Justin Rose, who won here in 2015, and rising South Korean talent Tom Kim are the latest stars to join the 2024 LINK Hong Kong Open parade as The Hong Kong Golf Club prepares to welcome the historic tournament back for its 63rd edition from 21-24 November.
When Rose lifted the trophy at Fanling in 2015, he was in the middle of a 12-month hot streak that began with a T2 at the US Masters and ended in 2016 when he captured gold for Great Britain at the Rio Olympics.
Justin Rose of Great Britain. Photo: Getty Images
This year, the 44-year-old returns to the US$2 million LINK Hong Kong Open having tied for second at The Open Championship in July. Rose is thrilled to have the opportunity to return to a course – and a city – that holds many dear memories.
“Hong Kong holds a special place in my heart, as does the Hong Kong Open, as when I won at Fanling I was playing some of the best golf of my life,” said Rose, the 2013 US Open winner. “I’ve had some great form this year and can’t wait to return.
“I cannot believe that seven years has slipped by since I was last in Hong Kong. You know, I tell people whenever I’m asked that it’s one of my favourite cities in the world; Hong Kong is right up there at the top of the list. I have great memories of the tournament and the golf course especially.
“The Hong Kong Golf Club is a true classic in the sense that it’s got an old school feel about it. It tests everybody’s game, whether you’re a long hitter or a short hitter,” said Rose.
Rose came from two strokes off the pace with nine to play to beat Denmark’s Lucas Bjerregaard by a stroke in 2015, adding another dramatic closing chapter to Hong Kong’s longest running professional sports event, one that this year is also helping The Hong Kong Golf Club ring in its 135th anniversary.
History surrounds the event, which The Hong Kong Golf Club has staged since 1959 – ranking it alongside only the renowned Augusta National Golf Club, which hosts The Masters, as a club that has hosted the same professional tournament for more than 60 years.
At the tournament launch in August, LINK Hong Kong Open 2024 ambassador Gary Player labelled the tournament, “Asia’s Major”.
“It’s got a nice ring to it, The Hong Kong Open has stood the test of time,” said Rose of Player’s description.
“Opens have something special about them, you build history and rapport with the golf course and things like that. That does count for a lot when you’re building the prestige of an event. The Club has got a very proud membership who love the golf course. It’s got a very old school charm about it, which is something that is very difficult to create. It’s got history, and you can’t reproduce that. You can’t recreate it. So it just has something very, very special about it. Those are the types of venues that I really, really like that have that charm and that history. It’s had great sponsors, and has attracted an international field throughout the years too… it has managed to keep its elevated feel and character,” added Rose.
New Zealand’s Ben Campbell carved himself a little piece of that history with a one-stroke victory over Australia’s Cameron Smith and Phachara Khongwatmai from Thailand last year, when for the first time the event became part of The International Series.
Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho is writing his own story as the city’s first ever Asian Tour winner, when he lifted the World City Championship presented by Hong Kong Golf Club in March 2023. He would go on to become the city’s first Asian Games gold medallist later that year in Hangzhou.
Both players have also signed on for their returns – as has one of the most exciting young golf talents on the planet.
The 22-year-old, Seoul-born Kim has already won two Asian Tour events – to go with the three he has won on the PGA Tour and a T2 at The Open Championship last year. He’s looking forward to returning to Fanling for the first time since 2020, when he finished T18 at the tender age of 17.
“I know some of the greats of the game have won the Hong Kong Open down through the years and I’d love to see my name on the trophy alongside them,” said Kim, the Asian Tour’s 2020-21-22 Order of Merit winner. “I have great memories of playing the composite course at Hong Kong Golf Club back in 2020, and I look forward to taking it on again this year.”
There has been exciting news for the tournament already this past month, with leading international real estate investor and asset manager Link Asset Management Limited (LINK) coming on as title sponsor for the next three years starting from 2024.
The LINK Hong Kong Open is once again part of The International Series, 10 events over the course of the season which offer elevated prize funds and a pathway to the LIV Golf League.
Last year the Hong Kong Open was named The International Series Tournament of the Year and a Players’ Choice winner for Course of the Year.
The leading points-scorer in The International Series Rankings receives exemption into the following season’s LIV Golf League. Held throughout the year across Asia, Europe and the Middle East, The International Series contributes US$23.5 million to the Asian Tour’s 2024 total prize fund this season.
