Hong Kong Open: local golf talent in safe hands as Hong Kong Golf Association coaches search for ‘a Dustin Johnson or Lydia Ko’

More than two years ago, the Hong Kong Golf Association’s (HKGA) freshly appointed high performance manager, Tim Tang, was elated to be greeting local amateur Leon D’Souza as he wandered off Fanling Golf Course knowing he had made the Hong Kong Open’s final rounds.

To have one Hong Kong player in contention for the Open’s latter rounds is already a rare sight in itself. Now Tang, one of the city’s most accomplished golfers, finds himself on the 18th hole congratulating an unprecedented four Hong Kong players who made the cut.

“I’m so happy to see so many guys have made the cut this year. It’s always nice to play in your home country and do well,” said Tang, who competed at the Open six times, making the cut twice in 2012 and 2013.

“I’m so proud of them because I’ve known all of them all for many years. To see them do well this week means so much to the HKGA and other local players. I mean, look at Terrence [Ng] – he’s home-grown and showed a lot of local guys that they can play at a high level. It hopefully pushes them all to inspire the younger ones to play at an Open or professionally in future,” he said.

While Tang insists it is a “team effort”, his unmatched experience as Hong Kong’s only professional golfer to receive full Asian Tour status undoubtedly made him an influential figure in the honing and development of Hong Kong’s golfing new gen.

The likes of Alexander Yang, D’Souza, Ng, Motin Yeung, Taichi Kho, Isaac Lam, Matthew Cheung, Lou Tan and Ben Wong have also been exposed to veteran coach Gary Gilchrist, who has worked with world number ones Feng Shanshan, Lydia Ko and Ariya Jutanugarn and flew in before the Open.

“It’s amazing that Hong Kong has really invested time and energy into golf. I take my hat off to them, they’re really 100 per cent committed to doing something special. That motivated me to come here and do something to impact the game,” said Gilchrist, a South African based in the US with more than 30 years’ coaching experience.

Most Hong Kong’s most promising golfers study abroad and have more one-on-one time with their respective institutions’ coaches. It is common for players to be whisked into events to play under the Hong Kong banner. While logistically challenging, Tang insists team Hong Kong is well intact and such practices are sustainable.

“We all touch base on a weekly basis, the players, the parents … we try to have a plan for every one of them because everyone is different and has their own coach, university and scheduling,” Tang said. “For some major events like the Eisenhower [World Amateur Golf Team Championship] and Nomura [Asia-Pacific Team Championship], that’s more about trying to get them together and ready for the tournament.”

Tang himself graduated from a US university in 2009 having won two amateur championships and narrowly missing out on the US Open – two opportunities that would not have surfaced had he stayed in Hong Kong.

“The guys who went to the US learned so much. They’re just playing at such a high level and the environment pushes them. You look at Leon, Taichi, and now Alex Yang, the number one-ranked junior in the country and committed to Stanford. It’s been really exciting for those guys,” Tang said.

Gilchrist, who has seen the likes of Jordan Spieth and Yani Tseng as fledgling teens, also believes collegiate golf has its perks.

“The HKGA wants to take these students and give them the opportunity to maybe one day go to a Division 1 school – through academics and golf – and somebody’s going to come out believing that maybe I can be a Dustin Johnson, a Lydia Ko, that they can be someone that big,” he explained, adding that the gap between college-level golf and the PGA Tour has narrowed.

“It doesn’t happen overnight or by magic. It’s about discipline, dedication and a quality programme. I’m trying to put consistency and confidence in there, too.”

Gilchrist’s proficient radar for spotting golfing talent went off over the weekend as fans were treated to a host of young local players. Although there is work to be done, he firmly believes Hong Kong may unearth a world-class player in future.

“When I watched this week, I would say Ben is a very strong player and just needs to be more patient and enjoy what he’s doing. Leon, that guy’s phenomenal to me and he can get up and swing his driver smoothly. Then there’s Isaac, who missed the cut, but I can see that that kid doesn’t enjoy playing poorly, so maybe in three to four years, maybe you make it,” Gilchrist said.

“From what I saw out there, the potential is there but it’s just the person that’s hungry enough to do it. They also need more coaching to inspire them to be the best.”

Terrence Ng, who sat on par during the final round of the Open, hopes to see more regular coaching as he prepares to turn professional next week. The 2018 Asian Games representative is striving for Asian and China Tour cards this year.

“We have a new coach, Gary, he’s good but the problem is we only see him twice or three times a year. For me, I prefer to see more physical one-on-one stuff because there’s only so much you can do through the internet. That’s where Tim comes in to help and check the things I’ve worked with Gary on. If anything goes wrong, then Tim helps to correct it.”