Isabella Leung heads Hong Kong charge into Sirikit Cup lead

Hong Kong made a dream start to take the lead during the weather-affected first round of the Queen Sirikit Cup at the Hong Kong Golf Club on Wednesday.

Seeking their first victory in the 37-year history of the event, which is also known as the Asia-Pacific Amateur Ladies Golf Team Championship, the trio of Tiffany Chan Tsz-ching, Isabella Leung Hei-nam and Kitty Tam Yik-ching were one of seven teams to complete their rounds before heavy rain halted play.

With two of the three individual scores counting towards the team total, Leung's spectacular 69 - a round that contained five birdies and an eagle - and Chan's steady 70 left Hong Kong on five-under-par, one shot ahead of pre-tournament favourites Korea, who could potentially join the hosts at the top of the leader board if Jang Eun-soo, who has two holes left to play, can finish strongly once play resumes on Thursday morning. Thailand lie in third place on level par.

"Playing on home turf obviously gives you some advantages but there's also pressure to go along with it and the girls handled it great," said national coach Brad Schadewitz. "You can't win the tournament on the first day but you can lose it, so this is the perfect start for us."

Hong Kong's hopes heading into the event looked to rest on the shoulders of Chan, who broke into the top 10 in the world amateur ranking late last year, but it was 19-year-old Leung, a student at the University of Hawaii, who shone brightest in the murky conditions.

"I made a 15-foot birdie putt at the first and thought it was going to be a pretty good day," said Leung, who leads the individual standings on three under par. "It's a good start for the team. We're right where we want to be."