Local Heroes

In the women’s event, Hong Kong - represented by amateurs Tiffany Chan, Kitty Tam, Mimi Ho and professional Wong Lai - finished in seventh spot. Guangdong, headed by major champion Feng Shanshan, clinched gold with Shanghai second and Beijing third.

"The girls, like the guys, got off to a great start, and while they didn’t play as well on the other days, they only finished two shots out of fifth place,” said Schadewitz. “We also had a much younger team than the other sides, so all in all it was still a good effort."

Tom Phillips, the newly-installed chief executive officer of the HKGA, was on hand to meet the returning players at Chek Lap Kok and was generous with his praise.

"Congratulations to the team and our coaches, Brad Schadewitz and Ducky Tang, on a tremendous effort," said Phillips, who joined the HKGA in August after heading Sir Nick Faldo’s industry-leading Faldo Series of youth development programme. "Credit must also go to the sponsors of both the HKGA and the HKPGA, the Home Affairs Bureau, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department as well as the golf clubs of Hong Kong. Without their support over the years a result like this would not have been possible. It's a great achievement for Hong Kong golf."