Monty accepts Hong Kong invitation
European Tour order of merit leader Colin Montgomerie will play in December’s Hong Kong Open, where he will face off against defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez.
The pair’s presence at the tournament – which will be played from December 1 to 4 at Fan Ling and is co-sanctioned by both the European and Asian tours – was announced today as part of a new sponsorship deal to cover the event by Swiss bank UBS.
Montgomerie, who finished third at the WGC-American Express Championship in San Francisco on Sunday, is chasing an eighth order of merit title after dominating the European Tour in the 1990s and has a narrow lead in the standings over US Open champion Michael Campbell.
He competes in Madrid this week.
Given its position at the end of the year, the Hong Kong Open will count for the 2006 order of merit.
“I am delighted to be taking part in this year’s UBS Hong Kong Open,” said Montgomerie in a statement.
“I am really pleased to be playing this tournament and always enjoy visiting Hong Kong – it’s such a wonderful city.”
Jimenez won last year’s event with a one-shot victory over Ireland’s Padraig Harrington – the 2003 winner – and South African James Kingston.
This year’s tournament prize fund will be €1m and is the first of a four-year deal with UBS, which marks the event’s 50th anniversary.
