US Open qualifying: Hong Kong’s Alex Yang ‘incredibly happy’ after winning place in golf’s third major of year
- Stanford University student comes through qualifying tournament at Tacoma Country and Golf Club
- Yang will be the first player born in the city to compete in one of the men’s game’s biggest events
Alex Yang Hiu-wai will be the first Hong Kong men’s golfer to play in a major after he qualified for this month’s US Open.
The Stanford University student took one of two spots on offer at Tacoma Country and Golf Club on Monday during a mammoth day, where hundreds of golfers competed on courses across the US for the places up for grabs.
Yang finished three-under for his 36 holes, and tied at the top of the 54-player field alongside Canadian Jesse Schutte, a 34-year-old journeyman professional.
“I’m obviously incredibly happy,” Yang said. “It’s been a childhood dream to play in majors among the best in the world, and it’s a surreal feeling to do so.
“The journey to get here is the part I appreciate the most, it’s very validating to see hard work pay off. I’m excited for the next two weeks.”
Having never been represented in the sport’s four men’s majors before, Hong Kong will now have two in a matter of weeks, with Taichi Kho playing in the Open Championship in July, a spot he earned by winning the World City Championship earlier this year.
Hong Kong’s Tiffany Chan Tsz-ching has played in the US Women’s Open, but the only time a men’s player connected with the city has competed in one of the game’s biggest events was in 1959, when Jock Mackie, a member of Hong Kong Golf Club, played in the Open Championship at Muirfield.
Danny Lai Yee-june, the Hong Kong Golf Association CEO, said Yang’s performance showed the sophomore’s “ability and temperament to be a top golfer” and hailed the impact the city’s young players were making on the game.
“It has been a wonderful year for Hong Kong golf seeing players maturing,” Lai said. “Taichi Kho won the World City Championship at Fanling and qualified for The Open, Sophie Han came third in the Women’s Amateur Asia -Pacific, Arianna Lau won the AGPC Junior Championships, and now Alex has qualified for the US Open.
“It shows that the golf association’s development programme is heading the right direction.”
Yang has represented Hong Kong several times as an amateur, competing alongside Kho, Matthew Cheung and Leon D’Silva before they turned professional, in the Asia Pacific Amateur Championships and World Team Amateur Championships.
With the Aramco Team Series event in October, the Hong Kong Open in November, a potential LIV Golf League tournament next year and the National Games in 2025, Lai said it all pointed to the city being “one of the major hubs for golf in Asia”.
While 11 college golfers were busy qualifying for the year’s third major, which will be played between June 15 and 18 at Los Angeles Country Club, some of the game’s bigger names were also having to do it the hard way.
Stewart Cink, the former Open Champion, grabbed of 11 places up for grabs at Brookside Golf & Country Club in the Columbus, Ohio qualifier.
“I just love playing in majors,” said Cink, who has just turned 50. “I’m a one-trick pony, and you can’t be a one-trick pony if you can’t do your trick. I’ll keep trying to qualify forever.”
Columbus was among 10 final qualifying sites from California to Canada, from New Jersey to Florida, some of them requiring sudden-death playoffs to see who gets in.
With 45 per cent of the 156-man field needing to qualify, PGA Tour players booking their places included Taylor Pendrith and Nick Hardy, while LIV golfers Sebastian Munoz, Carlos Ortiz and David Puig also made it through.
Former Masters champion Sergio Garcia had previously qualified at an event in Texas last month.
