Doug Williams successfully defended his title at last month’s weather-affected Hong Kong Seniors Close Amateur Championship, which saw the final round cancelled due to heavy rain.
Williams, 56, had earlier posted rounds of 71 and 70 for a one-over-par total of 141 over the scenic cliff-top course at Clearwater Bay Golf and Country Club to set up a nine-stroke margin of victory. Nicky Au and Chu Koon-ching tied for second on a two-day score of 150.
This year’s tournament came with the added incentive of a place in the prestigious MercedesTrophy for the top four players. Williams, Au, Chu and fourth-placed Akiyoshi Kubota (152) qualified for the prestigious MercedesTrophy Hong Kong at Discovery Bay Golf Club on 23 May. Seven winners from that event will advance to the MercedesTrophy Asian Final on the Gold Coast in Australia and from there the highest scorer from Hong Kong will enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the MercedesTrophy World Final in Stuttgart, Germany.
"It’s a shame we couldn’t get out for the last round, but I’m happy with the way I played and it’s always nice to get a win," said Williams, who has dominated the local senior scene since becoming eligible last year. "I didn’t lose a ball over the course of the two rounds, which is something of an achievement at Clearwater Bay."
Despite the convincing manner of his victory, the Hong Kong Golf Club member didn’t get off to the best of starts after making a triple bogey on the second hole of the tournament, which he then followed up with a bogey to stand at four-over-par in the early stages. But an excellent back-nine, which saw him come home in two-under 33, put his title ambitions back on track and saw him establish a lead that he would extend in the second round.
"The rough was brutal and I learned pretty quickly not to hit driver," said Williams, who came into the week full of confidence following a run of fine results overseas, which included a fifth place finish at last month’s Northern California Senior Championship. "So I had a bad start, but I gathered myself and was able to play pretty well after that. The key to the golf course is to keep it in the fairway, which enables you to avoid the big numbers."
The American, who won the 1982 Spanish Amateur Championship, was effusive in his praise of Clearwater Bay’s green-keeping staff who, despite the adverse weather, presented the course in immaculate condition.
"It was in incredibly good shape," said Williams, who is hoping to make his debut at the British Seniors Amateur Championship at Ganton in August. "The greens were rolling perfectly and were a delight to putt on, so the club deserves a great deal of credit."
Overall Final Results
1 Doug Williams# 71 70 141
2= Nicky Au 76 74 150
Chu Koon-ching* 74 76 150
4 Akiyoshi Kubota^ 75 77 152
5 Joe Pethes 79 76 155
6 William Chung 78 80 158
7= Lee Kab-soo 83 77 160
Peter Reed 81 79 160
Motonobu Yanai 81 79 160
10 Chan Yuen-kow 83 78 161
Notes:
# denotes 55-59 age division winner
* denotes 60-64 age division winner
^ denotes 65-69 age division winner
Hau Wing-wah was crowned 70 & over division winner
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