Posts Tagged China
Birdies at Reunification Cup @ Lotus Hill, China
We were at Lotus Hill, China for the Reunification Cup tournament. It was a two day stroke play event between the American Club, Chinese Recreation Cup and the Country Club. We played for the Country Club.
On the first day at the signature hole #17, a picturesque Par 3 with a huge rock formation surrounding the back of the green, we hit a solid 9-iron to the 130 yard pin. We had just eight feet uphill for our birdie. We almost won the nearest-to-pin but was beaten by one inch! Luckily we got the nearest-to-pin on the second day at the 161 yard 11th, but unfortunately missed the birdie putt.
Also on the second day, on the par 5 18th (our 9th), we hit a perfect shot leaving us 210 yards to an uphill back pin. This was a bit further back from the previous day when we tried to go for the green and ended up in a sandy patch in front of the green-side bunker. We ended up bogeying the hole so we were a bit more strategic this time. Moreover, there was a strong wind against us, so we took a 6-iron and laid up to 60 yards (65 to be exact). A perfectly struck 60° got me just nine feet from the hole for a sweet birdie. It felt good to be rewarded for smart course management. Maybe we should adopt this strategy more often.
Although we didn’t win this year (we haven’t for a long time) we had a great time. Congrats to the American Club who played flawlessly on Sunday to win.
101211 Lotus Hill - Hole 17 (Par 3)
101212 Lotus Hill - Hole 18 (Par 5)
Double Birdie @ Genzon Golf Club, China
Previously the CITIC Green Golf Club, the Genzon Golf Club in Shenzhen, China is now a 36-hole facility under new ownership and the conditions are first class. The fairways and greens are in top condition…maybe one of the best in Southern China.
We played the A Course in the monthly Jinmin tournament and had a rare birdie on the first hole, a short 327 yard Par 4. A 5-wood tee shot landed just past the trees on the right and into the rough. Sitting nicely, a pitching wedge got me pin high and with the greens running true, a good stroke got the job done.
Then on the 200 yard Par 3 8th, with strong winds against us, we chose a 3-hybrid and knocked it pin high…just seven feet from the hole. Again, one putt sealed the deal. We ended up winning the nearest-to-pin prize too 
Maybe we were too excited as we forgot to take a photo of the hole!
101208 Genzon - Course A, Hole 1 (Par 4)
Birdie on 502 yard Par 5 – Mission Hills, China
The 502 yard Par 5 on the 7th hole on the Duval Course at Mission Hills, China was one testing hole. The long downhill drive meant we could probably clear the bunkers on the right, but a sharp dogleg right turn meant that the landing area was too narrow for comfort. Nevertheless, a good whack with the driver got us half way there, 250 yards to the hole. As the green is further downhill, we tried to kill a 5-wood to get me close to (or even on) the green. From where we were, it looked like we missed by just a few yards, but we were in fact about 40 yards from the front pin. We tried to be too cute with the chip shot and duffed it. Damn. Now we’re still not on the putting surface and lying three. But a miraculous chip caught the sharp break right and rolled right in the bottom of the hole. Very sweet.
101125 Mission Hills - Duval 7 (Par 5)
WGC-HSBC Champions Wrap-up
It was a stunning week covering the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai. It was an unforgettable experience and one we will treasure for years to come. We are proud that HSBC is able to host such a high caliber event attracting a strong international field. You can say that it is one of the best tournaments in Asia at par with the Major tournaments. With golf developing at an astonishing rate in China, coupled with HSBC’s development of the China Junior Golf Program, the WGC-HSBC Champions can only get bigger and better. We look forward to next year when the world’s top players (and maybe some new China hopefuls) come again to battle it out for the Old Tom Morris Cup.
Conciliation Birdie @ Xili, China
We were playing pretty badly from the start. Maybe it was the fatigue from the WGC-HSBC Champions last week. Nevertheless, the Par 3 6th on the D Course (our 15th hole), played almost 190 yards uphill and we took a 3-hybrid and hit up the slope. The caddie gave us the 56° wedge so we thought we ended up in the bunker. But we were pin high just off the green. We wanted to chip with the 60° so we signaled 6 to the caddie. Guess what…she brought us a 6-iron!!! Arghhhhh. Never mind. Using the 56° we thought the chip would come up way short. But the left to right breaker went closer and closer to the hole…and trickled into the hole! FLUKE!
101114 Xili, China - D6 (Par 3)
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