15 July 2010: Thailand’s Pak Him Koravit Kwok defied record temperatures to win the fifth Faldo Series China Championship with a brilliant four under par total of 140 over 36 holes on the Faldo Course at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen.
Playing in severe heat, 19 year-old Kwok kept his cool to shoot rounds of 71 and 69, including five birdies on day two, and win by one from overnight leader and girls’ champion Peng Jie, 17, of Chinese Taipei.
Kwok and Peng have secured themselves a return trip to the ‘Home of the Faldo Series Asia’ for the fifth Grand Final next March, along with the Chinese pair of Shao Yong Liang and Yin Zi Jun, who won the Boys’ Under-18 and Girls’ Under-16 divisions respectively, and the Boys’ Under-16 winner Yan Si Huang of Macau.
In a joint effort by Sir Nick Faldo and Mission Hills to use the tournament as a platform for developing the game in mainland China, wild-card invitations to the Grand Final were also extended to the top national players who did not qualify automatically. This means that 19 year-olds Lin Ye Zhou and Zhang Zi Hao and 14 year-old Wang Yi Chen will also represent China in the R&A World Amateur Golf Ranking event to be hosted by the six-time Major winner in March 2011.
Underwritten by Faldo himself, the Faldo Series Asia is supported by major partners ISPS, Mission Hills and The R&A as well as official golf wear partner Alpine Creations. It is also endorsed by the Asian Tour and the Asia Pacific Golf Federation (APGC).
Further to the success of the Faldo Series Europe, launched in 1996, the Faldo Series Asia was established in 2006 to help develop the region’s next generation of champions. Over 30 Faldo Series tournaments now take place in more than 25 countries across the UK, Europe, South America, the Middle East and Asia and former winners include Tour champions Rory McIlroy, Nick Dougherty, Marc Warren, Melissa Reid, Florentyna Parker and Yani Tseng.
With a field of over 110 competitors, the China Championship was the fifth of a record 17 tournaments in 12 different countries on the 2010/2011 Faldo Series Asia schedule, including a total of six in mainland China plus others in The Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Bahrain, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Japan, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia and Thailand.
The 2009/2010 Faldo Series Asia boys’ title was won by Japan’s Masamichi Ito, 14, and the girls’ title by Thidapa Suwannapura, 17, of Thailand. Both will be invited to play in a professional tournament on the Asian Tour and Ladies European Tour respectively and both have also earned exemptions into the Faldo Series Europe Grand Final, to be played over the Faldo Course at the Lough Erne Resort in Northern Ireland on September 21-23.
Leading final scores: Boys’ Under-21: 140 – Pak Him Koravit Kwok (Thailand) 71-69; 154 – Zhang Zi Hao (China) 78-76. Boys’ Under-18: 146 – Shao Yong Liang (China) 72-73; 148 – Timothy Lau (Hong Kong) 71-77. Boys’ Under-16: 145 – Yan Si Huang (Macau) 72-73; 148 – Fu Ying Feng (Chinese Taipei) 77-71. Girls’ Under-21: 141 – Peng Jie (Chinese Taipei) 69-72; 153 – Wu Ying Yi (Chinese Taipei) 78-75. Girls’ Under-16: 151 – Yin Zi Jun (China) 73-78; 153 – Heng Cheuk Sze (Hong Kong) 76-77.