Only three players in European Tour history have won the same official event five times. Tom Watson is a five-time British Open champion, Bernhard Langer picked up five German Open titles… and then (of course) there is Tiger Woods. Not actually on European soil, but in co-sanctioned events he won eight WGC Bridgestone Invitational titles and seven WGC-Mexico Championships.
This week, Miguel Ángel Jiménez attempts to join that illustrious group, while also extending his own piece of Tour history. The Málaga-born star won the Hong Kong Open in 2005, 2008 and 2012 before, in the December 2013 edition, creating history by becoming the oldest winner on the European Tour, aged 49 years and 337 days. He then went on to become the first 50-year old to win, at the 2014 Open de Espaňa, aged 50 years and 133 days. This year’s UBS Hong Kong Open will be the 59th staging of the event, in what is the first time since 2004 that the tournament has marked the start of a European Tour season. It was first played in 1959, when Lu Liang-huan won, and is the longest running sporting event in Hong Kong.
Last year Australian Sam Brazel put in the performance of his career at Hong Kong Golf Club, with a birdie on the final hole to win the tournament and secure Tour membership for the first time in his 14-year professional career. He had entered the week at 480th in the world rankings.
This week another star-studded field is gathering in Hong Kong for the opening tournament of the 2018 Race to Dubai, including the new European Tour number one, Tommy Fleetwood. The Englishman narrowly edged out compatriot Justin Rose in a thrilling battle in Dubai last week to top the season-long standings and seal his first Race to Dubai crown, and both will be in action again at Hong Kong Golf Club.
Playing in Hong Kong for the first time in his career is reigning U.S. Masters champion Sergio García, joined by Rafael Cabrera Bello, who finished second in Hong Kong last year after starting in blistering fashion with opening rounds of 64 and 65 on Thursday and Friday, defending champion Brazel, other former winners Scott Hend and Grégory Bourdy… and evergreen fan favourite Jiménez.
