Straight Talk presenter Eugene Chan (center), golfer Wade Ormsby (left) and President of Hong Kong Golf Association Dr Kelvin Inge pose for a photograph. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Professional golfers Wade Ormsby and Dr Kelvin Inge, who is also the president of Hong Kong Golf Association, are on the show this week, to talk about the LIV Golf event in Hong Kong this past week, and how the mega event is not only bringing a new trend in golf to the city and more young fans to the sports, but also how such events can promote and maintain Hong Kong’s status as an international city and golf hub.

Check out the full transcript of TVB’s Straight Talk host Dr Eugene Chan’s interview with Wade Ormsby and Dr Kelvin Inge: 

Chan: Good evening. I'm Eugene Chan and we're excited to bring this LIV edition of Straight Talk to you. We are shooting on site at the Hong Kong Golf Club here at Fanling with two golf professionals who will give us a perspective of teeing off here at LIV Hong Kong. Our first guest is Wade Ormsby, who is an Australian professional golfer, who was twice the Hong Kong Open champion, and, so, is very familiar with Fanling. He also played in the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational Series. Welcome, Wade! 

Ormsby: Thanks for having me on.

Chan: Wade, you told me you've been to Hong Kong 15 times. How do you feel coming back again for Liv Hong Kong?

Ormsby: Well, it's always nice coming to Hong Kong. It's a fantastic city, but it's an iconic venue too. So, it's always nice coming through the clubhouse here and playing at Hong Kong Golf Club.

Chan: Right. How is Liv different from other tournaments you have played in the world? 

Ormsby: Well, I guess LIV is shorter, more exciting, more vibrant. We've got music going here today. You can already hear it out there. The age demographic is definitely kind of pointed at the younger or a more diverse kind of age group. So, it's fun. It's great to be a part of.

Chan: Yes, we know that the LIV 50 ... It actually means 54. What exactly 54 denotes golf in this game?

Ormsby: I guess 54 is 54 holes, which is three rounds. So, traditionally, we play four rounds, which is 72 holes. But LIV's shortened the format, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, so, it makes it a tighter package. And we have a shotgun start, which is different. So, it's just a more concise, better product.

Chan: Right. Let's talk from the players' point of view. I mean, we all know that Fanling is one of the oldest courses in the world and how do they feel coming here? I know that people are quite enthusiastic. 

Ormsby: It was very interesting like this week. There's 54 players here this week. And a lot of guys have already been here before, probably, I'd say a third of the field has played this venue before but there've been a lot of guys that haven't been here before. So, it's nice to see their take on the place and how unique this golf courses because it's quite a narrow golf course, it is quite a short golf course by numbers, but requires a unique style of play, which all the players have raved about and they have enjoyed the challenge and we're seeing some great golf out there this week, and it's nice to see how they tackle the golf course.

Chan: Right and we saw that there were many sign boards everywhere. One of them says ‘shotgun’. What exactly do you mean by that as we don't usually get that in golf tournaments, do we? 

Australian professional golfer Wade Ormsby speaks on TVB’s Straight Talk program on March 12, 2024. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Ormsby: Yeah, exactly. So, yeah, it's been interesting the way everyone's played the golf course you know, it's nice to see Abraham Ancer at the top of the leaderboard. He plays a similar style of game to me and I think that's what works around here.

Chan: Right.

Ormsby: But it's nice seeing the big boys play in a different way, hit driver and a few holes where they're attacking the golf course pretty hard where I just don't have the power to play the course that way. But yeah, it's really cool with the shotgun format. So, everything happens instantly. 

Chan: So, the 54 holes start simultaneously? 

Ormsby: Yes, absolutely. Everyone is scattered around the golf course. And once the shotgun goes off, I think it's 12 o'clock or 12:05. Everyone starts the game at the same time. So it's action everywhere over the golf course. So, you can go and follow your favorite player and you get four and a half hours of live golf instantly around the golf course.

Chan: Being a two times Hong Kong champion, I'm sure all our viewers will want to know the tips. You just mentioned that your style of play is suited to this game. Tell us briefly how we can score well in this course.

Ormsby: Yeah, well, like I said, it's quite a narrow golf course. There's a huge emphasis on having the ball on the fairway. I think Abraham's only missed two or three or four fairways for the week, which is fantastic. And that's what gives him an opportunity to have a look at those greens for his second shot. So, I think hitting the ball in play is number one. So, how you achieved that? You got to do that and then obviously scrambling around the greens is always a very good quality to have around Fanling.

Chan: Right and you know, as you mentioned, we can hear the music right now. You know LIV Golf represents energy and music and excitement. But how about to the players I mean, do they enjoy coming to the LIV tournaments?

Ormsby: Absolutely we do. Just from the start, it’s been so different to what I've experienced most of my career. That camaraderie amongst all the players is completely different. We've got the team elements, so, we've got 13 teams of four out here. Some teams are kind of based a little bit around your nationality. So, we've got the Australian guys all kind of hanging out together. It's great camaraderie in the locker room and on the golf course to really want to fight for your team. So, that's definitely a different dynamic, but even just the families and everyone traveling with this LIV circus, if you want to call it that, it's just a much tighter group and it's been really nice.

Chan: I think for those Hong Kong fans who have been to the LIV tournament, I'm sure there are many coming today. Looking at all the new structures being up, in actual months, is amazing. The actual scale is much bigger than any tournament in the world. So, how is this LIV event being seen amongst the golf circle right now?

Ormsby: You know well, they have gotten better in a different way than just trying to raise the bar and open up new avenues. You know, we've got three different structures around the golf course. We got this P54, a real high end structure here on 18. Then we've got the gallery club on 17 which is kind of middle of the road place and then we've got the birdie shack which is situated on number 10 this week, so that's kind of where you're going to have quite a few beers kind of sunk in, and quite a bit of fun and gets a bit rowdy out there. So, there's something for everyone out here and the players completely get that. The music's different. And we want to grow the sport and take this sport, globally, what it deserves and do it properly. So, that's what LIV has taken on that task and then they're doing a fantastic job and really moving the needle of golf. 

Chan: Yes, your fellow Australian Greg Norman, also legendary player who won the Hong Kong Open twice before, is the CEO and Commissioner for LIV Golf. So, how much of the inspiration is he to you and the rest of your mates?

Ormsby: Yeah, it’s always being extra special being Australian being part of LIV Golf, especially when Greg joined very early on. To have him as a commissioner has been amazing. You know, from me at my age. He was the guy that I looked up to ...

Chan: We all remember him, don’t we? 

Ormsby: Yes, exactly. So back through the ’80s, he was the man in World Golf and he was the number one in the world for so many years. 

Chan: Was it Shark? Is it? Shark, yes?

Ormsby: Yes, Shark. Obviously a lot of people call him that still. So, I actually remember the first time I won the Hong Kong open standing down here and when they gave me the trophy, and I saw Greg's name on there and it was pretty emotional for me at that point because to win a round an iconic venue like this and then then see your hero's name on the same trophy was pretty cool so that's nice knowing your connection to have. 

Chan: You know, finally a word about the Hong Kong Golf Club I mean the past 12 months we had like the world city championships, Aramco Team Series, which we also did an interview here, right here on this ground, the Hong Kong Open, now LIV Golf, all major and mega events so it must be some kind of a record.

Ormsby: Yeah, it's great that you have a golf club with this much tradition, I guess support golf at all levels, doing whether it’s junior golf, so many juniors out there doing a junior clinic yesterday, and then all the professional events and still having the membership allowed by those events to happen on their golf course is fantastic, because we don’t get to play some of these iconic places, week in week out on tour. So, it's always nice coming back to a venue like Hong Kong. It's so unique. It's iconic, especially in a city like Hong Kong, it’s amazing. The food's great, and the vibes are amazing. And now it's just really cool to be here. I can tell you with all the people on the LIV Tour, they’re really enjoying staying in town this week and enjoying everything Hong Kong has to offer. 

Chan: Right. I mean, you've been to many major cities as well. I mean, I know that you're in London in the Centurion Club, playing the LIV Golf Invitational series. How are all these majors tournaments and what does it mean to the players?

Straight Talk presenter Eugene Chan (right) interviews Australian professional golfer Wade Ormsby on TVB on March 12, 2024. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Ormsby: Yeah, it's great to travel. You know, at the end of the day, we are still experiencing whatever else they’re experiencing, but sometimes golf courses that are situated right in cities, you know, so you might be in London, but the golf course might not be right in London. So, and when you can be in a big city here, like Hong Kong and still get to experience everything here in a week, sometimes it's just a hotel to a golf course, so you don't get to take in a lot of the … not so much nightlife but the restaurants, and so forth. So, Hong Kong allows you to do both. Yeah, it ticks both boxes. 

Chan: I understand, you're from Adelaide and I studied there as well. And I read that you started golf playing at age three, did you? Or even earlier?

Ormsby: No, no, sorry. Golf has been in my family all the way through. My dad was a golf professional. So, I had a golf club in my hands quite early. I played cricket and football, other sports there for quite a few years, but then golf finally got me around 11 and 12 years of age, and then yeah, then I was just full steam ahead with golf. So, it's going to be really cool in a couple of weeks, we're going to LIV Adelaide which is the Australian leg of the LIV Tour. And that's at a golf club which I've played on my junior golf rounds so I've got quite a cool little connection with that place too.

Chan: Right. You mentioned earlier the crowd for LIV is kind of different to people. I mean for many people, golf is for the sort of businessmen, the retirees and all that and this is what LIV is for? 

Ormsby: Yeah, I think that's absolutely driving the age down of the viewers, you know because that's our next batch of fans that we need to look after, we need to grab them and grow them with us. So, you see a lot of families out here with children, which is great. So, the more we can do that, the more we can look after the health of this sport.

Chan: And how's your season going so far? What will be your aim for this year for yourself?

Ormsby: So, my season really involves being part of this LIV Tour as a reserve and then coming out and then playing all these international series which is like a series that sit-in conjunction with the LIV golf league is another 10 events so that in combined with the Asian tour as well, so we've got about 27 weeks scheduled on the road which is still quite a bit, but a nice balance of different events for me.

Chan: Well certainly I have to tell you Hong Kong welcomes you and many other players because Hong Kong is a very friendly city. And we've got a lot of mega events coming through. So, do promote Hong Kong when you meet other fans in other cities. 

Ormsby: Absolutely. I love it here. Thanks for having me.

Chan: Thank you Wade for your unique perspective on LIV's first time in Hong Kong. Let's take a break now but viewers stay tuned. When we return, Dr Kevin Inge will be with us to give us his perspective on LIV Hong Kong. 

Dr Kelvin Inge, president of Hong Kong Golf Association, speaks on TVB’s Straight Talk on March 12, 2024. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Chan: Welcome back to our LIV edition of Straight Talk. We have golf professional Wade Ormsby with us in the first half, and now we have Dr Kevin Inge, medical cardiologist by profession, and the president of the Golf Association of Hong Kong. So welcome Kelvin.

Inge: Thank you, Eugene.

Chan: We are here right before the start of play on the final day of the inaugural edition of the LIV Golf in Hong Kong. So, what have you made of this experience so far? And this being the biggest golf tournament, not only for Hong Kong, but for the whole Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Inge: I think it has been a fantastic event. By far the biggest golf event in Hong Kong that I have attended, and this is including all the best Hong Kong Opens that have been held over 50 plus years at this venue. We have never had so many world class golfers all here at the same time, all playing at the same time. So, yes, it's really fantastic.

Chan: Right. And earlier, Wade explained to us, this is a 54 … and 54 holes for 3 days in a shotgun start. Is this something that makes it more exciting for the spectators?

Inge: I think so. It's very much a new format with the LIV Golf. Traditionally, as you know, it's 72 holes over 4 days, with a cut, and then with different people teeing off at different times. But for most people, if they want to watch all the stars at the same time, teeing off at the same time, different holes, and finishing within 4.5 hours, is actually better for entertainment. 

Chan: Right. Golf in Hong Kong has been what we call as ascendency because we have Taichi Kho winning gold at the recent Asian Games, and the men’s team earning the bronze. So, how is the game’s popularity in Hong Kong right now? And how would events like LIV Golf inspire the younger generation and help the development of the game?

Inge: For the elite side, it's been on the ascendancy for some time, for at least 15 years. Surely, slowly, and gradually, with Tiffany Chan and of course, Taichi Kho. With the LIV Golf event coming to Hong Kong, it will continue to inspire a lot of youngsters to play, popularity wise, in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area, with the number of golf courses we have combined. There are a lot of golfers out there, not just elite golfers, social, juniors, and events like LIV brings in a lot of new interested people as well because a lot of people who have come to this event are not golfers, they want to come and attend a mega event with all the music. So, it's very, very different, and it's best for it. 

Chan: All right. So, in your view, how would you see the LIV Golf event on Hong Kong’s reputation as a regional events capital?

Inge: Well, I would love to see LIV come back to Hong Kong. Hong Kong has always been a very good regional hub for big mega sporting, entertainment events. There's an awful lot to do in Hong Kong, you just need to explore it. And I've been told by a lot of the LIV golfers and all the officials that have come with them, at least 70 percent of them have not been in Hong Kong before.

Chan: Really?

Inge: And to them, they said it has been a fantastic experience, and they would love to come back. So, all I would say is Hong Kong is a fantastic place to host events like this. The Hong Kong Golf Club is a fantastic venue, so we hope they can come back.

Chan: Right. And there are a lot of cranes of television around, and I think this event is being broadcasted to millions around the world. And I understand there are spectators flying in from different parts of the world. So, I am sure you have talked to a lot them, how do they see the LIV event compared to, say, our Hong Kong Open, or even Aramco Team Series?

Inge: What I would say is all 3 events are different, and very good in their own ways. And if Hong Kong can host all 3, we will be better for it. And obviously, the events need to come back, we need the support of the Hong Kong Golf Club, we need the support of the government, the Hong Kong Tourism Board. But if we all work together, these events certainly attract an awful lot of people regionally and internationally, and enhances reputation of Hong Kong.

Chan: You know LIV Golf seems to be operated in a very different sort of model compared to other tournaments, as you have just said. With Wade who was saying that there is a lot of entertainment, especially for the younger generation, with more excitement and concerts and all that. So, how would you see all these work would attract … is it effective in attracting a younger audience to get into golf, and also being participating in a world class event?

Inge: I hope so. I hope LIV Golf can work in parallel with the rest of the golfing world in hosting different events in different ways. It is already in a different format. And this would certainly encourage people all over the world to take up this great game and game for life. It's not just a game for the elite, it’s really a social game, it is something that we all look forward to. 

Chan: Right. Earlier you mentioned that Hong Kong golf has been basically owned the ascendency for the last 15 years. And what have been the major pushing factors or pull and push factors for this, in your opinion?

Inge: I would like to think that the Golf Association of Hong Kong China, has a role in all this. 

Chan: Right. 

Inge: But certainly, the support of the Hong Kong Golf Club, plus all the other 3 clubs: Clearwater Bay, Discovery Bay, and Shek O Golf Club, and the government, Sport Institute, the SFOC. They all have a hand in supporting the sport. And we've been lucky enough to produce some exceptional players. And gradually, some of them have become world class, there are too many of them to name all their names, but suffice to say that there will be more to come hopefully.

Chan: Right. 

Inge: You know with the recent success at the Asian Games where Hong Kong golf becomes Tier A sport now, that means the government will put in resources and support. 

Chan: As the president of Hong Kong Golf Association, China, what will be on your wish list to the government.

Inge: The wish list. Well, the wish list is as long as my arm, so, I am not going to name all of them here. But continued support, in terms of financial resources, venues, facilities, they are all very important.

Chan: So, there have been 4 tournaments recently, like we have mentioned with Wade. And I also understand that the National Games are also coming next year. So, Hong Kong seems to be the hub for regional golf. How should Hong Kong people embrace this great opportunity?

Inge: Yes, the National Games is coming, and we are all very excited by that. Hopefully we will get an awful lot of support because our local team will be, hopefully, in contention. All the other regional events, including Hong Kong Open, the Aramco, and our LIV Golf, and some very major amateur events will also come to Hong Kong. And that bodes well for the sport.

Chan: Yes.

Straight Talk presenter Eugene Chan (right) interviews Dr Kelvin Inge, president of Hong Kong Golf Association, on TVB on March 12, 2024. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Inge: And hopefully, golfers and non-golfers alike will embrace the experience of these mega events, and come to enjoy, come out the Fanling, enjoy the day with us.

Chan: Right. And just now you mentioned that we have a lot of young players in the budding stage, and they are now playing well, and I am sure the Golf Association is sort of instrumental in pushing the actual development of the youth programs. So, any challenges you have faced so far?

Inge: Oh, the challenges are ongoing, and we've always had challenges. Resources is always one, and facilities another one. But we are now working with the different stakeholders, hopefully we will surmount them and they will continue to improve.

Chan: Actually Hong Kong being a (city) of like 7.5 million population, and we are doing quite well for golf. Are you surprised that we are doing so well, in terms of population wise?

Inge: I am and I am not. When you have a good program in place, you don't need a huge population. Of course, we can never compare with the US, China, or all the big nations because population wise, you just don't have the numbers. But if you look at the Scandinavian countries, Denmark, 4 million people, they produce all sorts of wonderful sportsmen. So, it's not just the population size that matters. You need the right program, you need the right support, you need the right parents, you need the right mentality. All those things have to be in place to produce elite athletes.

Chan: Right. You know Hong Kong has always been known as a place of concrete jungle, we don’t have a lot of sporting grounds. And I think we are very lucky to have a golf course like the Fanling Golf Course, plus the other 3 clubs you have mentioned. So, in your … as you said you have a very long wish list, you want more things to happen, anything else … I mean I am sure the viewers are being excited to see all these nice venues and talk about all these international events, what can we do or what can we help to develop the sport?

Inge: If you come out to watch the events, whether it is this week or previously, or in the future, like all the comments that I've had from overseas visitors, they are very surprised by the greenery, the fantastic surroundings of the Hong Kong Golf Club, and any of the other clubs. And that Hong Kong actually is not a concrete jungle, we have lots of country parks, so on and so forth. So, space wise, we have. Golf is a sport that requires space, and space is always at a premium in Hong Kong. But hopefully, working with a government and the Hong Kong Golf Club, and all the stakeholders, we can find the right amount of space for the sport to continue to develop.

Chan: Right. I am sure the viewers are very appreciative of the government’s support in the LIV event, and Hong Kong actually is on the world map for mega events. So, finally, when do you think we will see our own Hong Kong golfers playing in the LIV Golf tournament?

Inge: Taichi Kho actually played in the promotion qualifying event for LIV back in December, he wasn’t far off to qualify for LIV events. So, I don’t think we are that far off …

Chan: Which is fantastic.

Inge: It is fantastic.

Chan: Right. So thank you to both our guests, Wade Ormsby and Kelvin Inge, for sharing the insights into the world of LIV Golf. Hong Kong is proud to be able to host this world class competition, and indeed we welcome this opportunity to showcase our city to the world. Have a good evening and see you next week!