Golden Rose: European Tour officials confident Olympic Games hero Justin Rose will return to defend Hong Kong Open title
The Englishman beat Sweden’s Henrik Stenson in a thrilling finish in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday having beaten Denmark’s Lucas Bjerregaard by one shot last year at Fanling
Armed with HK$15 million from the Mega Events Fund, organisers of the UBS Hong Kong Open are confident Justin Rose, who has just become the first Olympic golf champion in 112 years, will return to defend his title in December.
Englishman Rose beat Sweden’s Henrik Stenson in a thrilling finish in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday to win the gold medal as golf made a triumphant return to the Olympic fold.
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A spokeswoman for the European Tour said on Monday they were in negotiations with 36-year-old Rose to return to Fanling for the US$2 million tournament from December 8-11.
Vicky Jones, the tour’s client services director for Asia, said they were “confident” a deal would be announced in the coming weeks.
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“We were extremely proud to see the UBS Hong Kong Open’s reigning champion being crowned as Olympic champion in Rio, the first in 112 years,” she said.