The Singaporean duo of James Leow and Ryan Ang are taking the positives from their performances at the Link Hong Kong Open, which concluded today at Hong Kong Golf Club.
Both players had colourful closing rounds at the Composite Course. Ang struggled to a six-over-par 76 to finish joint 54th on three-under-par 277 (65, 69, 67, 76), while Leow carded a battling even-par 70 to overhaul Ang and claim bragging rights as leading Singaporean in joint 43rd place on five-under-par 275 (70, 67, 68, 70).
With a closing 64 for a 72-hole aggregate of 20-under-par 260, John Catlin of the United States emerged a worthy champion by five shots over Finland’s Kalle Samooja and home favourite Matthew Cheung. In addition to a cheque for USD360,000, the 35-year-old Catlin earned two priceless Major rewards – an invitation to next year’s Masters Tournament at Augusta National, and a place in The 155th Open at St Andrews.
Leow got off to a hot start with two birdies in his first three holes, but struggled for the rest of the front nine, dropping shots on Holes 4, 5, 6 and 8. The 29-year-old regrouped on the way in, chalking up three birdies against one bogey to match par for the day.
“I had to work my way around and get back to it. A lot of birdie putts on the back nine weren’t falling, but I kept giving myself looks and chances. The course is not playing as easy as it looks, especially with the pins tucked in the corners today,” said Leow.
“A little bit disappointed but, at the end of the day, I fought hard this week to make the cut and play my way into the weekend. I made birdie at the last in front of a big crowd, so I had fun and enjoyed the week,” he added.
Leow enjoyed a grandstand finish indeed at the iconic par-four 18th, spinning a wedge approach to four feet and making the putt.
“It was funny, actually. I hit a great tee shot down the left side of the fairway, and the ball was on a slightly downhill lie. I chunked my wedge a little and pushed the shot, and thought it was going to be in the bunker. But it ended up being a good distance and spun and checked up to the hole, and I made an uphill four-footer for birdie,” Leow recalled.
The ‘lucky’ birdie, Leow noted, evened up an unlucky bogey on the 17th when his approach hit the green collar and sped 45 feet past the pin. He was too cautious on the downhill putt and left it seven feet short, lipping out the par-saver after a slight misread.
“I think it kind of evens things out, as I hit a great approach shot on 17 and it hit the collar and went way long. I guess that’s just golf, right? Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you get the good bounces, and sometimes you don’t,” Leow philosophised.
Overall, Leow was happy with his performance this week, especially from a mental standpoint, giving himself a six out of 10 rating.
“I think I made some progress mentally with my coach this week. There’s definitely a lot of room to get better, but I feel my game is there. I just need to manage it better and improve mentally on the short game and putting,” noted Leow, who made the cut as an amateur at the 2020 Hong Kong Open.
Ang meanwhile was upbeat about his overall performance, noting that playing in front of huge galleries and with experienced players this week has been a great learning experience. Grouped with Asian Tour winners Kieran Vincent of Zimbabwe and Ian Snyman of South Africa for the final round, the 27-year-old only managed one birdie against five bogeys and a double bogey.
“This is my first time playing in this tournament and I had a really enjoyable week. It was pretty cool seeing the crowds out there today and, wow, the grandstand at the 18th was something else. It’s a really unfortunate final round – anything and everything that could have gone wrong today, went wrong. I tried to stay in it, but I think mentally I was a bit tired towards the end. But I’m very proud of how I played this week as a whole,” said Ang, who has made four cuts in four starts on this year’s Asian Tour.
Ang was glad to have had the chance to take on the Composite Course, describing it as a ‘beast’.
“When you’re playing well, you feel like you can go low out there. When you’re not playing well, every hole feels like a challenge. But I really enjoyed the challenge, and I like the course a lot. I think it suits me very well – I just didn’t have my best today, and that’s sometimes how golf is, so I’m going to take this on the chin” noted Ang.
“A lot of learning playing alongside Kieran and Ian, and they really control their ball flights well out there. They taught me a lot about staying composed under pressure,” he added.
Ang noted that he will strive to come back to Hong Kong every year. “This is going to be circled in my calendar every year! The tournament is so well run, everyone is so supportive, and the crowds are insane. My goal is to play here every year from now on and, one day, hopefully hoist the trophy,” he said.
This was the 65th edition of the storied Hong Kong Open, which was inaugurated in 1959 and is the city’s longest-running professional sports event.
The Link Hong Kong Open 2026 is proud of being an “M” Mark event that helps enhance the image of Hong Kong as Asia’s sports event capital. The “M” Mark is awarded by the Major Sports Events Committee, symbolising intense, spectacular and signature events in the Territory’s sports calendar.
For more information please visit: www.thehongkongopen.com.
