Played on the hallowed links of Royal Lytham and St Annes Golf Club in northwest England, the 72-hole event has been a showcase for the world’s top young players since it was first held in 1965.
National team player Roberts, 22, enjoyed one of the best rounds of his fledgling career on the first day, firing a two-under-par 68 to share the first-round lead with three other players - Marcus Kinhult of Sweden, Cormac Sharvin of Northern Ireland and John Axelsen of Denmark.
Difficult weather conditions sent scores soaring on day two but Roberts’ 82 was good enough to keep him in the top 30 and easily make the cut for Sunday’s final two rounds.
The early starters on the final day got the worst of the weather but Roberts came through the 36-hole marathon day with scores of 83 and 78 to finish a creditable 49th in the 144-player field.
"The weather conditions on the weekend made the course even tougher, so it was a fantastic experience and a great learning curve,” said Roberts, the only player from Asia in the field. “I was especially happy with my final round. By then fatigue was setting in but it was my second-best score of the week and a good way to finish.”
Kinhult led from start to finish for an eight-shot victory over a trio of players - Sharvin, Frenchman Robin Roussel and Richard James of Wales.
Roberts’ commendable display at Royal Lytham - venue for the 2012 Open Championship - followed his excellent outing in April’s Buick Open at Mission Hills Haikou in China. On that occasion he became the first Hong Kong amateur to make the cut in a PGA China Tour event.
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