Enjoying a three stroke lead after firing a first round two under par 70, left-handed Ly Hong closed out with a three-over par 75 to win the Angkor Amateur Open by eight shots at Siem Reap’s Angkor Golf Resort on Sunday.
As one of Cambodia’s leading amateurs, Ly Hong had left a fine impression in the second round of the recently held Asian Tour Honda-Faldo Classic at the same venue.
Though he missed the cut then, he had earned a lot of admirers for his effort. The left-hander, who turned out for Cambodia in the 2011 Sea Games in Indonesia, just put that rich promise to great purpose in a field that hardly tested his skills. Expat Nick Toon finished runner-up ahead of Nepal’s Tashi Ghale.
The presence of Asian Tour professional Chris Rodgers was an added attraction and he produced two fantastic rounds from the black tees of 68 and 73 in very windy conditions.
AAO 2012 winner Ly Hong (right) holds trophy with Chris Rodgers
Ly Hong’s SEA Games team-mate Seng Van Seiha, who also had a run in the Honda-Faldo Classic, duly won the Nett Division snatching the honours by one shot from Malaysian expat Chris Ponniah.
Among a field of 30 golfers, Division B was a close affair with Tan Savun prevailing over Sor Chanpholin by two strokes in a battle between two Cambodians.
Division C carried a definite expat flair with Siem Reap resident Bevan Rakoia beating by one-stroke his close pursuer from Phnom Penh Jake Montross.
Evangeline Apuhin of the Phillipines strung together a polished 140 to take the ladies event.
“We are delighted with the success of the tournament while witnessing the emergence of some very talented Cambodian golfers,” General Manager of the Angkor Golf Resort Adam Robertson told the Post yesterday.
“Both Division A and B were dominated by Cambodians, which augurs well for the development of the game in the Kingdom,” he said.
In a little over month’s time, AGR will host the first Faldo Series event, marking the introduction of six-time major winner Sir Nick Faldo’s global golf development program.
