Hong Kong, November 20: Major winner Patrick Reed of the United States believes his title challenge at Hong Kong’s oldest professional sporting event will depend on his ability to fend off the stiff challenge from the elite field that includes Asia’s leading players when the HONMA Hong Kong Open presented by Amundi starts on Thursday.

Reed is making his third appearance at the Hong Kong Open, finishing tied third (2015) and tied-43th (2016) in his last two visits.

The American is enjoying a solid season having made his Major breakthrough that saw him prevail in an enthralling final day battle to win the coveted green jacket at the Masters Tournament in April.

However, Reed knows it will not be a stroll in the park at the Hong Kong Golf Club where more than 30 Asian Tour champions from over 15 countries including defending champion Wade Ormsby of Australia are expected to vie for top honours, too.

From left: Sergio Garcia of Spain, Patrick Reed of USA, Wade Orsmby of Australia, Tommy Fleetwood of England and Steven Lam of Hong Kong

England’s Tommy Fleetwood, who relinquished his European number one crown in Dubai last week, is looking forward to getting his season off to a flying start again.

Spain’s Sergio Garcia is also hoping to ink his place in the record books of the Hong Kong Open which has a rich history of former winners including 11 Major champions, who have won 30 Major championships between them.

Did you know?

• Patrick Reed held off a charging Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth to make his Major breakthrough in April this year when he won the coveted Green Jacket after a dramatic final day at Augusta National.
• Sergio Garcia, the 2017 Masters champion, finished tied-19th in his debut at the Hong Kong Open last year.
• Tommy Fleetwood, the 2017 Race to Dubai champion, will make his third appearance at the tournament. He finished in sixth place last year and third in 2016.
• Wade Ormsby’s earned his 2012 Asian Tour card at the Qualifying School in Thailand. He had his first Asian Tour victory in India the following year.
• After 264 starts of the European Tour last year, Ormsby finally also won his first European Tour title at the 2017 Hong Kong Open.
• The Hong Kong Open has a rich history of former winners, including 11 Major winners, who have won 30 Major championships between them. Peter Thomson (1960, 65, 67), Kel Nagle (1961), Orville Moody (1971), Greg Norman (1979, 83), Ian Woosnam (1987), Bernhard Langer (1991), Tom Watson (1992), Jose Maria Olazabal (2002), Padraig Haarrington (2004), Rory McIlroy (2011) and Justin Rose (2015).
• The lowest 18 hole score 60 (-10) was recorded by England’s Ian Poulter in 2010.

Players Quotes

Patrick Reed (Usa)

It has been a great year.  It’s one of those years that you always dream of.  You always dream of winning your first major, and then to just kind of play consistently and solid throughout the entire year, and to finish the season off correctly and going into Dubai and playing some really solid golf.  I was in in a position to win a golf tournament there but could not quite get it done. But to finish second in The Race to Dubai means a lot. The strength, depth and talent all around the world just show how deep golf is nowadays. I’ve gone up against a lot of guys from Asia who are just solid from top to bottom in all aspects of the game. I can’t single out anyone in particular. So whoever plays well this week will have a good chance of winning the tournament. I’m really excited to play at the Honma Hong Kong Open. It’s a fantastic week and an incredible city. The people are friendly and so hospitable, it makes for such a great experience for players. Hong Kong Golf Club is such a great golf course, I really enjoyed playing it in my previous two visits and I hope to play really well, have some fun and be in the mix late on Sunday.

Sergio Garcia (Esp)

I think obviously this season had its up and downs. I had a very good start and a great finish on the year.  So I’m very excited about that. That’s where I stand right now with top-10s in my last four or five tournaments.  So that’s obviously a positive, and you know, I’m hoping to finish the year on the same manner, kind of start the season in the same manner, and then take a nice, well deserved rest.  It’s great to be back in Hong Kong.  I came last year for the first time and had a great time. The golf course is amazing and it’s really strong test for us.  So you know, I’m excited to be back here and hopefully I can play nicely and give myself a chance.

Tommy Fleetwood (Eng)

I’ve really enjoyed playing the Hong Kong Open in the past two years. It is definitely a course that suits my eye. I feel really comfortable in my game there and hopefully I can go a couple better after the decent results I’ve had the last two years. The Hong Kong Golf Club is a great course and I’ve got a good record here. For me, I’ve always enjoyed coming here and I love the challenges the course presents.

Wade Ormsby (Aus)

It’s always good to come back to a golf course where you have won before. It really meant a lot to me. The greatest thing for me is that I have the belief to win on Tour and that changes your mindset on how you approach the week. Having played a lot of golf in Europe and around the world, it was amazing to get my first win at such a prestigious event, and I’m really excited to defend my title in the coming months.

Ends.