DID YOU KNOW – HONG KONG OPEN
• The 2014 Hong Kong Open will be the 55th staging of the event. The tournament was first played in 1959 and won by Lu Liang-huan and is the longest running sporting event in Hong Kong.
• The event has a wonderfully rich history of former winners, including nine Major Champions, who have won 27 Major Championships between them. They are: Peter Thomson (1960, 65, 67), Kel Nagle (1961), Orville Moody (1971), Greg Norman (1979, 83), Ian Woosnam (1987), Bernhard Langer (1991), Tom Watson (1992), José Maria Olazábal (2002), Padraig Harrington (2004) and Rory McIlroy (2011).
• The previous 54 editions of the Hong Kong Open have produced 44 different champions from 17 different countries.
• European Tour history was made in the 2012 Hong Kong Open when Miguel Angel Jiménez became the oldest winner aged 48 years and 318 days. Since the event became part of The European Tour Schedule in the 2002 season, he became the tournament’s first three-time winner. He claimed the trophy in 2005, 2008 and 2012.
• The 49 year old Spanish player holds the record for most victories on Asian soil with five.
• History was created in the 2003 Hong Kong Open when Shih-kai Lo became the then youngest player to compete in a European Tour event, aged just 13 and 280 days, beating the then record set by Sergio Garcia of 15 and 45 days in the 1995 Turespaña Open Mediterrania. Land of Valencia.
• History was also created in the 2009 Hong Kong Open (played in November 2008), when Jason Hak became the then youngest player to make a cut in a European Tour event, aged 14 and 304 days. He beat the then previous record of Garcia in the aforementioned tournament. Hak’s record has since been beaten by Guan Tian-lang, who was 14 years and 169 days when he made the 36 hole cut at the 2013 Masters Tournament. The Chinese teenager is playing this week also.
