinese players coming up on [LPGA] Tour. Their results are also very good and consistent. This is China’s golf development plan, and the future is getting stronger and stronger, everyone is working hard towards it.”

Making her highly anticipated Series debut is Celine Boutier, currently ranked World No.12; the winner of the last LET event to be hosted in China at the Sanya Ladies Open in 2017.

Flash forward seven years later, Boutier is set to showcase her skills at an event celebrated for its Major-like atmosphere and the vital role it has played in advancing women’s professional golf since first launched by Golf Saudi back in 2021.

“I’m most excited about the team aspect,” said Boutier. “I’ve heard good things about it; it’s a different format. Having teammates is a fun change since most of the season is individual, so having other players on your team is always nice. The fact that I also get to have a bit of a say in who gets to be on my team is exciting. I’m really looking forward to that.”

Amongst the mix is Alison Lee, who is riding high after her T3 finish in London and celebrating Team USA’s triumph at the Solheim Cup, ending Europe’s recent dominance in the competition.

“This is only my second time in China; I’ve been to Shanghai, but it’s my first time in Shenzhen and at this golf course,” explained the American.

“I haven’t played the course yet, but it looks awesome. I feel like, statistically, it’s going to be a very gettable course – not too long, a par 73 with five par fives. I think there are going to be a lot of birdie opportunities, so I’m really excited about that. I’m really looking forward to playing this afternoon.”

Over the course of two days, 28 teams of four will engage in a thrilling fourball format, combining their two best scores at each hole and culminating in individual competitions on the third day.

With a shared prize pool of $1 million for the event, the stakes are high for the penultimate round of the tournament, beginning on Friday 6 October.

Source: https://aramcoteamseries.com/en-us/latest-news/strength-of-chinese-golf-heralded-as-olympic-bronze-medalist-lin-and-headline-stars-get-set-for-shenzhen/

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