It wasn't the start they were looking for but Hong Kong kept their Putra Cup hopes alive after battling back gamely on the opening day's play at Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club.
Spearheaded by 17-year-old Jason Hak Shun-yat, the Hong Kong team rallied on the back nine to end the first round in third place on 217 (seven-over-par), seven shots behind leaders Indonesia. Singapore, with 215, lie in second spot with three rounds to play.
Hong Kong hasn't won the Southeast Asia team golf championship since the inaugural tournament in 1961, a fact that didn't look like changing after the young team – also represented by Liu Lok-tin, Shinichi Mizuno and Terrence Ng – struggled to find their way in the early stages. But with Hak round in 71, and Mizuno and Ng both playing the closing stretch in two-under for matching 73s, national coach Brad Schadewitz has reasons to be optimistic.
"We got off to a very poor start and after nine holes were in real trouble," admitted Schadewtiz. "You can't win any event on the first day but you can certainly lose it, so I was proud of the way the guys fought back. There's room for improvement but the important thing is we're still confident of doing well and closing the gap at the top of the leader board."
Florida-based Hak, who has returned to the international team after a hugely successful season in the States which has seen him climb to No 2 in the national junior rankings, wasn't at his best on an ideal day for scoring, but echoed his coach's positivity.
"My short game saved me today," said Hak, whose one-over-par effort leaves him in a share of third spot in the individual standings, two shots behind Indonesia's George Gandranata. "I left a lot of birdie putts short of the hole – I couldn't quite get the pace of the greens – but overall we're in a good position to contend over the next few days."
In the women's Santi Cup, which is being played concurrently with the Putra Cup, Hong Kong, led by Tiffany Chan's level-par 70, ended the day in third spot behind the Philippines and Thailand.
The championship, which is sponsored by HK Golfer, ends on Friday.