Making an Impact

Team of the Year

At the end of the first round of the Queen Sirikit Cup – the Asia-Pacific Ladies Golf Team Championship, which was staged at Fanling – the Hong Kong side of Tiffany Chan, Isabella Leung and Kitty Tam had defied all expectations by reaching the top of the leader board and held a one-shot lead over the mighty Koreans in second place. It might only have been the first day but the atmosphere at the Hong Kong Golf Club was electric. Were we all about to witness one of Asian golf's greatest upsets?

Unfortunately that was as good as it got for the plucky trio, because although they held second place heading into the final round after an indifferent performance on day two, the putts just refused to drop and they ended up finishing in sixth, just four strokes shy of New Zealand in third place and five behind the Philippines in second. Those mighty Koreans cruised to their eighth victory in nine years. Despite the disappointment of the final round, the team's three-day score of 441 was the lowest by a Hong Kong side in the 37-year history of the event.

"In the years before we didn't think we could really compete with the other teams," said Chan, who placed seventh in the individual standings. "But right now I don't feel like there's much difference between us. I think Hong Kong is only going to get better."

Winner: Queen Sirikit Team (Tiffany Chan, Isabella Leung and Kitty Tam).