Hong Kong SAR, China: The Hong Kong Golf Club (HKGC) has hailed the historic gold medal success of Club Ambassador Taichi Kho at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

With a gutsy closing round of three-under-par 69 at the Westlake International Golf Club, the 22-year-old rookie pro repelled the charges of PGA Tour stars Im Sung-jae and Kim Si-woo and Korean amateur standouts Jang Yu-bin and Cho Woo-young.

For Kho, a former Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship runner-up, the individual Asiad gold medal provided another remarkable high in what has been an astonishing year during which he became the first player from his country to win an Asian Tour title and participate in the Open Championship.

Six months after his triumph at the World City Championship presented by the Hong Kong Golf Club, Kho once more confounded the odds by beating a world-class field. His performance was also instrumental in helping Hong Kong to the bronze medal in the men’s team event.

The HKGC, a Facility Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation, issued a statement saying: “The Hong Kong Golf Club is thrilled to see the historic performances of Hong Kong golfers at the Asian Games, with Club Ambassador Taichi Kho claiming a gold medal and the men’s team taking bronze.  

“We would like to extend our huge congratulations to Taichi and his team-mates, Matthew Cheung, Jason Hak and Terrence Ng, for their wonderful display and also to the women’s team, featuring Club Ambassador Tiffany Chan, Arianna Lau and Sophie Han, who finished the event in a highly credible seventh place. 

“Hong Kong golfers are proving they can compete with the world’s best and we should all be very proud of our players’ accomplishments and the great strides golf in Hong Kong has made.

“We are taking Hong Kong golf to new heights with impressive results and achievements on the international stage.

“The Hong Kong Golf Club is fully committed to supporting the continued development and growing popularity of the sport, including the nurturing of future talents through junior programmes, and we will continue to provide our venues to the Golf Association of Hong Kong, China for the Hong Kong team’s training and tournament needs.”