The dream debut never materialised for the SAR's top golfer Sarah Henderson yesterday when she was disqualified at the end of the first round in the Queen Sirikit Cup Amateur Ladies Team Championships at the Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling.
Henderson, playing under the Bauhinia flag for the first time, saw visions of a sparkling first appearance disappear when she was disqualified after returning an incorrect scorecard.
'She had been penalised for teeing off outside the markers on the 10th hole of the New Course, but mistakenly added only one penalty stroke instead of the two called for under the Rules of Golf,' said David Roberts, chief executive of the Hong Kong Golf Association.
The error, which was not noticed until she had signed her card, proved costly for Hong Kong as Henderson finished with a total of 81, matching teammate Eva Yoe's effort. Annie Lau, the third member of the SAR team, shot 88. With only the top two scores counting, Hong Kong finished with an aggregate of 169 and in 12th place, ahead of only Sri Lanka in the 13-team contest.
If Henderson had not been disqualified, Hong Kong would have had a net score of 162, moving them up a further two notches on the ladder.
Defending champions Australia led the field with a team total of 145.