HK four don't mind heat

Kitty Tam Yik-ching, Mimi Ho Miu-yee, Michael Regan Wong and Leonard Ho Kar-chun will be competing for Hong Kong. They will play a total of 54 holes in three rounds.

Hong Kong coach Ducky Tang Wai-chun says each player has a different target.

"Michael and Leonard will use this competition to gain tournament experience. On the other hand, Kitty and Mimi, who have both represented Hong Kong in more overseas tournaments than the boys, should be among the top five finishers," says Tang.

One of the factors that can affect players' performance at the Games is the temperature. August is one of the hottest months in Nanjing.

However, Kitty, 16, a Form Four student from Diocesan Girls' School, says the heat won't be a problem.

"Hong Kong is also humid and hot, and we have been to other hot countries like the Philippines for tournaments. So I guess we will be able to adapt quite quickly to the environment," says Kitty.

Mimi, 17, thinks the scale of the AYG is no different from other youth tournaments she has played in before. The Year 12 student from Discovery College thinks the Games will give the golfers more media exposure.

"In Hong Kong, our efforts and achievements in overseas tournaments are rarely recognised by the public. Even when we played in high-level tournaments, we seldom had anything about it in the media," she says.

"The Asian Youth Games somehow gain more attention from the public. I hope our team can make good use of this opportunity and do well in the competition to promote the sport in our city."

Michael, 15, a Year 11 student from South Island School, says he doesn't know which other golfers are going to join the Games. "I think I am the only opponent I need to beat on the golf course. I have pressure in every tournament, but I always try to keep calm and deliver my best to improve my ranking. I will do the same at the AYG," says Michael.

The Games will be the first major tournament for new Hong Kong team member Leonard. The 15-year-old Form Three student from King's College first became interested in the sport at the tender age of two.

"I used to train alone, and only started to join the Hong Kong team training this year. I hope to meet more athletes from other teams at the Games," says Leonard.

The four athletes are now in the United States where they are training and taking part in tournaments in preparation for the AYG.

They will practise in Nanjing on August 17, and complete one round of golf each day from August 18 to 20 at Nanjing Zhongshan International Golf Club.

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