SEVE Ballesteros last night sounded an eve-of-tournament warning to his rivals for the Hongkong Open title.
After completing his first round in a practice over the Royal Hongkong Golf Club's Composite Course, the charismatic Spaniard gave his vote of approval to the 6,732-yard, par-71 layout.
''I think it's a good course . . . and I think it will suit my game because there is plenty of room to hit,'' said Ballesteros, making his eagerly-awaited debut in the territory in the opening leg of the 1993 Asian Tour.
Certainly the course is far more to his liking than the Singapore Island Country Club's Bukit layout where he missed the half-way cut in last week's Johnnie Walker Classic.
''The fairways were very narrow and I did not play very well in Singapore,'' admitted the 35-year-old, whose thrilling shot-making has made him a crowd favourite the world over.
However, even for an escapologist of the reputation and ability of Ballesteros, the tight, tree-lined fairways and thick, clinging rough in Singapore proved too tough to handle as rounds of 71 and 76 left him two shots above the cut-off mark.