Singapore: The Link Hong Kong Open and the venerable Hong Kong Golf Club (HKGC) have once more been honoured at the annual Asian Tour Awards.
VIPs, sponsors and officials were present for a glamorous evening at the Equarius Hotel – part of Resorts World Sentosa – at which the most successful players, tournaments and venues from 2025 received accolades.
Among them was the Link Hong Kong Open, which was named The International Series Tournament of the Year for the third year in a row.
Andy Kwok, Captain, HKGC, said: “For the Link Hong Kong Open to be voted The International Series Tournament of the Year for the third successive time is an incredibly special honour and something everyone at the Club is very proud of.
“Our tremendous thanks to the players of the Asian Tour for this wonderful recognition and to all tournament officials and sponsors for making this historic event what it has become today.”
Japan’s Kazuki Higa took centre stage at the dinner, receiving both the Asian Tour Order of Merit trophy and The Kyi Hla Han Award for the Player of the Year title. Kyi Hla’s wife, Marlene Lee, attended the evening and presented him with the Award, which is named after her late husband and former Executive Chairman of the Asian Tour.
The other winners of the night were the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, recognised as the Tournament of the Year, and Royal Golf Dar Es Salam (Red Course), venue for the International Series Morocco, which won the Players’ Choice Course of the Year.
Reflecting on the 2025 campaign, Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO, Asian Tour, said: “The 2025 season was another year of growth and development and with it came some exceptional performances by our players – helped in such a big way by world class tournaments and venues.
“We congratulate Kazuki Higa on his success. Kyi Hla Han, our former Executive Chairman and Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, would have been delighted to see a Japanese player finish the year ranked number one – it is such a significant achievement for the region.
“And we applaud the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, the Link Hong Kong Open and Royal Golf Dar Es Salam for their important contributions and worthy acknowledgment by our players.”
Last year, Higa became the first player to win both the Asian Tour’s Merit list and the Japan Tour Money List, which he claimed in 2022.
He recorded back-to-back wins in September at the Shinhan Donghae Open, in Korea, and the Yeangder TPC, in Chinese-Taipei, before adding a joint second place at the International Series Philippines in late October. That result in the Philippines saw him regain top spot on the Merit list and from there on in he could not be caught.
For the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers it marks the third time in four years it has been named Tournament of the Year, following success in 2022 and 2023.
*The Hong Kong Golf Club is a member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.
