Cambodia’s leading amateur golfer Ly Hong won the second edition of the winner-takes-all 2014 Liberty Cup after a two-round 78 gross score in the Stableford tournament which concluded at the Sir Nick Faldo-
designed Angkor Golf Resort in Siem Reap yesterday.
The left-handed Ly Hong, who had represented Cambodia in both the 2011 SEA Games and the 2010 Asian Games, shot a one-over-par 73 to lead the field in the first round which was played at the Phokeethra Country Club on Monday.
Cambodia’s Ly Hong clinched the 2014 Liberty Cup in Siem reap yesterday. Photo Supplied
He handily kept the lead by firing an identical score at the AGR for a tally of 78 points under the fixed Stableford point system. The long-driving Ly Hong placed great importance on his short game and putting. “I’m very happy to have participated in Liberty Cup for the second year in a row. I really enjoyed myself and have built good relationship with other participants,” the 42 year old told the Post. “Second shots are very important, especially [at the] Angkor Golf Resort, and they turned out well for me.”
The Kingdom’s cup of joy overflowed after a similarly sounding Lee Hong emerged as the men’s nett winner, even as the 2013 champion Alex Yap of Malaysia could only finish third.
As many as 14 local golfers were in a field of 88 drawn from Malaysia, Laos, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore and the United Kingdom. The event was jointly organised by Malaysia’s Liberty Golf Services and Cambodia-based PSD travel.
The 2013 Carlsberg Golf Classic champion Roszali Baharuddin of Malaysia finished tied for 11th. “It’s my first time to Cambodia and it’s an amazing country. My deepest gratitude to Carlsberg Malaysia for sponsoring me to participate in this great event,” he told the Post.
Meanwhile, Lillian Wong of Malaysia became the first women’s champion with a two-round score of 69 in a field that included eight of her compatriots.
The organisers invited BFT, a Siem Reap-based children’s charity organisation for a charity drive – a hole-in-one competition. While the kids enjoyed the golfing bit, they also entertained the tournament participants to a grand dance performance.
The key partners to the Liberty Cup were Transview Golf, Titoni, Carlsberg, RHB Bank, Angkor Golf Resort, Phokeethra Country Club, Casillero del Diablo and Vittel.
