Hong Kong pair shine early at Hong Kong Open
SCMP · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong golfers Matthew Cheung and Isaac Lam gave the home crowd an unusual early sight on Thursday when both reached the top of the Link Hong Kong Open leaderboard with first-round 64s. By the end of the day at Hong Kong Golf Club, they were tied for fifth after Anirban Lahiri and Kevin Yuan posted eight-under rounds, while Jazz Janewattananond and Poosit Supupramai shot 63s. The opening round produced low scoring despite gusting winds, with generous pin positions and a notable number of eagles helping compress the field. In the tournament’s 67-year history, the leaderboard had never previously featured two local players at the top at the same time.
Key Points
- Cheung and Lam each shot six-under-par 64 in the morning groups, briefly putting two Hong Kong players atop the Hong Kong Open leaderboard together for the first time.
- South Korea’s Kim Mink-yu also opened with 64, before Jazz Janewattananond and Poosit Supupramai moved ahead with rounds of seven-under 63.
- Anirban Lahiri and Kevin Yuan then set the pace on eight under, with Lahiri saying he kept the ball in play and converted several putts from beyond 10 feet.
- Lam’s highlight was an eagle on the par-4 sixth, holing out from 170 yards with a six iron after work on controlling his ball flight in the wind.
- Cheung made his eagle at the par-5 13th during a fast start that also included birdies at 12, 14 and 15, before dropped shots at the first and ninth.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong golf, the sight of two local players briefly leading a long-established national open offered a rare homegrown storyline at one of the city’s signature sporting events. The tightly packed leaderboard after round one also suggests local contenders remained within reach heading into the next stages, keeping local interest high.