HONG KONG, 21 January, 2014 (HK Golfer News Wire) - The saying ‘Life begins at 40’ doesn’t apply to Unho Park – the Asian Tour star has enjoyed a successful career plying his trade around the regionfor the past decade. But having now reached the milestone, the Singapore-based Australian has the opportunity to achieve what no other player in the history of the Ageas HKPGA Championship has done before: win three straight championships.
Park, who celebrated his birthday last Friday, tees off in Monday’s first round at the Hong Kong Golf Club with local favourite Wong Woon-man and Koh Deng Shan of Singaporeand has his eyes set firmly on the Joe Hardwick Trophy, the prize that accompanies the HK$81,000 winner’s cheque.
"To win three in a row would be the perfect birthday gift," said Park, who racked up nearly US$100,000 in prize money on the Asian Tour last year.
"I’ve always enjoyed playing in Hong Kong and I’ve been fortunate to enjoy some success in this event. I’m hoping to start 2014 with a bang."
Park is being modest. He only made his debut in the long-running HKPGA Championship in 2012, but has a perfect record in the tradition-rich event, which has been sponsored by Ageas, one of the world's leading insurance companies, since 2010. A narrow margin of victory over second-placed Guido van derWalk of the Netherlands in 2012 was followed by a gutsy come-from-behind victory at the expense of Hong Kong's James Stewart last year - and Park, who was born in South Korea, is full of confidence on the back of a solid season on Asia's premier professional golf circuit.
"Fanling brings out some of my best golf, so it's a good feeling to be back on one of my favourite courses," said Park, who is one of three highly-fancied Australians in the field this week.
The parkland-style layout of the New Course at the Hong Kong Golf Club will host the first and final rounds, while the scenic course at Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club will be the venue for the second round of the tournament, which this week boasts a record prize purse of HK$450,000.
Wayne Grady, the 1990 US PGA Championship winner, returns for his fifth tilt at the HKPGA Championship title and is partnered for the first round with compatriot and leading Asian Tour player Scott Barr.
Grady, one of the best players in the world during the late 1980s and early 1990s, might spend more time in the commentary booth working for the likes of Channel 9 in Australia and the BBC in the United Kingdom than he does on the golf course these days, but his vast experience will stand him in good stead as he prepares to take on a collection of the region's finest players.
"It'll be a tough task against the younger guys, that's for sure," admitted Grady, 57, who memorably finished runner-up to MarkCalcavecchia at the 1989 Open Championship at Royal Troon. "But that's the thing with golf – you never know. It's great to be back in Hong Kong for the HKPGA Championship. Ageas has done a brilliant job with the tournament in recent times and I'm really looking forward to the week."
Grady and Barr are paired together with arguably Hong Kong's brightest prospect of victory, Timothy Tang. No local player has won the tournament since Dominique Boulet in 2004, but Tang, a former Asian Tour regular, has been in a rich vein of form of late and is clearly determined to keep the handsome trophy on Hong Kong shores.
"It would mean a lot to win the HKPGA Championship," declared 27-year-old Tang, who made the cut at both the Hong Kong and Macau Opens last year. "I'm feeling good about my prospects - my game has been in good shape in recent weeks - so if I can get the putter working I'm hoping to be in contention come the final nine."