Manila, Philippines: It's South African great Gary Player who is credited with coining the phrase: ‘The harder I practice, the luckier I seem to get!’ Those sentiments certainly ring true for Hong Kong teenager Arianna Lau.
Continuing her outstanding form of the past 24 months, Lau produced a brilliant performance to successfully defend her title in the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) Junior Girls’ Championship last week.
Her latest triumph at The Manila Southwoods Golf & Country Club was not simply down to talent, but also an insatiable work ethic over the course of many years.
Danny Lai, Chief Executive Officer at the Golf Association of Hong Kong, China, said: “People often see the glorious side of Arianna, but what they don’t see is her commitment and dedication in training.
“She is one of the most disciplined athletes I have ever seen. The amount of hard work she puts in at the Hong Kong Golf Club – day-in and day-out – has paid back this year.
“She won the IMG Junior World Individual event this summer and carried that momentum into the APGC Junior Championship in the Philippines. There, she delivered again.”
Lai also praised Lau’s parents for the unstinting backing they offer to their daughter who will turn 17 next Sunday.
“The support from her parents is tremendous. Her mother, Athena, is always in the frontline, caddying for Arianna. But her father’s silent support behind her is often overlooked.”
For her own part, Lau was typically humble in the wake of a victory that will edge her towards the top-50 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
“I'm very honoured again to represent the Golf Association of Hong Kong, China, be with all my team-mates and play in the APGC Junior Championships.
“Recently I've been trying to treat every tournament the same. Going into this tournament, I kind of forgot that I won last year.
“It was a very strong field, with so many really good players from Asia. I just tried to play my own game. I didn't really expect much, and I didn't really think about defending my title.
“I thought that as long as I do my best and do all that I could do and perform how I usually perform, that would be enough for me.”
Lai is hoping that Lau will be in a position to defend her APGC Junior Girls’ title again in 2025.
“I look forward to her hat-trick next year when the APGC Junior Championships are coming to Hong Kong. History will be made if she wins in three consecutive years,” he said.
