Tiffany Chan wins China Amateur

Tiffany Chan held her nerve to become the first female golfer from Hong Kong to win the China Amateur Open thanks to an accomplished performance in Nanhai yesterday.

Tiffany Chan is the first female golfer from Hong Kong to win the China Amateur Open

NANHAI, Dec 7, 2012 (HK Golfer News Wire) Chan, 18, who held a slender one-stroke lead overnight, closed with a 73 over the water-strewn course at Peach Garden Golf Club near Guangzhou to pip China's Yin Yuan Ru by a shot.

Chan's victory comes less than two months after she stunned the field at the Yinli HKPGA Classic, a professional event in Dongguan, by outplaying a string of China LPGA Tour pros and easing to a comfortable win.

The former Diocesan Girls' School student, who swept all before her on the local amateur scene as a junior, is heading to the United States early in the new year to continue her education.

Also flying the flag for Hong Kong was Chan's international teammate, 17-year-old Isabella Leung, who placed third, a further two shots back.

"The hard work that Tiffany has put in the last six months is really paying off," said national coach Brad Schadewitz, who has worked with Chan on her game for nearly a decade. "The China Open is an important event for all the Hong Kong players and it's one she has been targeting, so with Isabella also finishing in contention it's been a really great event for us."

In the men's championship which was played over four rounds at the same venue, Hong Kong's Shinichi Mizuno finished in a tie for 12th, 18 shots back of champion Cameron Davis of Australia.