Following the end of another scintillating UBS Hong Kong Open last week, the magnificent composite course at the Hong Kong Golf Club was held open for a final day today as the Hong Kong Golf Club played host to the inaugural UBS Hong Kong Open Charity Cup. The spectacular event attracted keen golfers likePresident of Hong Kong Chinese Lady Golfers Association and former actress Olivia Cheng Man Ngar, Hong Kong-based veteran Cantopop singer and actor George Lam Chi Cheung, Jockey Zac Purton and Neil Callan to attend.
Over 200 golfers donated HK$5,000 each to Friends of Asia Hong Kong, the official charity of the UBS Hong Kong Open, for the exclusive opportunity to play the legendary composite course at Fanling.
Made up of holes from the Eden and New Courses, the composite course is not usually available for the public to play, so the UBS Hong Kong Open Charity Cup provided an unmissable opportunity for golfers to test themselves over the same 18-hole layout that UBS Hong Kong Open 2015 champion Justin Rose mastered only three days prior.
Jockey Zac Purton from Hong Kong Jockey Club was one such lucky player: “It’s a fantastic experience to play the same course as the pros, and the fact that it is all for charity makes it even better. It’s great to be given this opportunity to play on the composite course, which you can’t play quite often. I love golf and came to the UBS Hong Kong Open last week and watched Rose win on Sunday so to have the chance to play the same layout, and understand just how tough it is for these guys, was a real buzz. Also feel lucky to be involved in the charity cup.”
Hong Kong-based veteran Cantopop singer and actor George Lam Chi Cheung showed his support and said: “I am very delighted to come onsite to support Friends of Asia Hong Kong for the UBS Hong Kong Open Charity Cup. We all enjoyed ourselves today. I hope that we will continue to give full support to their upcoming charity events in order to get more funds year by year. ”
As well as being a superb golf experience, the Charity Cup also proved to be a significant fund-raiser. Over HK$1 million was raised from player entry fees and this sum was matched by Friends of Asia Hong Kong, bringing the total amount generated to an impressive HK$2.3million.
Caleb Chan, Founder of Friends of Asia Hong Kong, was delighted with the outcome: “It is fantastic to see the golfing community come together to raise such a significant sum of money for our beneficiaries and I’d like to thank the Hong Kong Golf Club for opening up the composite course for this event, and all the golfers who contributed.”
Explaining how the funds will be distributed, Chan continued: “Along with UBS, we have identified three very worthy charities which will benefit from this funding: Playright Hospital Play Services, InspiringHK Sports Foundation and The Autism Partnership Foundation. All three of these organisations do an incredible amount of work in the community to improve the lives of disadvantaged and ill Hong Kong children and youth. Funds, like those raised from the Charity Cup, are the life-blood of these charities, and many others, and it’s wonderful that an event such as the UBS Hong Kong Open can serve a wider purpose in helping these organisations.”
Ms Kathryn Shih, Head of UBS Wealth Management APAC, said, “The UBS Hong Kong Open Charity Cup is a key element of our joint drive to make sure the UBS Hong Kong Open is Open for all Hong Kong – and leaves a lasting legacy for our community. The fun on and off the course today was made even more special by the fact that the tournament is in aid of some extremely worthy causes.
“From an initial idea to today’s amazing execution, the UBS Hong Kong Open Charity Cup has drawn the strong support of the tournament’s organizers: the European Tour, the Hong Kong Golf Club and the Hong Kong Golf Association. But much of the hard work has been put in by Caleb Chan and Friends of Asia Hong Kong and for this we thank them sincerely,” Ms. Shih added.
Rights Free Photos:
Photo 1: Mr Caleb Chan, Founder of Friends of Asia Hong Kong presents nearest-to-the-pin certificate to George Lam Chi Cheung. Photograph by Jayne Russell
Photo 2：Hong Kong-based veteran Cantopop singer and actor George Lam Chi Cheung at the UBS Hong Kong Open Charity Cup.
Photograph by Jayne Russell
Photo 3：Jockey Zac Purton at the UBS Hong Kong Open Charity Cup. Photograph by Jayne Russell
Photo 4： Jockey Neil Callan at the UBS Hong Kong Open Charity Cup. Photograph by Jayne Russell
