Doug Williams cruises to victory at Hong Kong Seniors Open Amateur Championship

In-form Doug Williams cruised to victory at the Hong Kong Seniors Open Amateur Championship with a near flawless performance at Fanling on Friday.

The Hong Kong Golf Club member, who held a seven-stroke lead entering the final round after opening with scores of 69 and 74, shot a level-par 71 over the Old Course to end 14 shots ahead of his nearest rivals, Australia’s Alan Evans and defending champion Michael Barltrop of New Zealand.

“I’ve been playing pretty well and hitting the ball pretty steady,” said Williams, who became the first Hong Kong player to win the event since Terry Collins in 2004. “I’ve got a routine that I stick with, my short game has been solid and I’m hitting a lot of fairways, which makes a difference around here. My aim is just to try and play smart golf – not try and play shots I’m not capable of – and, of course, I have quite a bit of local knowledge, too.”

Williams, who turned 55 in February to become eligible for senior golf, has been in a rich vein of form this year. The 1982 Spanish Amateur champion claimed the Hong Kong Seniors Close Amateur in May before winning the Kau Sai Chau International Amateur Open in early October. Just a week later he added the Singapore Open Senior Amateur Championship to his ever-growing list of titles.

Next up for Williams is the Asia-Pacific Senior Amateur Championship, to be played in Vietnam from November 21-23, where he will line up alongside William Chung, Terry Collins, Joe Pethes, Roddy Sage and Tony Taylor in a strong-looking Hong Kong side.

“I don’t really know what to expect, but I’m looking forward to Vietnam,” said US-born Williams. “I think we stand a chance of doing well – everyone in the team seems to be playing well – so it should be a good week.”