Francesco Molinari and Patrick Reed join line-up for 2019 Hong Kong Open as Fanling kicks off European Tour’s Race to Dubai
- Italian returns for the first time in 10 years while Reed will be making his fourth appearance at Hong Kong Golf Club
- They will join defending champion Aaron Rai and Henrik Stenson in the 61st edition of the tournament
Major champions Francesco Molinari and Patrick Reed will tee it up at the Hong Kong Open, with the Fanling event marking the start of the European Tour’s 2020 Race to Dubai.
World No 11 Molinari returns to Hong Kong Golf Club for the November 28 to December 1 tournament after an absence of 10 years. The Italian’s most memorable appearance in Hong Kong came in 2008 when he and Ryder Cup teammate Rory McIlroy lost in a play-off to Lin Wen-tang.
“I have good memories from the Hong Kong Open and it’s certainly the goal to go one better this time around,” said Molinari, a six-time European Tour winner.
“It will be a great way to kick off my 2020 Race to Dubai campaign, hopefully getting some points on the board early in the season, and to play a world-renowned course. It is always an enjoyable week on Tour, so I am looking forward to going back.”
The tournament is one of the few sporting events in the city to survive months of social unrest, which has resulted in the cancellation of the Hong Kong Tennis Open, Hong Kong Squash Open, Clearwater Bay Open and March’s Hong Kong Formula E race.