HONG KONG, September 27, 2013 (HK Golfer News Wire) - A superb bunker shot and a late collapse by Marc Ong helped give Chinese Taipei's Liu Yu Jui a one-stroke victory at the Hong Kong Open Amateur at Fanling on Friday.
Tied for the lead with Ong heading down the final hole of the championship, 22-year-old Liu saw his approach find a tricky lie in the back bunker, while his opponent was safely on the green, albeit some 35-feet from the hole. Unfazed, Liu played a delicate splash that ended just two feet from the cup, which piled the pressure on Ong, who had made a triple bogey on the 15th with the trophy all but in his grasp. The Singaporean, perhaps still reeling from his earlier mistake, then proceeded to three-putt after charging his first effort way past the hole, leaving Liu with a regulation tap-in for victory – and a much-coveted berth in December's Hong Kong Open.
In one of the closest finishes at the event, which has been played since 1931, Liu ended on a three-round total of 211 (one-over-par), a shot ahead of Ong and two in front of Ong's compatriot Jerome Ng. Doug Williams was Hong Kong's best performer, the Fanling member carding a level-par round of 70 to place fourth on 214.
"I was so focused on my own game that I didn't know the state of the tournament, which probably helped me," said Liu, who captured the Singapore Amateur title in August. "I never gave up, so this is very satisfying, and I really look forward to playing in the Hong Kong Open. Competing against the professionals will be a great experience."
Results
1 Liu Yu Jui TPE 73 67 71 211
2 Marc Ong SIN 70 69 73 212
3 Jerome Ng SIN 71 70 72 213
4 Doug Williams HKG 73 71 70 214
5=Huang Chi TPE 76 69 75 219
Shinichi Mizuno HKG 75 69 75 219
7 Alastair Hall ENG 75 72 74 221
8=Jack Tsai TPE 74 77 71 222
Edgar Oh SIN 78 72 72 222
10=Ian Chiang HKG 75 74 74 223
Humphrey Wong HKG 81 67 75 223