The Hong Kong Open has prestige that sets it apart from many other tournaments.
That's partly down to its permament home. The tournament comes from Hong Kong Golf Club, where it has been held since its inception in 1959. As a result, only The Masters, which is staged at Augusta National, has been played each year at the same venue for so long.
The tournament also has a long list of legendary former champions, including Peter Thomson, Greg Norman, Ian Woosnam, Bernhard Langer, Tom Watson, Jose Maria Olazabal, Colin Montgomerie, Padraig Harrington, Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose.
The event had been co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and Asian Tour, but that all changed in 2020 when it became the sole responsibility of the Asian Tour.
After a two-year hiatus, it returned in 2023 as one of its elevated events on the International Series, adding to its appeal.
As well as increased prize money at the events, the season-long competition also offers a pathway to LIV Golf, with the player who leads the International Series Rankings at the end of the year awarded a contract on the big-money circuit.
Because of that, as well as 27 full-time LIV Golfers in this week’s field, five of its reserves and two of this year’s relegated players also compete in the third-to-last International Series event, hoping to gather momentum in their bid to secure permanent places on the roster for the 2026 season.
But why are so many fully contracted LIV Golfers teeing it up in the Far East this week? One big reason is pathways to two of next year’s Majors offered at the tournament, with this year’s champion securing spots at The Masters and The Open.
It was one of the full-time LIV Golfers, Tom McKibbin, who set the pace in the opening round, carding a blistering 10-under 60 to lead Jazz Janewattananond by one.
Two more LIV Golfers, Louis Oosthuizen and Thomas Pieters, are just two back the leader following the opening round, with Ripper GC’s Matt Jones three adrift on seven under.
A year ago, 4Aces GC player Patrick Reed shot just the second 59 in Asian Tour history on his way to winning the title, and he made a solid start in the first round, carding a five-under 65 to occupy T22 on the leaderboard.
Further down the leaderboard, only two full-time LIV Golfers shot over par on day one – Stinger GC’s Dean Burmester and McKibbin’s Legion XIII teammate Caleb Surratt. They are T114 on one over.
Anthony Kim, who was relegated at the end of the 2025 LIV Golf season, begins the second round on two under in his bid to regain his card, while the other relegated player, Yubin Jang, is on four under.
Of the LIV Golf reserves in the field, Max Rottluff is the best placed after the opening round, in T28 on four under.
Another reserve is Wade Ormsby, who is fourth in the International Series Rankings, helped by victory at the Jakarta International Championship. He’s even-par after the first round, tied for 113th.
Here is the full LIV Golf leaderboard after the opening round of the Hong Kong Open.
LIV Golf Leaderboard At The Hong Kong Open
*LIV Golf reserve
**Relegated in 2025
- 1st -10 Tom McKibbin
- T3 -8 Louis Oosthuizen
- T3 -8 Thomas Pieters
- T6 -7 Matt Jones
- T11 -6 Josele Ballester
- T11 -6 Peter Uihlein
- T11 -6 Sam Horsfield
- T22 -6 Patrick Reed
- T22 -6 Harold Varner III
- T22 -6 Anirban Lahiri
- T28 -4 Adrian Meronk
- T28 -4 Charles Howell III
- T28 -4 Paul Casey
- T28 -4 Danny Lee
- T28 -4 Max Rottluff**
- T28 -4 Kevin Na
- T28 -4 Yubin Jang*
- T51 -3 Martin Kaymer
- T51 -3 David Puig
- T51 -3 Charl Schwartzel
- T51 -3 Jason Kokrak
- T51 -3 Chieh-po Lee
- T70 -2 Richard Bland
- T70 -2 Anthony Kim**
- T70 -2 John Catlin*
- T87 -1 Graeme McDowell
- T87 -1 Ben Campbell
- T87 -1 Jinichiro Kozuma
- T87 -1 Ollie Schniederjans*
- T103 E Wade Ormsby*
- T103 E Talor Gooch
- T113 +1 Minkyu Kim*
- T114 +1 Dean Burmester
- T114 +1 Caleb Surratt
