American Major Champion John Daly, Italian sensation Matteo Manassero and 18-time European Tour champion Miguel Angel Jiménez all took time out from their busy preparations for the UBS Hong Kong Open to conduct a junior golf clinic at a local school.

On Wednesday afternoon, the trio passed on their wealth of experience to 140 pupils, aged between 12 and 15, from the city’s Yan Chai Hospital Number Two Secondary School.

The clinic formed an important part of the community outreach programme of the UBS Hong Kong Open, which gets underway on Thursday.

The charismatic Daly, two-time UBS Hong Kong Open champion Jimenez and Barclays Singapore Open champion Manassero, who will partner World Number One Rory McIlroy in the first two rounds, enthralled the pupils, many of whom had never played golf before.

In addition to the clinic, the community outreach programme also includes the ‘Golf in the City’ initiative.

Jointly organised by the Hong Kong Golf Association and The European Tour and sponsored by Mega Events Fund, ‘Golf in the City’ aims to increase awareness and interest in both the tournament and the game in general.

A series of fun golf-related games and challenges for the general public were run free of charge last week at Chater Garden, in the city’s Central District.

Activities included the Mini Golf Zone, Golf Simulator Zone, Champions Zone and Water Hazard Zone.