UBS HONG KONG OPEN RELATED STORIES UBS Hong Kong Open home page UBS Hong Kong Open Preview Round 1: Choi in charge with storming 62 Round 2: Second 64 puts Karlsson four clear Round 2: Saltus enjoys Fanling finesse Round 3: Karlsson adds a 66 to stay four ahead Round 3: Strange relishes last day challenge Round 4: Jimenez clinches thrilling victory Round 4: Thongchai's superb 65 earns tied 2nd Final Scores & Prize Money About the Hong Kong Golf Club Seven names to watch this week Weir out to continue his winning ways Lara loves it in Hong Kong Pagunsan prepares to go one better 2006 flashback: Lara finally takes maiden title In-form Chopra snaking up the rankings Order of Merit chase hots up at Fanling In-form Chopra to join Fanling field Faldo to play and coach at Hong Kong Open Peter Thomson to be guest of honour at Fanling Appleby, Oberholser and Lara confirmed for HK Ko beats pros to claim Fanling berth Lam aims to go one better in HK Open qualifying Mike Weir joins PGA Tour quartet for HK Open Liang targets historic Hong Kong win 2006 flashback: Lara finally takes maiden title Full details of the Hong Kong Golf Club ASIAN GOLF TODAY TOP STORIES Ben Leong claims maiden victory PGA: Jeev and Wi tie for ninth Prom targets Thai win in Brunei Shin Ji-yai takes Women's British Open Asian Tour starts 2nd half on a high Norman to play 2009 Johnnie Walker Mission Hills to host AP Summit GOLF TODAY TOP STORIES Paul Azinger names US wildcards Faldo chooses Casey and Poulter Havret gains wire to wire Gleneagles win Sluman clinches First Tee Open with closing 67 Fallout continues over LPGA "English" rule Poulter chooses high risk Ryder Cup strategy

Event Preview: Goosen heads star field at Fanling

South African star Retief Goosen will be on the ball eager to make amends at the UBS Hong Kong Open which tees off on Thursday.

After narrowly missing the cut last year, the two-time US Open champion will return with high hopes as he headlines the field of stars in the US$2.25 million event that include defending champion Jose Manuel Lara of Spain, 2003 Masters winner Mike Weir, Korea’s Choi Kyung-ju and English ace Nick Faldo.

China’s top golfer Liang Wen-chong, who leads the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit race, will head the Asian Tour charge alongside Chapchai Nirat of Thailand and Filipino young gun Juvic Pagunsan who finished runner-up last year.

Out to regain his position in the leading fray after missing the cut by a mere one stroke in 2006, Goosen is geared to stay on course for a strong outing this year.

“I am looking to win, that’s the main thing. This year has been a little bit up and down. I won early in the year and did well at Augusta but from there on it has been a bit of a struggle. The swing changes I have been working on have made things a little difficult but then the last few events I have felt I was starting to hit the ball pretty nicely so it is now just the case of trying to make a few putts and getting on a roll,” said Goosen, with 14 wins on the European Tour.

Competing on one of Asia’s oldest golf courses, Goosen will be adopting a cautious approach as he tackles the esteemed Hong Kong Golf Club which holds one of the region’s finest finishing holes on the par four 18th hole.

“It is a tricky golf course, length is not really an issue here, you need to hit it straight so that brings a lot of players into play. Lara won it last year and it is one of those courses which look pretty simple but scoring is never very low and it is tricky with the tiny greens and the grain so you need to be hitting the fairways here. There are a few holes here with a lot of these hazards around them like little ditches. I am not really sure who to watch out for this week, hopefully myself, hopefully I can be one of the guys to be up there on Sunday,” admitted Goosen, who praised the growth of the game in the region.

“Golf is growing fast over here. We have a lot of good players coming up from the Asian side now the Asian Tour is stronger too. It doesn’t matter where you are in the world now, you have to play well to win. This is another one of those events where you are going to have to play very well to win.”

After his last competitive outing in early October, Faldo, the three-time British Open winner, hopes to dig deep in search of a solid result in Hong Kong.

“I am looking forward to this week. I tried a couple of things last week with my sports psychologist and I managed to dig out one of my old thoughts and I’m interested to see if I can still put that into play. This is always a good spot and it has good atmosphere and the field this week is great,” said Faldo, who is confident of an enjoyable week at the Hong Kong Golf Club.

“With the modern players being so powerful it will probably play quite short like most golf courses but it is a really good layout, it has good character and for such a small club in size, it copes with a tournament very well.”

Riding on good form this year is Korea’s Choi who will be banking on calm conditions after chalking up two triumphs on the US PGA Tour this season.

“One common thing during my two wins this year was the weather. I play better when the weather changes from a cold to a warmer weather. I adjust better to those conditions. At the Memorial, the greens were very soft so I was able to hit more technical shots than I needed to.

“This year in the US, there was a lot of rain too that made the greens a lot softer which suited my game. The weather was definitely one of the key factors. This week, the weather is in ideal condition and that is why I am looking forward to a great week,” said Choi.

The other contenders this week include Sweden’s Daniel Chopra, Australia’s Stuart Appleby and Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant and Thongchai Jaidee.

November 13, 2007