Hou made eight birdies and carded a bogey-free final-round 64, as she finished on 210, three ahead of compatriot Lin Jie-en.
Philippines duos Annyka Cayabyab and Francesa Olivarez-Ilas finished third and fourth, five and six shots back respectively. Isabella Leung was the leading local, finishing seven shots back on 217 in a tie for fifth. Her final-round 70 was also good enough to win the Ladies Close Amateur title. Selina Li and Chloe Chan finished tied for second on 222.
“I am satisfied with my performance in the first two rounds. I made four consecutive birdies from the 6th to 9th hole today (in the final round), which is more of a standard performance for me,” Leung concluded.
Having topped an international field that included more than 90 amateur golfers from 5 different countries, Hou will now return to Hong Kong to take on the professionals. By winning the Ladies Open Amateur Championship, the Taiwanese teen received an exemption from the Hong Kong Golf Club into next year’s Hong Kong Ladies Open.
Hou said in her victory speech, “I would like to thank all the sponsors from Esprit to the Hong Kong Golf Club and the Hong Kong Golf Association for organising this event. And thank you all my teammates. I had so much fun and you guys are amazing! I am pleased to win this tournament and look forward to coming back again.”
In the Open Mid-Amateur Championship for players aged over 25, Hong Kong’s Cindy Lee and Huang Chun-chin from Chinese Taipei took the Division 1 and 2 titles respectively.
Leading final scores (Open):
210 – Hou Yu-sang (TPE) 71 75 64; 213 – Lin Jie-en (TPE) 72 72 69; 215 – Annyka Cayabyab (PHI) 74 72 69; 216 – Francesca Olivarez-Ilas (PHI) 73 72 71; 217 – Isabella Leung (HKG) 74 73 70, Huang Yu-ping (TPE) 71 75 71.
Leading final scores (Close):
217 – Isabella Leung 74 73 70; 222 – Selina Li 73 76 73, Chloe Chan (HKG) 74 74 74; 224 – Hu Jing 71 77 76; 226 – Vivian Lee 78 75 73; 230 – Tiffany Wu 74 79 77; 233 - Kimberley Wong 74 81 78; 234 – Lo Sin-yu 72 78 84.
Click here to see the published article.
