By IANS
Hong Kong : Australian golf legend Peter Thomson, who won the British Open a record five times, has been invited as a special guest for the UBS Hong Kong Open this week.
Thomson, who also won the Hong Kong and the Indian Opens three times each, first won in Hong Kong in 1960.
Recalling that win he said: “I was there on the beach (in 1959) and a radio report came on about it (Hong Kong Open). And I thought, ‘Hey, they’re playing the Hong Kong Open, why am I not there?’ I made sure I was there the next year!”
And he won.
At the same time, while at the peak of his career, Thomson was a great supporter of the fledging professional golf scene in Asia, winning tournaments across the region. He won the Hong Kong Open in 1960, 1965 and 1967.
He not only helped start the Indian Open, but also won it in 1964, 1966 and 1976. This year Jyoti Randhawa equalled his record of winning the Indian Open three times.
Thomson is back at the Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling this week as guest of honour at the 49th staging of the UBS Hong Kong Open.
“I’m in the stages now of a dignitary — I sit around and look important, but I’m not!” laughed Thomson, who has travelled to Hong Kong from his hometown Melbourne.
“It’s very nice to be invited and to be honoured in this way. I’m pleased with that.”
Thomson, 78, was feted at the UBS Hong Kong Open Gala Evening at the Hong Kong Exhibition Centre, China Resources Building, Wanchai Tuesday evening. Guests — including many of the star players at this year’s tournament — were shown a video montage of his greatest moments.
Thomson ranks as one of the giants of the game, having won the British Open an incredible five times between 1954 and 1965 as part of a hugely successful career on the European Tour.
Since 1970, he has also run a hugely successful golf course design business, with the Hong Kong Golf Club’s Eden Course — one of three at the club — being one of his company’s first projects.
Thomson will be a keen spectator at Fanling this week and is pinning his hopes on fellow Australian and PGA Tour star Stuart Appleby, who is making his Hong Kong debut.
“I always have high hopes for him, particularly when he is looking good and healthy,” said Thomson. “He’s one of the favourites, I’m sure.”