In-form Doug Williams cruised to victory at the Hong Kong Seniors Open Amateur Championship with a near flawless performance at Fanling in mid-November.
The Hong Kong Golf Club member, who held a seven-stroke lead entering the final round after opening with scores of 69 and 74, shot a level-par 71 over the Old Course to end 14 shots ahead of his nearest rivals, Australia's Alan Evans and defending champion Michael Barltrop of New Zealand.
"I've been playing pretty well and hitting the ball pretty steady," said Williams, who became the first Hong Kong player to win the event since 2004. "I've got a routine that I stick with, my short game has been solid and I'm hitting a lot of fairways, which makes a difference around here. My aim is just to try and play smart golf – not to try and play shots I'm not capable of – and of course I have quite a bit of local knowledge too."
Alan Sutcliffe, one of the legends of Hong Kong amateur golf who represented the territory countless times throughout the 1950’s, 60s and 70s, was on hand to present Williams with the trophy named in his honour – the Alan Sutcliffe Salver – for being the leading Hong Kong golfer.
Tony Taylor was the next best Hong Kong finisher. Rounds of 77, 78 and 78 were good enough for fourth place. Chu Koon-ching, who won the 60-64 division, tied for fifth in the overall category alongside Alex Ho of Taipei, while Terry Collins, the last Hong Kong winner of the event (in 2004), claimed a convincing eight-shot victory in the 70 and over bracket.
Williams, who turned 55 in February to become eligible for senior golf, has been in a rich vein of form this year. The 1982 Spanish Amateur champion claimed the Hong Kong Seniors Close Amateur in May before winning the Kau Sai Chau International Amateur Open in early October. Just a week later he added the Singapore Open Senior Amateur Championship to his ever-growing list of titles.
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