Hong Kong Golf Club saves Open from the scrapheap
HKGC injects the lion's share of the US$1.3 million prize money to keep the event going
The star-less Hong Kong Open might have been cancelled but for the Hong Kong Golf Club’s decision to put up a “major share” of the prize money, the top official at the Fanling club has revealed.
Sidney Cheng, the club captain, insisted it had nothing to do with trying to get into the good books of the public – the course faces an uncertain future with the government looking at ploughing it up for housing.
“If we hadn’t stepped in, the Hong Kong Open was in danger of not being held,” Cheng said. “We came up with a major portion of the US$1.3 million prize money because from our point of view it was important that this tournament continues.
“Our involvement [financially] for the first time in this event has nothing to do with what went on with the government regarding our lease. That had no part at all and it was just the timing of the tournament failing to secure a title sponsor. These were two separate issues totally,” said Cheng, speaking for the first time on the contentious issue.
In July, Secretary for Development Paul Chan Mo-po said there was scope for reviewing the use of the 170 hectares of land at Fanling occupied by the club, the host since 1959 of Asia’s oldest professional golf tournament.
The existing lease runs until 2020 and Cheng was adamant the club and the Open were safe until then.