OWGR: Part VI of obscure nations’ top ranked golfer
The top-ranked golfer from Hong Kong once starred for the Duke Blue Devils
Hong Kong has a population of 7 million. According to the Official World Golf Rankings, Motin Yeung is the best of the group.
The 26-year-old Duke University graduate sits at No. 729 in the world, making him the only from Hong Kong in the top 1,000, one of three who currently have OWGR points and one of 26 who are ranked at all.
Yeung was born in Beijing, China, moved to Hong Kong and then the USA when he was 12.
He was a stud on the AJGA circuit and also won the prestigious Jones Cup in 2010. Yeung won one collegiate tournament and was a top starter for the Blue Devils.
Yeung turned pro after graduating in 2016. He worked his way up to the PGA Tour Series China where he won the Kunming Championship in just his fifth start.
He made 12 of 13 cuts in 2018 and earned his way onto the Korn Ferry Tour the next season.
It all seemed to be going to plan as Yeung notched a T-finish in his KFT debut at the LECOM Suncoast Classic. He fell on tough times the rest of 2019, making just four cuts and placing no higher than T-30.
Forced to return to China, Yeung didn’t keep his head down too long as it can be easy to do on the fringes of pro golf. He won his second event back at the ZhuzhouClassic a week after a missed cut.
“It was physically challenging and, more importantly, mentally. At one point I was missing seven straight cuts and I would try to do something different,” Yeung told the South China Morning Post. “It was really hard mentally to adjust – how to start being fresh again was really hard to do.”
The only OWGR-counting event Yeung could squeeze in in 2020 was the Hong Kong Open in January, where he made the cut (T-65) in front of friendly galleries on the Asian Tour.
It’s clear Yeung has the talent to at least hang around for a shot at making the big stage. Hopefully he can continue chasing his dream when the minor league tours resume post-coronavirus.
GOLF IN HONG KONG
Golf in Hong Kong can be traced back to the late 1800s in its days as a former British colony. Royal Hong Kong Golf Club, now just Hong Kong Golf Club, is the oldest of what are now 13 courses on the island.
The Jockey Club Kau Sai Chau is also beautiful and offers picturesque mountain views. Clearwater Bay has hosted the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.
The Hong Kong Golf Association was founded in 1968. It currently claims 136,700 registered players.
The Hong Kong Open has attracted some of the world’s top players since it was established in 1959 at Hong Kong GC. It’s been sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the now defunct Asia Golf Circuit since 1962 and by the European Tour since 2001.
Notable Hong Kong Open winners include Peter Thomson, Greg Norman (x2), Bernhard Langer, Tom Watson, Colin Montgomerie and Rory McIlroy.