SCOTT Rowe will clamber out of his sick-bed to line up alongside defending champion Tom Watson in the first round of the US$250,000 Kent Hongkong Open at Fanling this morning.
The 17-year-old Hongkong amateur champion has been handed a dream draw which has pitted him with eight-time major winner Watson and Taiwan's Chen Tse-chung.
It will be a memorable and nerve-racking experience for a young man who is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Watson and win a four-year golfing scholarship and study psychology at world-renowned Stanford University.
However, the biggest moment in Rowe's career to date was threatened on Tuesday when he was taken to hospital after being physically sick both before and during the Pro-Am.
Tests revealed that Rowe was suffering from an untimely bout of gastroenteritis and he was on medication yesterday to ease the pain.
''It couldn't have come at a worse time, but it would take a broken leg to stop me getting on to the first tee with Tom Watson,'' said Rowe, who initially thought the illness was the result of nerves at the prospect of playing with the legendary American.
Rowe, Watson and Chen will tee-off on the first hole at 8.06 this morning and from the 11th tee at 12.16 tomorrow afternoon in the second round.
