HONG KONG, May 10, 2013 (HK Golfer News Wire) - Doug Williams put in a classy display at Fanling on Friday to win the Munsingwear Hong Kong Seniors Close Amateur Championship at his first attempt.
Williams, who became eligible for the tournament after turning 55 in February, carded a blemish-free 70 in the closing round to finish nine shots clear of the field. The American, who won the 1982 Spanish Amateur title, was consistency personified, making 17 pars and a solitary birdie over the Old Course.
"I’m feeling my age right now," quipped Williams, a member of the Hong Kong Golf Club. "It was a hard slog in the rain and I was out of breath on nearly every shot."
Two other Fanling members, Tony Taylor and three-time Seniors Close winner Joe Pethes, finished in a share of second, with defending champion William Chung a further 10 shots back in fourth.
"It was a pretty unspectacular round to be honest," continued Williams, who overcame sciatic nerve pain on the eve of the championship. "But my game has been good recently and while I didn’t make many putts, I hit a lot of solid shots and hit a lot of fairways. If you’re able to keep putting it in play you’re going to score better."
Results
1 Doug Williams 75 72 70 217
2= Tony Taylor 75 76 75 226
Joe Pethes 77 73 76 226
4 William Chung 82 77 77 236
5 Roderic Sage 77 79 84 240
6= Akiyoshi Kubota 78 85 78 241
Chu Koon-ching 83 75 83 241
8 Motonobu Yanai 78 84 80 242
9 Nicky Au 82 80 82 244
10 Peter Reed 82 83 83