Q: Congratulations, Doug. We haven’t seen you all summer. Have you been travelling around the world?
A: Yes, I always spend my summers away. This year I went to the United States and Europe to play in different golf tournaments. I came back to town about two weeks ago to prepare for the Kau Sai Chau Amateur Open. I am currently in Qingdao to play in the Asia-Pacific Senior Championship.
Q: It must feel good to win the Kau Sai Chau Amateur Open for the third time?
A: I have had a pretty good run in this tournament over the past 5 years, finishing 1st this year and in 2013, 2nd in 2012, and 3rd last year and in 2011. As far as I remember, I have only finished out of the top 6 once in the 11 times I have played in it. At 57 years of age, I am no doubt the oldest player ever to have won it.
Q: How were the playing conditions?
A: The weather was tough; it was very breezy the first day, not too bad the 2nd, and rainy/windy on the 3rd day and quite cold. The course was playing extremely long - because it had rained so much previously. The fairways were very soft, while the rough very long and lush, and tough to hit from. The greens were in excellent condition and were very firm and fast which made hitting approach shots very tricky since it was hard to stop the ball.
The key for me to win was to keep my drives in play, which allowed me to hit a lot of greens in regulation, making it easier to score.
Q: Kau Sai Chau must remain special for you, since you helped design the course.
A: Yes, it always feels good to play here. I was instrumental in getting this golf course project off the ground and was managing the Gary Player Design Company during the development of the project. I commend the management at Kau Sai Chau for continuing to hold this tournament annually in keeping with the spirit of why the course was built in the first place.