SCOTT Rowe may have spent the Chinese New Year period many thousands of miles away from Fanling, but his imposing image loomed large over the 1994 Hong Kong amateur championship.
Rowe won the tournament in 1992 and 1993. If he had competed last week it would not have been unreasonable to expect him to claim the title for the third year in succession - an unprecedented feat.
However, the 18-year-old began a golfing scholarship at Chicago's Northwestern University last September. His college commitments - both academic and golfing - meant it was impossible for him to return and defend his crown.
His absence, though, is sure to fuel a heated debate as to whether he should be considered for selection for the Hong Kong team that will head for Paris in September to compete in the World Amateur Championships for the Eisenhower Trophy.
It is no secret that numerous leading Hong Kong golfing officials were unhappy and unimpressed that Rowe did not come back last November to represent the territory in the Southeast Asian amateur team championships for the Putra Cup.
A stalwart of Hong Kong's national team for four years, Rowe's immense presence would have given the hosts a realistic opportunity of winning the Putra event for the first time since the inaugural staging of the tournament in 1961.