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Ko seals his place in HK Open

Rebecca Tsui

Amateur ready to take on the big guns

Up-and-coming golfer, Jimmy Ko Ming-chak, won the UBS Hong Kong Open qualifying tournament in Fanling earlier this month.

The young Hong Kong amateur shot a 66 on the first day, followed by a 71, to clinch the title. Ko, 19, finished the competition with an impressive five-under-par 137 to book his place in the star-studded Hong Kong Open.

'It is the first time I have beaten the pros in a tournament. I was a bit nervous after the double bogey and made a few mistakes,' said Ko.

'I think the Hong Kong Open will be a very good experience and I will try my best.

'I have trained in the US for the past six months and taken part in competitions there.

'The mental part of my game is much better and I also hit longer now. I think I will make the cut this time and my target is to finish in the top 30.'

Others who earned their place in the Hong Kong Open were Derek Fung, Dominique Boulet, Tang Shing-chi and Tong Man-kee. They will compete with some of the world's best players at the November 15-18 showpiece in Fanling.

The US$2 million Hong Kong Open has attracted some top names, including 2003 Masters champion Mike Weir, two-time US Open winner Retief Goosen, PGA Tour stars K. J. Choi and Trevor Immelman and Chinese number one, Liang Wenchong.

The qualifying event was run in conjunction with the Hong Kong leg of the Faldo Series Asia - also sponsored by UBS, a leading investment bank.

Together with Martin Liu, Vilhelm von Sydow and Terrence Ng, Ko will take part in the 12-21 age category in the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final. The competition will be hosted by six-time major winner Nick Faldo in Shenzhen from December 12-14.

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