Hong Kong Open (golf)
| Location | New Territories, Hong Kong |
|---|---|
| Established | 1959 |
| Course(s) | Hong Kong Golf Club |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 6,699 yards (6,126 m) |
| Tour(s) |
European Tour Asian Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | $2,000,000 |
| Month played | December |
| Aggregate | 258 Ian Poulter (2010)* |
| To par |
−22 José María Olazábal (2002) |
 Sam Brazel
|
|
−22 José María Olazábal (2002)
−22 Ian Poulter (2010)*
The Hong Kong Open is a golf tournament which is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the European Tour. It was founded in 1959 and has been part of the European Tour's schedule since 2001. The Hong Kong Golf Association, Hong Kong PGA, and Chinese PGA also receive a limited number of exemptions into the tournament for their members.
Since taking its place on the European Tour the event has always been held at the Hong Kong Golf Club in Sheung Shui, New Territories. The current title sponsor is Swiss banking giant, UBS.
The tournament remains alongside the Masters at Augusta, Georgia, as the only two professional events in golfing history that have been played at the same venue for more than 50 years.
In its early years, the tournament used to be played in spring. Since 1995, the tournament has usually been played towards the end of the year, in November or December, and often falls into the following year's European Tour season.
In 1958, Hong Kong Golf Club member Kim Hall wrote to Australian professional Eric Cremin to see if those players playing in the Philippine Open in 1959 would consider staying in the region to play in Hong Kong. Hall then approached Peter Plumley, secretary of South China Morning Post, who was also a golfer. Plumley then persuaded his boss to sponsor 1000 Australian pounds in prize money in the name of South China Morning Post. Then, the first Hong Kong Open was launched in February 1959.
According to Hong Kong Golf Club member Willie Woo, Kim Hall was very keen for the tournament and he talked a lot with Australian golfers, including Peter Thompson. Woo helped to get Taiwanese players through his connections.
The first tournament was hosted by Sir Robert Black, the then-Governor of Hong Kong. Around one thousand spectators joined the tournament. Taiwanese golfer Lu Liang-huan won the inaugural edition of the tournament.
The success of the Hong Kong Open prompted Malaysia, Singapore and Japan to introduce their own tournaments and bring about the setting up of the Far East Golf Circuit.
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