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VAN DE VELDE LEADS AGEAS HKPGA CHAMPIONSHIP FOLLOWING COURSE RECORD 65

March 29, 2011

Jean Van de Velde overcame jetlag and a lack of practice to take a share of the first round lead at the Ageas Hong Kong PGA Championship after firing a course record 65 on an incident-packed day at Clearwater Bay Golf Club.

Frenchman Van de Velde, best-known for his final-hole collapse when leading the 1999 Open Championship at Carnoustie, recorded nine birdies over the dramatic cliff-top layout before bogeying the final two holes in his five-under-par effort, a score matched by Asian Tour regular Guido Van der Walk of the Netherlands.

17-year-old amateur Liu Lok-tin, who won the Hong Kong Amateur Open and Close titles in 2010, leads the local challenge after a stellar 66.

"It was good out there, I had a lot of fun," said 44-year-old Van de Velde, who only arrived in Hong Kong on Monday night after an eleven-hour flight from Europe. "The conditions were very mild, which explains the scoring but I'm happy despite my finish. I gave myself plenty of chances."

Playing in only his ninth round of the year, Van de Velde, who is looking for his first win since the 2006 Madeira Islands Open, bogeyed the tough par-three opening hole but had a hot putter to thank for his subsequent birdie blitz.

"I played well but to be honest I have very few expectations," said Van de Velde, who became the first Frenchman to play in the Ryder Cup when he made the European side 12 years ago at Brookline Country Club. "My hope for the next two rounds is to carry on enjoying myself and see where that gets me. But if I can keep playing like that I will be close to the top of the leaderboard."

Long-hitting Liu, whose four-under-par round earned him the amateur course record, had a great opportunity to steal the limelight from his professional counterparts but faded late in his round. An eagle at the par-five fifth (his 14th) put him at six-under for the day but he could only bogey the seventh and eighth holes after missing both greens in regulation. Nevertheless, the Elegantia College student is full of confidence heading into the final 36 holes.

"My timing was a little out but I made up for it with some good putts," said Liu, who regularly hits the ball in excess of 300 yards from the tee. "It was a thrill playing with the pros and I'm looking forward to the rest of the tournament. Hopefully I can keep it going on the greens."

It wasn't such a good day for Liu's playing partner, 1990 US PGA champion Wayne Grady, however. The tournament drawcard, who finished second in the event last year, was forced to retire from the HK$300,000 event after his round of 78 due to a recurrence of a knee ligament injury.

Things were looking bleak for defending champion C.J. Gatto until he rescued his round with three late birdies. A disastrous triple bogey at the par-three 14th put the 25-year-old Shenzhen-based American back in the pack but his gutsy finish leaves him well-placed heading into the remaining two rounds – which will be played at the Hong Kong Golf Club and the Jockey Club Kai Sai Chau respectively.

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Live Score
Venue: The Jockey Club Kau Sai Chau Public Golf Course, Hong Kong Golf Club and Clearwater Bay Golf Club
Date: 13th-15th January 2015

POS PLAYERS R1 R2 R3 TOTAL
1
UNHO PARK 74 68 64
206
2
SCOTT BARR 75 68 67
210
3
CHAN CHUN HUNG 74 68 69
211
T4
C J GATTO 74 73 70
217
T4
TANG TSZ HANG 75 70 72

217

Complete Leaderboard


1
2015 HKPGA Order Of Merit - 1st Leg

(Open Division and Ladies Division)

Venue: The Jockey Club Kau Sai Chau Public Golf Course
Date: 30th-31st March 2015

1
STEWART JAMES
139
2
CHAU PUI
141
3
BOULET DOMINIQUE
148
T4
TANG TSZ HANG
149
T4
CHOY WILSON
149
T6
LAM ISAAC*
150
T6
KU YU
150
8
MA KAM FAT
151
9
WONG WOON MAN
152

Amateur*

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2015 HKPGA Order Of Merit - 1st Leg (Senior Div.)

Venue: Yinli Foreign Investors Golf Club
Date : 2nd-3rd March 2015

1
TANG MAN KEE
154
2
TANG SHU WING
156
3
SUNG SING
158
4
LEE YING TUNG
162
5
KAN KING YAU
163
6
LIU PING KWONG
164
T7
SO SEK MAN
165
T7
LEE WING MING
165
T7
WONG CHING KWAN
165
T10
YIP ON WAH
166
T10
MORALES ALFREDO
166
T10
YAU CHI MING
166

 

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