It was a good turn out for our junior captain Ainee O'Connor as Junior Captain's Day took place on a lovely late Autumn afternoon on the East course. Ronnie Quick was the runaway winner in the best gross with an excellent 74. The best nett was won by Louis Dodds with a 71. Nearest the pin was Ronnie Quick again with George Killick winning the longest drive.

      

 

International matches come to its conclusion

The third and final series of matches in this year's International matches took place on the East Course on Saturday - with 76 Golfers taking part in the event it was a great success and certainly the way forward for next year. 

The Rest of the World Team defeated Ireland and the match between Scotland and England went down to last match on the course which resulted in the match being halved meaning that England as holders of the Firkin Urn retained the trophy. The main trophy, The International Trophy, for the best overall team over the three matches was won by Scotland and in joint second place were England and the Rest of the World. These events do not just happen and an enormous thanks must go to the Team Captains - Dhan Sharma (ROW) Charles Andrew (Sco) , David Brenes (Eng) and Kevin Collins (Ire), and if you are interested in playing for your country next year please contact your respective Captains or the office.


Ron Cox Scratch

Sam Keevill took 40 holes to win the final of the Ron Cox scratch in a very tight match against Andrew James on Sunday, to add to his Todd win recently.


 

Seve Benson is currently in 110th spot on the standings and will be looking for a decent showing to secure his place on the circuit for next year. Those on the outside hoping to force their way in include English players: Matthew Nixon (114th,) Tom Lewis (116th,) and my long term pupil Matt Ford (118th.).

This will be the 57th edition of the Hong Kong Open and it's been part of the European Tour schedule since 2002. Since the tournament was first contested in 1959 there have been a number of notable winners including Peter Thomson, Greg Norman, Tom Watson and, more recently, Colin Montgomerie, Rory McIlroy and Miguel Angel Jimenez. The Spaniard has won the event on four occasions.

Last season Scott Hend of Australia was the champion, he came through a playoff with Angelo Que of the Philippines.

A strong field has assembled for this tournament, including Justin Rose, Dustin Johnson, Graeme McDowell, Padraig Harrington and Patrick Reed. Star names of that quality should attract sizeable galleries.

The Hong Kong Golf Club was founded in 1889. The club has been host to this tournament since 1959 - one of the few professional events to have remained at the same venue for such a long period of time.


Player watch: 

Matthew Fitzpatrick - The British Masters champion is on fine form at the moment. Besides his memorable victory at Woburn, he was runner-up in the European Masters and third in both the Czech Masters and the Open D'Italia. 

Miguel Angel Jimenez - Miguel excels on this course and has won the tournament four times in the past. He'll fancy his chances this week. 

Thongchai Jaidee - After his win in the Porsche European open, he'll be full of confidence. Although he's never won this tournament, he's finished in the top-10 on four occasions, including a second place in 2007. 

Key hole: 18th. At 410 yards, it might not look overly imposing on the card but, with water, trees, heavy bunkering plus a famously elusive green, par here is an excellent score. 

Skills required: Course management. This is a layout that demands accuracy and a strategic approach. It's an old-school track where the ability to hit the long-ball is not a prerequisite. It's a course that requires good shot-making and a tidy short game.

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