Williams Wins Third HK Seniors Open

Doug Williams of Hong Kong survived a tense final-day battle with England’s Stephen East to win his third consecutive Hong Kong Seniors Open Amateur Championship at the Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling. His one-shot victory also secured a spot in the prestigious MercedesTrophy Hong Kong 2016.

Doug Williams of Hong Kong receives the 2015 Hong Kong Seniors Open Amateur Championship trophy from Peter Larko, Head of Marketing Communications and PR for Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong

HONG KONG, 16 Nov 2015, (HK Golfer News Wire) - Trailing East by a shot overnight, Williams carded a final round 71 on the par-70 Eden Course to finish at four over par on 214. Playing partner East fought him all the way but ended one behind with a 73 to finish runner up for a second year.

“I would like to pay tribute to my playing partners, including Stephen East who has had a great year on the senior circuit in England and put up such a strong fight,” said Williams, who also won the Seniors Close Amateur earlier this year. “I would also like us to remember Alan Sutcliffe who meant so much to golf in Hong Kong and passed away only a few weeks ago,” he added, having also claimed the Alan Sutcliffe Salver for the best Hong Kong player.

Canadian Jette finished third overall on 231 and also took the trophy for the 65-69 category, while other age group winners were Hong Kong duo Robert Choy (60-64) and Joe Pethes (Over 70). In total, 90 players started the tournament including 45 overseas players from 14 different countries.

The Hong Kong Golf Association (HKGA) recently announced dates for the ‘Road to MercedesTrophy Hong Kong 2016’, a qualifying format that gives HKGA subscribers a chance to play in the internationally-renowned MercedesTrophy event at the Hong Kong Golf Club next May.

2016 will be the eighth year for the MercedesTrophy Hong Kong. Every year, amateur golfers compete to represent Hong Kong at the MercedesTrophy Asia Final in Australia as well as the MercedesTrophy World Final in Germany.

The Road to MercedesTrophy Hong Kong 2016 means that leading Hong Kong players from the following HKGA tournaments will qualify for the MercedesTrophy Hong Kong in spring 2016: the Hong Kong Seniors Open at the Hong Kong Golf Club on November 11-13, 2015; the Hong Kong Ladies Open and Close Amateur and Mid-Amateur Championships at the Hong Kong Golf Club on January 6-8, 2016; the Hong Kong Close Amateur and Mid-Amateur Championships at the Hong Kong Golf Club on February 8-10, 2016; the HKGA Spring Men’s Tournament at Discovery Bay Golf Club on March 7, 2016; and the HKGA Spring Ladies Tournament at Discovery Bay Golf Club on March 8, 2016.

Seven winners from the MercedesTrophy Hong Kong 2016 will advance to the MercedesTrophy Asian Final in Australia’s Gold Coast in August. From there, the leading Hong Kong player, if the owner of a Mercedes-Benz vehicle, will be invited to the MercedesTrophy World Final in Germany in October.

Further details and entry into the Road to MercedesTrophy Hong Kong 2016 qualifying events is available through the official HKGA website at www.hkga.com

Leading final scores:

214 – Doug Williams (HKG) 71 72 71; 215 – Stephen East (ENG) 71 71 73; 231 – Andre Jette (CAN) 76 80 75; 232 – William Houng-Lee (MAL) 81 79 72; 235 – Joe Pethes (HKG) 88 75 72; 237 – Robert Choy (HKG) 81 80 76, David Chen Wen-han (TPE) 79 79 79; 242 – Yoshio Tsuboi (JPN) 83 78 81; 243 – John Ball (HKG) 82 82 79; 245 – Chong Chit-heng (MAL) 86 84 75.

Doug Williams in action