Noel Prentice - South China Morning Post

With Armageddon seemingly avoided, can the Tokyo Olympics be a success?

Sat, 31 Jul 2021 12:00:00 +0000

Hong Kong Sevens defied Sars, now it must survive the most tumultuous of times

Fri, 03 Jan 2020 02:56:54 +0000

Every day you wake up hoping a light bulb has gone off somewhere in Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s head – and she makes a little concession here and offers a little olive branch there. Instead, we get more protest violence and destruction, police beatings and a Hong Kong fast becoming Asia’s Worst City, rather than the self-proclaimed World City. With every fiery and violent image, with every story of people’s rights being eroded and with every billion lost to the economy, the...

Hong Kong Ladies Open winner Liu Yan horrified to learn golf course will be sacrificed for housing

Sun, 12 May 2019 11:18:50 +0000

As a new wave of Chinese golfers emerged at the EFG Hong Kong Ladies Open on Sunday, the long-term future of the fledgling tournament was at the mercy of the Hong Kong government’s next move on housing. China teenager Du Mohan blew a five-shot lead to lose to compatriot Liu Yan for the HK$175,000 first prize, but Liu and Du were horrified to learn that the famous Old Course at Hong Kong Golf Club would be sacrificed for housing. The government announced in February it would be taking back eight...

China teen phenom Du Mohan turns heads – and the screws – at Hong Kong Ladies Open

Sat, 11 May 2019 10:20:16 +0000

A teen prodigy one day, a teen phenom the next. That’s China’s Du Mohan, who announced herself on the Asian golf scene on Saturday when she cruised to a five-shot lead at the US$150,000 EFG Hong Kong Ladies Open. The 17-year-old Beijing native showed her first-round five-under-par 67 was no fluke by matching that score and turning heads at Hong Kong Golf Club. Seasoned male pros had already earmarked Du as one to watch and she lived up to expectations, overshadowing some of the best players in...

Hong Kong star Tiffany Chan hoping to be a cut above her rivals after LPGA Tour struggles

Thu, 09 May 2019 09:43:56 +0000

Hong Kong favourite Tiffany Chan Tsz-ching brushed off the disappointment of three missed cuts on the LPGA Tour as she prepared to take centre stage at the EFG Hong Kong Ladies Open, starting at Hong Kong Golf Club on Friday. An early exit from the Mediheal Championship in San Francisco last weekend turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it allowed her to get in a practice round for the US Open qualifying in Hawaii on Monday, where she blew the field away by five shots. Chan, 25, then made...

Better than London’s Olympic Park? Designers rave about new Kai Tak Sports Park

Tue, 23 Apr 2019 11:30:05 +0000

The new Kai Tak Sports Park will be a world-beater, the designers claimed on Tuesday, surpassing London’s Olympic Park built for the 2012 Summer Games. Setting the benchmark for multipurpose sports precincts, the HK$30 billion project was officially launched when Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor symbolically dug a golden shovel into the ground on the 28-hectare site. The prized real estate on the old Kai Tak airport runway overlooking Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong Island...

Will Hong Kong’s new sports park (and Sevens home) thrill you? Don’t hold your breath

Sat, 06 Apr 2019 01:16:40 +0000

We want wow, we want jaw-dropping, we want X factor. We want something befitting Hong Kong’s self-anointed claim as Asia’s World City. But what will we get in our new Kai Tak Sports Park and future home of the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens? Government constraints will ensure none of these at the new HK$30 billion project – and we certainly don’t see any in the limited information released. You can guarantee the park will be practical and functional and there is little doubt the government...

A retractable pitch flowing into a harbour amphitheatre – here’s the Kai Tak Sports Park design you will never see

Fri, 05 Apr 2019 03:00:15 +0000

The losing bidder for the Kai Tak Sports Park – and new home of the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens – spent more than HK$60 million on its blueprint, featuring a retractable natural grass pitch similar to the one unveiled by English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur last month. The consortium led by Guangzhou R&F Properties is reluctant to go public with what Hongkongers will be missing out on, but the design was built around a grass pitch that would slide out from the main stadium and...

‘Shame on you – Hong Kong is not a world city’: golfers furious over course being lost to housing

Sat, 23 Feb 2019 00:02:43 +0000

Golfers have lashed out at the Hong Kong government over its decision to take back the Old Course at Fanling for housing, with legendary South African Gary Player also voicing his disgust. A mixture of anger, sadness, frustration, disappointment and resignation filled the fairways and chat groups after Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor accepted a task force’s recommendation to take back a fifth of the 172 hectares at the Hong Kong Golf Club. “Shame on them. Hong Kong is no more a world...

LPGA Tour: Hong Kong’s Tiffany Chan hoping her love affair brings titles – and an Olympic gold

Wed, 06 Feb 2019 00:04:32 +0000

To most people, this would be a sacrifice. But to Hong Kong’s leading golfer, Tiffany Chan Tsz-ching, giving up a social life and the prospect of romance is par for the course. Chan lives, breathes, eats and sleeps golf. She can afford no distractions – even if that means “hanging out with friends and guys” – in her quest to become the best in the world. That is a big dream for a girl from Hong Kong, which has produced only a handful of world-class athletes – and none in golf. She thought it...

Horse racing in Hainan? Not any time soon, says Jockey Club boss as focus remains on Conghua

Wed, 29 Aug 2018 09:29:02 +0000

Hong Kong Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges has poured freezing water on horse racing happening in Hainan Island any year soon. As the Jockey Club opened its new hi-tech HK$3.7 billion Conghua Racecourse, near Guangzhou in southern China, Engelbrecht-Bresges said its focus was on the Greater Bay Area project – and not on the island of Hainan. Frenzied speculation took hold on “China’s Hawaii” in April when President Xi Jinping announced his initiative to make the island of...

China embraces new racecourse with Hong Kong Jockey Club leading the charge for change

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 08:32:59 +0000

The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s new Conghua Racecourse “opened up things for the imagination”, a leading Guangzhou official said at the official opening in Guangdong province, China, on Tuesday. Mainland government officials were among the 500 guests at the official unveiling of the state-of-the-art HK$3.7 billion facility, which will serve as a satellite training and spelling centre for the club’s racing operations in Hong Kong. Chen Jianhua, the chairman of the Standing Committee of the Guangzhou...

Survival of golf at stake, says Hong Kong Golf Club after task force takes aim at its courses

Wed, 07 Feb 2018 04:04:05 +0000

Hong Kong Golf Club said the “survival of golf” was at stake after the government-appointed task force’s suggestion that part – or all – of its Fanling facility be redeveloped for housing. The Task Force on Land Supply agreed on Tuesday night that taking at least one of the club’s three courses was the best alternative to help solve the housing crisis. Partial development of Fanling golf course could provide housing quickly, task force says “We wish to emphasise that the three courses at Fanling...

‘Give us a fair hearing’: Hong Kong golf chief says it’s time for their voice to be heard

Mon, 05 Feb 2018 09:44:53 +0000

Calling for the golf community to be heard, a top official has hit out at the Task Force on Land Supply, saying the exclusion of only golf members from its meetings was “not fair”. Daniel Liu Ping-kwong, immediate past chairman and now honorary president of the Hong Kong Professional Golfers Association, said if golf members were barred from the task force, then so should members of other private recreational clubs. The Hong Kong Golf Association has been reluctant to take a lead against the...

‘We want it back,’ says Carrie Lam, but will the Volvo Ocean Race fleet drop anchor in Hong Kong again next time around?

Thu, 01 Feb 2018 08:15:30 +0000

The Volvo Ocean Race has “exceeded expectations” in its stopover in Hong Kong, with the sound of “we want it back” coming from the most important mouthpiece – the government. As the Volvo Race Village was being dismantled at the Kai Tak Runway Park on Thursday, race organisers breathed a sigh of relief that Hong Kong responded to the event, with more than 100,000 people attending over the 15 days. Despite the tragic start when a fisherman died in a collision with one of the boats, Chief...

Hands off Fanling: legendary Gary Player says Hong Kong Golf Club deserves protection from housing

Wed, 24 Jan 2018 05:33:39 +0000

All-time great Gary Player has appealed to government authorities to preserve Hong Kong Golf Club from any housing development, saying the historic club and its three courses are revered in the golfing world. With the government-appointed Task Force on Land Supply meeting on Saturday and about to deliver its findings on building flats on all or some of the 170-hectare property in Fanling, Player said authorities should carefully consider the impact of “closing this Hong Kong landmark”. “The...

Gimme, gimme, gimme: how can the Hong Kong Golf Club keep its courses and all its privileges?

Fri, 12 Jan 2018 07:34:54 +0000

You can hear the bones in the many graveyards at Hong Kong Golf Club rattling – and not because of the pile driving and the thousands of eyes that could soon be peering down on them. The ancestors buried all over the three courses at the historic Fanling club would no doubt rise from their tombs – some of which are bigger than the nano flats that could soon be housing their new neighbours. A century ago when the Old Course was built and the club moved from Happy Valley to Fanling it took more...

‘There’s no room for women on my boat’: then guess who appears on David Witt’s crew in the Volvo Ocean Race

Sat, 28 Oct 2017 01:31:39 +0000

First, skipper David Witt says there is no room for women on his boat, Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag. Then he admits he secretly head hunted Olympic silver medallist Annemieke Bes from a rival team. And then that Dutch team, AkzoNobel, is in mutiny – and in court – as the skipper is sacked for a breach of contract, then reinstated at the eleventh hour. Other crew members bail and AkzoNobel’s participation in the Volvo Ocean Race is sunk – until Witt loans them a sailor just hours before the start...

Macau Open champion Gaganjeet Bhullar targets the Hong Kong Open on his way to his ultimate goal – the PGA Tour

Sun, 22 Oct 2017 09:15:00 +0000

Two-time Macau Open winner Gaganjeet Bhullar says it is time to deliver on the European Tour stage – and next month’s UBS Hong Kong Open is where he can put his name in lights. Bhullar, 29, collected his eighth Asian Tour title with a three-shot victory in the US$500,000 Macau Open on Sunday, leading wire-to-wire like he did in 2012. But Bhullar was at a loss to explain why it is taking so long to go to the next level. “I don’t know where I’m lacking or falling behind. All I know is I will keep...

Can India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu complete a rare feat at the Macau Open – three wins in three weeks?

Sat, 21 Oct 2017 09:04:10 +0000

India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu is on the threshold of doing something few golfers have achieved – winning three tournaments in a row. With back-to-back victories in Taiwan and Japan, the 29-year-old has put himself right in contention for a hat-trick as he starts the final day of the US$500,000 Macau Open only one shot behind long-time leader, friend and compatriot Gaganjeet Bhullar. “I thought two was a great feat … as wins in golf are so rare,” Sandhu said after battling tough, windy conditions in...

Hong Kong telecoms giant bets on ePrix and fast evolving ‘smartphone on four wheels’

Tue, 17 Oct 2017 12:15:15 +0000

HKT is investing in technology you do not see coming – or cannot even imagine – but one you do see is electric cars. Hong Kong’s largest communications operator confirmed on Tuesday it would return as title sponsor of the Hong Kong ePrix in December, despite the inaugural event losing tens of millions of dollars and being beset by teething problems. That cost was brushed aside as “irrelevant” by Formula E chief executive Alejandro Agag last year and HKT is more than happy to keep investing in...

Crossing the China divide: guarded HK$100m horse convoys to get royal treatment

Fri, 09 Dec 2016 08:15:30 +0000

Guarded convoys carrying HK$100 million of racehorses will be tracked every step of the way when the VIAs (very important animals) are whisked through the Shenzhen Bay border checkpoint and on their way to the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s new state-of-the-art training facility in Conghua, near Guangzhou. Jockey Club officials will spend the next 18 months testing all security and safety procedures in the transportation and care of the horses before the HK$3 billion facility – a cross between Andorra...

Hong Kong Jockey Club bets on latest ‘crazy’ vision to be a winner in Conghua

Fri, 09 Dec 2016 05:30:30 +0000

Called “crazy” for its vision to internationalise Hong Kong racing, the Hong Kong Jockey Club has taken “craziness” to a whole new level with its HK$3 billion investment in the Conghua training facility near Guangzhou. Hong Kong Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said the Conghua complex was a strategic investment to benefit Hong Kong racing – and a potential footprint if there was a shift towards a racing industry, with betting, in mainland China. The facility was also...

We won’t die, says LeSports ... but plenty will trying to crack the Chinese sports market

Sat, 03 Dec 2016 02:38:32 +0000

The business of sport is booming in mainland China – predicted to grow to more than three trillion yuan by 2020 and five trillion by 2025 – but to understand it is like a Confucian conundrum. Two days listening and talking to industry leaders at a LeSports connect conference left most participants even more confused. Streaming company PPTV, part of the Suning retail giant, shocked the market when it paid a staggering US$700 million for the China broadcast rights to the English Premier League in...

‘I bow to the king’: Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolpraset stuns Anirban Lahiri in play-off to win Macao Open

Sun, 16 Oct 2016 10:24:44 +0000

Unheralded Thai Pavit Tangkamolpraset withstood a furious late finish from India’s Anirban Lahiri to win the US$1.1 million Venetian Macao Open in a play-off on Sunday. Paying homage to King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died on Thursday, Pavit said it was an honour to win in memory of the beloved monarch. “This trophy, I dedicate it and my life to the king. I bow to the king,” said Pavit. “All the Thai players are sad. “The king is our inspiration.” Pavit, 26, shot a flawless seven-under 64 for a...

Indian ‘brothers’ Anirban Lahiri and Chikkarangappa S. set Macao Open pace heading into final round

Sat, 15 Oct 2016 11:55:00 +0000

Close friends Anirban Lahiri and Chikkarangappa S. will be betting a dollar each hole in the final round of the Venetian Macao Open on Sunday, and whoever finishes ahead is likely to walk away with US$198,000. Lahiri, the far more celebrated of the two Indian golfers at 92 in the world, and the virtually unknown Chikkarangappa are joint leaders of the US$1.1 million Asian Tour event, holding a one-shot cushion over five players. Lahiri, 29, has finished first or second in the past three editions...

India’s Anirban Lahiri set to turn up the heat at Macao Open

Fri, 14 Oct 2016 12:38:25 +0000

India’s Anirban Lahiri is a staggering 55 under par for his last 14 rounds at the Venetian Macao Open – and by the law of probability he will be first or second when the final putt drops in the US$1.1 million event tomorrow night. Lahiri moved ominously to the top of a crowded leaderboard after a “disappointing” three-under 68 left him in a five-way tie for the lead at eight-under-par 134 after the second round. Joint overnight leader Ian Poulter struggled to a three-over 75 to slip back to five...

Surprise Macao Open leader Ian Poulter defends Ryder Cup structure despite Hazeltine defeat

Thu, 13 Oct 2016 07:16:16 +0000

Flamboyant Englishman Ian Poulter defended Europe’s Ryder Cup structure on Thursday, saying no tinkering was needed to wrest back the trophy in France in 2018. With debate still simmering after Darren Clarke’s team were “played off the park” by the Americans at Hazeltine, Poulter said Europe had dominated for 20 years and change was not necessary. “I think we have quite a nice set-up, thank you,” said Poulter as he announced his comeback to competitive golf with a stunning seven-under 64 to...

Darren Clarke defends Ryder Cup captaincy in face of criticism – ‘the guys could not have given me an inch more’

Wed, 12 Oct 2016 09:41:18 +0000

Darren Clarke consigned Europe’s Ryder Cup defeat to history on Wednesday as he prepares to start a new chapter in his life at the US$1.1 million Venetian Macao Open. He didn’t turn out to be the genius – US captain Davis Love grabbed that accolade ¬ but Clarke was adamant he and his team had done everything they could at Hazeltine. “I’ve been through worse,” said Clarke, who lost his first wife, Heather, to cancer in 2006. “The guys could not have given me an inch more and no one could have...

World No 14 Branden Grace loses himself in Macau aura but plans to find his way in time to stake Open title claim

Tue, 11 Oct 2016 11:15:26 +0000

World number 14 Branden Grace can easily find his way round a golf course but Macau’s grandiose hotels and their labyrinth structures are a match for the best orienteers. The South African spent 15 minutes lost in the newly opened Parisian Macao on the Cotai Strip on Tuesday after landing in the former Portuguese colony for the US$1.1 million Venetian Macao Open. Heading to Macao for the Venetian Macao Open can't wait to see what the course has to offer. Only hear great thing and really...

‘Captain America’ Patrick Reed to bring his Ryder Cup heroics to Hong Kong Open at Fanling

Thu, 06 Oct 2016 01:12:38 +0000

Patrick Reed, dubbed the new “Captain America” after his Ryder Cup heroics, will bring his firebrand game and personality to the US$2 million UBS Hong Kong Open in December. Reed’s participation at Fanling from December 8-11 will be announced next week, the Post understands. World number seven Reed beat Europe’s talisman, Rory McIlroy, in an epic opening singles on the final day at Hazeltine, setting the stage for the US to win the Ryder Cup for the first time in eight years. The 26-year-old was...

Mood swing: US PGA Tour boss takes encouragement from new golf ‘vibe’ in China after crackdown

Wed, 21 Sep 2016 08:45:30 +0000

The Communist Party is relaxing its crackdown on golf – cast out in 2015 after being considered a tool to tempt officials into corruption – and will encourage kids to take up the game, says the US PGA Tour’s leading official in China. Greg Carlson says the vibe is now positive and Feng Shanshan’s performance at the Rio Olympics, where she won a bronze medal, has helped put the sport back in a positive light. “There is a report – that hasn’t been made public yet – that speaks to golf in China and...

Staying in school: Hong Kong amateur Tiffany Chan Tsz-ching advances to second stage of LPGA qualifying

Mon, 29 Aug 2016 05:46:37 +0000

Hong Kong amateur Tiffany Chan Tsz-ching has passed the first test in her attempt to join the LPGA Tour and turn professional. Only a week after playing at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Chan finished in a tie for 46th at the first qualifying stage at Rancho Mirage, California, and was among 92 players in the field of 347 to advance to second stage in October. The final round is in November. Chan, 22, had rounds of 71, 72, 76, 72 for a three-over-par total of 291. She was 13 shots behind...

Golden Rose: European Tour officials confident Olympic Games hero Justin Rose will return to defend Hong Kong Open title

Mon, 15 Aug 2016 09:30:45 +0000

Armed with HK$15 million from the Mega Events Fund, organisers of the UBS Hong Kong Open are confident Justin Rose, who has just become the first Olympic golf champion in 112 years, will return to defend his title in December. Englishman Rose beat Sweden’s Henrik Stenson in a thrilling finish in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday to win the gold medal as golf made a triumphant return to the Olympic fold. WATCH: golden moments on Day 9 at the Rio Olympics A spokeswoman for the European Tour said on...

A legend like Serevi - Hong Kong pays tribute to Grand Dame of Sevens Beth Coalter

Fri, 23 Oct 2015 03:30:15 +0000

Beth Coalter, the “Grand Dame of the Hong Kong Sevens”, was on Monday hailed as one of the legends of the city’s most famous sporting event at a remembrance to coincide with her funeral service in Belfast. I think it was Beth’s special personality that attracted a group of similar-minded good people to her ‘sevens team’ and in turn make the Hong Kong Sevens the great event that it is Allan Payne, former HKRFU executive director Coalter, 59, died on October 21 in Belfast after suffering a brain...

World stars Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose to headline transformed Hong Kong Open

Wed, 29 Jul 2015 23:00:00 +0000

Follow @NoelPrentice1 Big-hitting American Dustin Johnson, a man of mystery and alleged misdemeanours, will be the headline act at the US$2 million UBS Hong Kong Open in...

UBS back as sponsor in massive boost for Hong Kong Open golf tournament

Sun, 19 Jul 2015 23:00:00 +0000

Swiss banking giant UBS will make a surprise return as title sponsor of the Hong Kong Open in October, signalling a dramatic upswing in fortunes for the prestigious golf tournament. Three years after ending an eight-year relationship with the Hong Kong Open, the bank says the time is right to again invest in golf and the tournament. The multi-year deal, on top of a HK$15 million injection from the government’s Mega Events Fund, is a huge boost for Open organisers, who have struggled to keep the...

How bank chief's 'baby' - the Hong Kong Marathon - grew into a giant

Sat, 24 Jan 2015 14:00:45 +0000

Like any proud father, Benjamin Hung Pi-cheng is effusive about his "baby", when he slips "derivative" into the conversation. The banking jargon might be common in his office on the 32nd floor of Standard Chartered's headquarters in Central, but in the context of the Hong Kong Marathon, it is met with laughter. He laughs too and then finds another word more fitting - "offshoot" - as he tries to explain the phenomenon of the Hong Kong Marathon and outlines his hopes, aspirations and dreams for...

Standard Chartered Marathon founder Ben Hung wants Hong Kong to embrace iconic sporting event

Fri, 23 Jan 2015 16:45:45 +0000

Standard Chartered chief executive Benjamin Hung Pi-cheng yesterday called on 7.2 million people to embrace the Hong Kong Marathon, saying small opposing minorities with big voices would soon be silenced - and even "embarrassed" - by a city on the run. With a marathon bursting at the seams and restrictions on road closures and opposition to route changes, only small improvements have been made for today's 19th edition of the event, including Hennessy Road being used for the finishing burst to...

Buying and selling Hong Kong Sevens tickets? New ‘marketplace’ to protect fans

Fri, 12 Dec 2014 06:00:15 +0000

The Hong Kong Rugby Football Union has launched a “marketplace” to buy and sell Sevens tickets in its continuing efforts to protect fans from the black market and combat touts. The union has engaged online marketplace company Viagogo to provide an authorised platform for buying and selling unwanted tickets to the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens next March 27-29, and other international matches and tournaments in Hong Kong. HKRFU chief executive Vern Reid said the Sevens had been heavily...

Hong Kong Sevens tickets increased HK$300 to HK$1,800

Fri, 31 Oct 2014 06:00:45 +0000

Hong Kong Sevens fans will have to stomach a 20 per cent increase in tickets from HK$1,500 to HK$1,800 for next year’s tournament. The Hong Kong Rugby Football Union blamed soaring operating costs in the millions of dollars in the past few seasons as the Cathay Pacific/HSBC tournament has been enlarged to 28 teams. We have had to increase the ticket prices to safeguard the financial viability of Hong Kong rugby Vern Reid, HKRFU chief executive The quota of tickets available to the public...

Nicolas Colsaerts ready to put Miguel Angel Jimenez to the test at Hong Kong Open

Sun, 12 Oct 2014 16:30:30 +0000

A week watching his peers at the Ryder Cup - rather than playing with them - has spurred Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts into action as he eagerly heads east for this week's US$1.3 million Hong Kong Open and the Asian swing of events. Colsaerts produced the greatest round by a Ryder Cup rookie in the "Miracle at Medinah" in 2012, but missed out on Europe's successful defence at Gleneagles two weeks ago. And with the wind in his sails after his second-place finish to Frenchman Alexander Levy at the...

Eleven-year-old from Hong Kong family is youngest ever qualifier for US Women's Open

Tue, 20 May 2014 06:11:04 +0000

Precocious talent Lucy Li, the youngest player to qualify for the US Women’s Open at 11 years of age, wants to play for Hong Kong. Li won the sectional qualifier at Half Moon Bay in California on Monday and will surpass American Lexi Thompson as the youngest competitor in a US Women’s Open at Pinehurst in North Carolina on June 19. “I can’t believe it,” said Hong Kong national team coach Brad Schadewitz. “She’s crushing records left, right and centre.” Here’s photo gallery of Lucy Li when she...

Champagne moment as Alexander Levy romps to maiden victory

Sun, 27 Apr 2014 07:15:15 +0000

Happy-go-lucky Frenchman Alexander Levy won his first professional tournament with a four-shot victory at the 20 million yuan Volvo China Open today. The 23-year-old, who blew the field apart with a 10-under 62 in Friday’s second round, birdied the last two holes in spectacular style to beat England's Tommy Fleetwood at the Genzon Golf Club. The key for me is to keep the smile on my face and try to be happy. That is when I play my best golf Alexander Levy Levy (68-62-70-69) finished at 19...

Mind games difficult to master for Chinese prodigies

Sat, 26 Apr 2014 14:48:18 +0000

China's prodigies have the inner belief, but it is mental strength that will determine their future - and China's first major champion - says defending Volvo China Open champion Brett Rumford. "I think culturally, it's in their psyche," says Rumford, 36, who came through the cut-throat Australian system. "It might take a little while before they actually have the belief, the courage to step up and feel they belong in an arena ... in a three-ball against the world's best players. That requires a...

Why the world's top golfers agree - China is set to dominate

Sat, 26 Apr 2014 14:30:00 +0000

"They're that good - and they're coming." And with that Ian Poulter reinforced what everyone from Augusta to Australia suspects: the Chinese will one day dominate the golfing landscape. It may be five years or 10 years but it is inevitable, says Poulter, who was given another reminder recently about the talents being honed at home and abroad. It won't be long before we see a Chinese major champion. I am not saying that will be in two years or five years or 10 years, but it is happening Ian...

Li Haotong, 18, puts his name in lights at China Open

Sat, 26 Apr 2014 07:15:00 +0000

Li Haotong gave Chinese fans plenty to cheer about as he put his name in lights at the 20 million yuan Volvo China Open today. I am ready for whatever it throws at me tomorrow Li Haotong The 18-year-old Hunan-born professional shot a five-under 67 to finish the third round at seven-under, in a tie for eighth place and nine shots off leader Alexander Levy as the Frenchman continued his hot form at the Genzon Golf Club. “I am very happy and want to keep my name up on the leaderboard,” said Li,...

Alexander Levy takes command after French wave of inspiration

Fri, 25 Apr 2014 13:45:30 +0000

Inspired by the exploits of countryman and friend Victor Dubuisson in the past few months, Alexander Levy decided he wanted some of the action. The 23-year-old Frenchman tore the Volvo China Open field apart on Friday with an “unbelievable” 10-under 62, giving him a four-shot lead after the second round at the Genzon Golf Club. With American drawcard Jason Dufner just surviving the cut, world No 3 Henrik Stenson still battling a virus and Ian Poulter imploding, it was left to Levy to provide the...

Jason Dufner makes cut by skin of his teeth at China Open

Fri, 25 Apr 2014 06:15:00 +0000

American Jason Dufner made the cut by the skin of his teeth at the Volvo China Open on Friday as unheralded Frenchman Alexander Levy blew the tournament apart. I played unbelievably today and the first time I have played like that. It was a great round Alexander Levy Dufner (73-71) scraped through on the cut line at par after two rounds of the 20 million yuan event. “I’m just not playing well enough . . . . 73, 71 just doesn’t get it done unless you are playing the US Open,” said Dufner, one...

Henrik Stenson loses sense of humour on rough day at Volvo China Open

Thu, 24 Apr 2014 13:00:15 +0000

With his sense of humour strangled by sickness, Henrik Stenson threw a club and then a left hook at the course set-up at the Volvo China Open on Thursday. The world number three complained of “silly rough” and “slow greens” after catching a bad lie on the last hole, then an unlucky approach shot that led to a bogey and a one-under-par 71. Stenson responded by throwing his iron, slamming it into his bag and then ripping into the course at the Genzon Golf Club, which he had not played – or seen –...