Peter Thomson’s plea to save the Hong Kong Golf Club is revealed as world mourns passing of Aussie great
Three-time Hong Kong Open champion dies at 88 after battle with Parkinson’s disease, having written emotional letter last month urging land supply task force to save ‘incredibly special’ Fanling course
Peter Thomson, a giant of the golfing world, won five British Opens and one of his final acts in the sport was to throw his support behind Hong Kong Golf Club (HKGC) in its fight for survival.
Thomson, who won three Hong Kong Opens in the 1960s and was considered one of Australia’s greatest golfers, died on Wednesday aged 88 after a lengthy battle with Parkinson’s disease but was voicing his concern for the Fanling course as recently as last month.
Not only did Thomson assist with the renovation of the Old Course, he was involved in designing the Eden Course and played in the first Hong Kong Open held at Fanling in 1959, going on to win the event in 1960, 1965 and 1967.
In his letter dated May 15 this year, Thomson wrote to land supply task force chairman Stanley Wong Yuen-fai urging him to spare what he labelled “an incredibly special place in the world of golf”.
