Abhijit Chadha of India birdied the final hole to win the fifth Faldo Series Asia Grand Final at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen last month, an event that saw Hong Kong players record impressive results.
19-year-old Chadha shot a final round 74 over the Faldo Course to finish on level par, one ahead of compatriot Ashbeer
Saini and 18-year-old Liu Yi-chen of Chinese Taipei, who claimed the girls' title. “This is my first international victory, so I feel brilliant,” said Chadha, who becomes the second champion from India after two-time winner Rashid Khan. “My knees were trembling on the eighteenth but I didn’t three-putt all week so
that was the secret behind this amazing victory.” The champion from Chandigarh, home town of popular Indian professional
Jeev Milkha Singh, continued: “I would like to thank Nick Faldo and all the sponsors for giving us this opportunity and I can’t wait to spend time with Sir Nick at the Europe Grand Final later in the year.”
“Congratulations to Abhijit on a wonderful win against a record field at a Faldo Series Asia Grand Final,” said six-time major champion Faldo. “Abhijit joins an impressive list of Faldo Series champions and I look forward to spending time with him and the other age-group winners during the fifteenth Faldo Series Europe Grand Final at the Lough Erne Resort in Northern Ireland on September 12-14.”
The six-time Major winner added: “I thank everyone involved in giving these players this experience. Our friends at Mission Hills, The R&A, ISPS and UFL, and all our other partners, bring valuable support and vision. It is their commitment that makes the Faldo Series possible and allows us to provide experience and opportunity to young people through golf.”
Hong Kong's representatives at the event were Liu Lok-tin, Terrence Ng, Ambrose Tam and Kitty Tam, and it was Ng who put in the best performance by finishing in a tie for sixth in the overall championship, which underscored how much the 18-year-old has developed in recent times. A brilliant 68 on the second day proved to be the highlight of his week, despite the fact that he double-bogeyed the demanding seventeenth.
Liu, the 2010 Hong Kong Amateur and Close champion, also played admirably, his three-round total of 225 earning him second place in the boys' under-18 category, which was just one behind the winner, Jack Colegate of England.
Kitty Tam showed a return to form with rounds of 77, 74 and 79 netting her second place in the girls' under-16 division.
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