LOCAL STARS MATTHEW CHEUNG AND ISSAC LAM TWO SHOTS BEHIND
[Hong Kong, 22 October 2026]: India’s Anirban Lahiri and Kevin Yuan of Australia both carded nine birdies on their way to an eight-under-par 62-total for a tied first place after round one of Link Hong Kong Open (LHKO) 2026.
Lahiri, an 18-time professional tour champion, had a birdie on his third hole but lost a shot on the fifth. His game came together after that, as he took eight birdies from his last 13 holes.
Lahiri said: “I am very happy. I started working on my game again a few weeks ago. I have been hard at work, and I’m happy to bring that same kind of momentum and rhythm into this week from last weekend when I was competing at home in India.
“I think I did a good job of keeping it in play and kept it mostly in the fairway. The golf course is quite firm, and it is probably going to get firmer through the week so if you can keep finding the short grass you’ll give yourself a lot of looks. I had a really solid ball striking round overall today.”
Yuan, who teed-off at hole 11, lost a shot at the tricky 15th but was flawless after that to find himself sitting at the top of the Day One leaderboard alongside the celebrated Lahiri.
Thai stars Jazz Janewattananond and Poosit Supupramai are one shot behind in tied-third as both enjoyed bogey free-rounds.
Hong Kong fans have plenty to cheer about as Matthew Cheung and Isaac Lam put in superb performances to go six-under to lie in joint-fifth with two other players – Minkyu Kim of Korea, and Japan’s Yosuke Asaji.
An ecstatic Cheung commented: “I hit a lot of good shots even though it was very gusty in the morning, which made it quite tricky. As the day went on, it got firm, and the golf course has been in great shape. I hit a lot of good putts, and I’m just really happy and blessed with that start.”
Lam, who won a professional tournament on this very course a few weeks ago, said: “Since winning the Fanling Classic, which was obviously a good achievement for myself, I would say I managed to carry some momentum into this week, and knowing that I’m playing a course I’m very familiar with, having grown up playing this golf course. Despite competing against such a strong field, I will just stick to my own game plan, and try to enjoy my time with my caddy and having fun out there, and that’s the key.”
Local amateur Jeffery Shen, who won the qualifier tournament in Macao last week, lies a further two shots behind to start day two tied-21. Jason Hak Shun-yet and Taichi Kho carded rounds of two-under-par 68-total and one-under-par 69-total respectively, on course to make the cut.
The Hong Kong Open is the city’s oldest professional sporting event – joining only one other club worldwide as hosts of the same tournament for over six decades, the other being Augusta National Golf Club and the US Masters. LHKO 2026 champion will earn an automatic invitation to compete at the Masters at Augusta National and a direct starting spot as part of the Open Qualifying Series at St Andrews in 2027, making the event one of the most important and appealing to players on the Asian Tour.
With its history and international prestige, the tournament has been playing an integral role in showcasing Hong Kong as a top global events destination and sport tourism hub for over six decades.
Admission to round two – Friday, 23 October – of the Link Hong Kong Open 2026 is free for the public.
In keeping with the tournament and title sponsor’s vision to take golf to all communities of Hong Kong, ticket prices for the Link Hong Kong Open 2026 have been frozen at current prices since 2023.
The Link Hong Kong Open 2026 is proud of being an “M” Mark event that helps enhance the image of Hong Kong as Asia’s sports event capital. The “M” Mark awarded by the Major Sports Events Committee, symbolising intense, spectacular and signature event in the territory sports calendar.
Daily prices for Saturday and Sunday, 24 and 25 October, are HKD200 per day or HKD300 for a weekend pass. Weekend passes are also free for spectators 18 and under.
For more information please visit: www.thehongkongopen.com