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Spencer Robinson

A hotbed for producing home-grown golfing champions Hong Kong has never been.

 But, over the years, there has been no shortage of opportunity for fans in the SAR to witness future international superstars setting out on the long and winding road to fairway fame and fortune.

 Greg Norman is the most high-profile example, having twice won the Hong Kong Open during his formative years as a professional. It was not long after that the Great White Shark was getting his teeth stuck into the US PGA Tour.

 There are, of course, dozens of other instances of golfers who went on to become household names after strutting their stuff in Hong Kong as relative unknowns.

 Although there is likely to be little fanfare when Thuhashini Selvaratnam jets into town this week, close followers of the women's game will know that the 23-year-old Sri Lankan is destined for the big time.

 Already she is a national heroine at home, having written her name into the Guinness Book of Records by dint of her Sri Lankan Open triumph in 1989. Ten years on, her feat in capturing a fully-fledged national Open title when aged 12 remains unmatched.

 As a member of the Arizona State University team for the past four years, Selvaratnam has honed her game, winning awards and admirers in equal measures.

 With a plus-two handicap it's little wonder she is widely touted as a rising star.

 At Lantau Island's Discovery Bay Golf Club this week, it's almost inconceivable that Selvaratnam won't walk off with the overall title in the 24th version of the Hong Kong Open women's amateur championship.

 While Olivia Yu will spearhead the local challenge in the 54-hole strokeplay event that tees-off on Wednesday, Selvaratnam enters the tournament in high spirits, having waltzed to an imperious 16-shot success in last month's Singapore Open.

 For the five-foot, one-inch tall Selvaratnam, the event will mark a nostalgic return to the SAR. It was in 1992, at a time when she was still being dubbed a child prodigy, that she conquered the field to win the Hong Kong Open Junior title.

 Not only will a similar outcome this week provide Selvaratnam with a further prod towards embarking upon a lucrative career on the pro circuit, but it will also leave her name firmly implanted in the minds of Hong Kong golf fans.

While a Sri Lankan will be vying for victory at Discovery Bay, China's leading male professionals will be after glory at St Andrews in the Alfred Dunhill Cup.

 Although they lost all three of their group contests on their debut in the tournament last year, the trio of Zhang Lianwei, Cheng Jun and Wu Xiangbing acquitted themselves well and provided several of the event's most memorable moments - Zhang defeating Colin Montgomerie and Wu getting the better of Jose-Maria Olazabal.

 While the world's richest team tournament may lack some of the intensity of the Ryder Cup, the mere fact that it's played at the ancestral Home of Golf is plenty incentive to the world's best players.

 For Zhang, Cheng, Wu and the Indian trio of Jeev Singh, Jyoti Randhawa and Vijay Kumar, performing in such illustrious company at the most famous and revered of all golfing venues is much more than simply a personal thrill.

 As they are well aware, they are not only flying the flag for their respective countries, but for professional golf in Asia.

 More important than whether they win or lose - individually or collectively - is that they grasp the opportunity to show how the standard of professional golf here is improving.

It may have lacked the drama of Lee Westwood's sudden-death play-off triumph at April's Asian PGA Macau Open, but Craig Dorian was not complaining after posting a four-shot victory in last week's Macau amateur Open.

 The one-handicapper fired rounds of 76 and 77 to leave his rivals trailing at the Macau Golf and Country Club. Runner-up was Henrik Karlberg with Cliff Chan a further three strokes back in third.

 With an aggregate of 175, Simon Tai took top honours in Division Two for players with handicaps between 13 and 18, while Pang Lui edged Choi Kuok-ieng on a countback to take first place in Division Three.



Champion in the making on show in HK