Promising Hong Kong golfer Lou Tan prepares for Hong Kong Open debut after years of attending as a fan
- Lou Tan Chi-hin qualifies for home competition after 10-shot victory at Hong Kong amateurs last year
- The 19-year-old joins 12 other Hong Kong men’s players for the January 9-12 Open
One of Hong Kong's most promising young golfers is all set to make his Hong Kong Open debut this week – at a competition that ignited his love for the sport.
The 19-year-old Lou Tan Chi-hin, who sealed the competition’s last local-player spot after a stunning 10-shot victory at the Hong Kong Amateur Championship in November, used to nervously sidle up to his sporting heroes for photos as they walked off the famous Fanling greens.
Now Tan prepares to share the very same course with some of golf’s elites. His dad, who was once in charge of taking photos of Tan with golf heroes such as China’s Liang Wenchong, will be proudly following his son around the course.
“It’s unreal that I’ll be participating in it,” said Tan, who completed secondary school in Scotland and attends university in Southampton, England. “It feels really special because this has been my motivation to start golf when I was really young. I’ve always wanted to be a golfer [and] it has always been my motivation to play in the Hong Kong Open.”
While Tan only returns to the city when called upon by the Hong Kong team, he is certainly no stranger to the system, having been part of the Hong Kong Golf Association’s (HKGA) development programme for 10 years.