MANILA-BASED Gerald and Jennifer Rosales turned the opening round of the Hong Kong Open Junior Championship into a family affair at Discovery Bay Golf Club yesterday.
Philippine junior champion Gerald, 16, fired an even-par 72 over the Lantau Island Club's Diamond-Ruby layout to open up a commanding six-shot lead in Class A.
His 14-year-old sister, the Asia-Pacific girls champion in her age group, returned a 75 to head the female category in the 36-hole tournament, sponsored by MacGregor.
''I'm pleased with how I played. I didn't make many mistakes,'' said Gerald, a five-handicapper, who like Jennifer, plays out of the Aguinaldo Golf Club in Quezon City.
Striking the ball with confidence, Gerald set the tone for his round with a pitching wedge to within two metres at the opening hole. He sank the putt for a birdie-three and never looked back.
His round included further birdies at the par-three eighth and the par-five 12th. The only blemishes on his card were a three-putt bogey at the fifth and dropped shots at the ninth and 13th, where he missed the greens with his approach shots.