Teenager Nick Hioe Kwok-ho kept his composure to clinch his biggest victory to date at the MacGregor Hong Kong Junior Close Championship at Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club yesterday.
The Hong Kong Golf Association elite squad member held off challenger Steven Lam Tsz-ching to win by three shots. Hioe finished the event on a two-under-par 142 following rounds of 69 and 73.
The 15-year-old said he felt enormous pressure going into the final round with a four-shot lead, but used his knowledge of his home course to stay calm. 'I was really quite nervous when I teed off this morning,' said the Hong Kong International School student.
'Steven has been in such good form lately that I wasn't sure I was going to be able to hold him off. I just kept telling myself to calm down and not be nervous.'
It was a somewhat shaky start for Hioe and by the fourth hole, the four-shot margin had been reduced to just one stroke. But from the fifth hole on, Hioe's nerves slowly disappeared and he managed to maintain his lead for the remainder of the round.
'My game was not nearly as good as the opening round, but I'm so pleased to have won. This is definitely the biggest win I've ever had,' said Hioe, who also won last year's Clearwater Bay Golf Club Championship when he was just 14 years old.