The hosting each year of the Link Hong Kong Open rekindles so many fond memoies for this golf writer.

I made my debut at the Hong Kong tournament in 2003 and the then third year hosting of a joint Asian Tour and European Tour tournament that was first staged in 1959.

The timing each year of the Hong Kong Open was ideal for me as it was late in the European Tour season and in those earlier career visits, it would break the long journey from my UK base and onwards to Australia to join family and friends for the Festive Season.

Welcome to the Hong Kong Golf Club. Image GolfByTourMiss

Selfishly, I also could not have asked for better maiden Hong Kong Open as Ireland’s Padraig Harrington won the title making it an ideal story I filed to my then three Irish-based newspapers.

Fast forward eight-years to precisely 2nd Demember 2011, as I arranged with the  Asian Tour for dear friend Dennis Blasdale and myself to tee-up around 8am on the Old Course at the Hong Kong Golf Club.

Late dear friend Dennis Blasdale teeing-off the 10th hole on the Old Course at the Hong Kong GC. Image GolfByTourMiss

Tommy Tucker. What a great name for a golf hole. Image GolfByTourMiss

The Old Course, and laid out in 1911, is one of three golf courses at the club and with the other two named the New and Eden and yes, the same names as three of the courses at famed Home of Golf at St. Andrews and just 10 miles shy of my Scottish residence.

The Old Course is normally closed during tournament week though with the permission of the Tour, Dennis and I met in the foyer of our hotel ahead of boarding one of the early shuttle buses on the near 20-minute journey to suburban Fanling and the Hong Kong Golf Club.

Dennis worked for the European Tour in handling all matters caddy related and he was a dear friend who most sadly passed away a few years later on.  It was a fun practice as we’d often get out early to squeeze in some golf and as long as we were back ahead of the first group finishing so as to attend to our respective tournament work.

On this Friday morning, the opening hole of the Old Course was closed as it was being used for an overflow car park, so Dennis and I wondered down to the second tee and proceeded to enjoy our game in ideal morning conditions.

Unless you looked at overhead layout map of the trio of Hong Kong courses, you would not realise in playing the Old Course that it was bordering another golf course given the extent of trees about the entire layout.

It was peaceful, not a soul to bother us as we played holes bearing some great names including the7th hole named ‘The Bog’, the 10th named ‘Tommy Tucker’, ‘The Gem’ and the name for the 12th hole while the 15th hole is named ‘Sandy’s Pulput’.

Image = GolfByTourMiss

Where the 7th hole at on the Old Course and named The Bog gets it’s name. Image GolfByTourMiss

The Armchair. Image – GolfByTourMiss

Howver it was ‘Home’ and appropriate name for the final hole is where I am going with this story.

The par-4 18th is a long and straight closing hole measuring  338-yards from the White tees and 366-yards from the Blue tees.

When I talked about the extent of the tree coverage and not realising how close together each of three rounds are layed out, there was this sight in walking onto the 18th tee of the opening fairway of the championship course and the distant Hong Kong clubhouse.

You can judge this for yourself by looking at the photograph hereunder.

Unlike for the past 16 holes, the tree line was very thin so much so that when I sent my final tee shot soaring way left, and I mean well left in clearing the trees and landing slap bang in the middle of the first fairway of the championship course my first thought was I could be in a spot of real bother here.

Thoughts such as:  “No wonder the Old Course is closed during competition week.”

Saying this as one of the early matches on day two of the tournament was the three-ball of Colin Montgomerie, Jose Maria Olazabal and China’s Wen-Tang Ling who had kick-started their rounds at 7.30am teeing-off the 10th hole and were playing the first as their 10th.

Also, as I watched my ball head down the 1st of the championship course it was noticeable there was no out-of-bounds markers so as Dennis and I headed down our 18th we chatted what I should do, given Dennis and I were engaged in a Titanic tussel and the loser had to buy a pot of tea afterwards in the clubhouse.

Looking at this Hong Kong GC image you can see the closeness if you ‘spray’ a shot off either the first of the Hong Kong Open men’s championship course or if you are teeing-off the 18th of the Old Course.

So, in nearing the point where I was about to head left and onto the ajoining fairway I sang out to Dennis: “Dennis?  That’s Monty walking off the tee.  I’m not going anywhere near him”.

Not recalling exactly what Dennis said but it was something akin: ‘Quick, forget your ball and get your arse back over here”.

Scot Colin Montgomerie – Image Shuttershop

Suffice to say, I was back in Dennis’s company in a flash and saying to Dennis that I was was the last person that Monty wanted to see playing a shot off ‘his’ fairway.  Indeed, I could have read Monty’s mind and no doubt thinking to himself: “That’s McGuire isn’t it?  What the bloody hell is he doing?  He better not be taking my ball” (smiling broadly).

Dennis and I agreed discretion was our best protection so we shook hands and walked the remainder of the 18th on the far right side of the fairway rather than incur any wrath of the Scot.

We stored our clubs and then now wearing our tournament passes headed into the clubhouse for breakfast and a cup of tea on the best verandah in golf  – See: http://www.golfbytourmiss.com/2023/11/golf-club-verandahs-the-hong-kong-golf-club-veranadah/

One of the best verandahs in all of tournament golf ar the Hong Kong GC   Image GolfByTourMiss

This is exactly how it unfolded though it would not be a first time I have had a close golfing encounter with a well-known Scot, as I was enjoying being out on the Fortrose and Rosemarkie a few years back during the week of the 2013 Scottish Open at Castle Stuart week the then Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmon was playing an ajoining hole.

Though I did not know initially who is was until I got closer and the First Minister kindly pointed out where my wild drive onto the hole he was playing had landed.

Unlike what would have clearly been an uncomfortable confrontation with Monty in Hong Kong, Salmon was all smiles and ever courteous in Scotland.

• Incidentally Rory McIroy captured the 2011 Hong Kong Open and his third of now 18 DP World Tour victories.