Although Hong Kong have not hoisted the Putra Cup, the prize for winning Southeast Asia's team golf championship, since the inaugural event 50 years ago, coach Brad Schadewitz believes his young team have what it takes to cover themselves in glory on home turf this week.
The championship, which was last hosted by the Hong Kong Golf Association in 2002 and will be played concurrently with the Lion City Cup, a junior boys' event, and the women's Santi Cup, starts tomorrow at Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club with Schadewitz confident that Hong Kong can put in their strongest showing in a generation.
'This is the best shot we've had in a long time,' US-born Schadewitz said. 'The guys have been playing well and have a good knowledge of the course, which is an advantage over the other teams. If we play to our capabilities we're going to be in a great position to challenge.'
Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Singapore are the other nations involved.
Inaugurated in 1961 by Malaysia's first prime minister, Tunku Adbul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, in order to establish close relations and raise the standard of golf around Southeast Asia, the championship has become the most prestigious amateur event in the region.
Hong Kong enjoyed success in the early tournaments - including a thumping 33-stroke margin of victory at the first staging - but the golfing hierarchy within Asia has changed dramatically over the ensuing decades. The Philippines, with 17 wins, have been the most dominant nation in the cup's history, although Thailand have ruled the roost in recent times, claiming seven of the past 11 championships.