Hong Kong SAR, China: It’s not often that you shoot an opening-round six-under-par and depart the course with mixed feelings. But Raegan Denton was left to ponder what might have been after commencing her Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) Junior Championship campaign with a 66.

Racing out of the starting blocks, the top-rated Australian female amateur snared seven birdies in a stunning seven-under-par 28 on the front nine of the Hong Kong Golf Club’s venerable Old Course.

It was an incredible, near-perfect performance that even prompted thoughts of breaking 60. “It crossed my mind, but I tried not to think about it,” said the 17-year-old from Adelaide who is 105th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).

Although a double-bogey six at the par-four 10th, where she took two to escape a greenside bunker, halted her charge, Denton held her game together, covering the back nine in one-over 38 to claim a share of the day one lead with Korean Park Seo-jin.

“It’s little bit mixed feelings,” said Denton, reflecting on her path to route 66. “It was a great round so I’m happy … but it could have been better.”

The only two holes on the front nine at which she did not make birdie were the third and seventh, both par-threes.

Denton added: “I only had 10 putts on the front nine. I was holing everything. I’ve never been that far under-par. I felt good on the range and the putting green – and it all came together.

“I’ve been working hard on my game and believe I have more in my tank. This is my first time to Hong Kong and I love the course. I’m confident I can keep the momentum going.”

Denton’s effort upstaged the excellent displays of Park and Arianna Lau, her playing partners in the marquee girls' group that posted a combined score 17-under-par.

Park lived up to her status as the highest ranked player in the field – 43rd in the WAGR – with a bogey-free 66 that was highlighted by an eagle-three at the long ninth.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s Lau began her bid for a third successive APGC Junior Championship title with a 67, recovering well from an opening-hole bogey.

“It got a little windy on the back nine, but I played consistently, hitting fairways and greens. I’m happy with five-under and I’ll keep the same mindset going into the second round,” said Lau, 52nd in the WAGR.

A total of nine of the 29 girls bettered par, including the Thai duo of Kritchanya Kaopattanaskul and Prim Prachnakorn, individual runner-up at the Queen Sirikit Cup a fortnight ago, and China’s Li Menghan.

There was also some outstanding scoring in the Boys’ category with 12 of the 32 competitors breaking the par of 71.

Leading the way is in-form 16-year-old Vietnamese Nguyen Tuan Anh.

Still on a high after his victory in last month’s Faldo Series Asia Grand Final in Vietnam, Tuan Anh compiled seven birdies against a solitary bogey to set the pace on six-under 65.

That is one stroke ahead of New Zealand’s Cooper Moore, who made an eagle-two at the short par-four second. At 257th in the WAGR, he is the highest rated male player in the field.

Denton’s strong showing has also raised Australian hopes of success in the team events.

In the Girls’ team event, Denton and Camilla Kim are third with a combined total of 139 – two strokes behind joint pace-setters Korea (Park Seo-jin and Yang Yun-seo) and Thailand (Kritchanya/Prim).

Meanwhile Denton and Hamish Farquharson are alongside the Korean duo of Park and Kang Seung-gu at the top of the leaderboard in the Mixed team event with a combined score of 136. The Thailand 1 team of Parin Sarasmut and Prim are one shot back in third.

In the Boys’ team event there’s a four-way tie at the top with Australia (Cooper Giddings/Farquharson), the Philippines (Shinichi Suzuki/Tristan Padilla), Korea (Baek Seung-hwa/Kang) and Thailand (Parin/Warut Boonrod) locked together on 139.
 

RESULTS

Boys Individual Championship

65 – Nguyen Tuan Anh (Vietnam)
66 – Cooper Moore (New Zealand)
68 – Parin Sarasmut (Thailand)
69 – Reshan Algama (Sri Lanka); Baek Seung-hwa (Korea); Cooper Giddings (Australia); Ranveer Mitroo (India); Shinichi Suzuki (Philippines)
70 – Hamish Farquharson (Australia); Kang Seung-gu (Korea); Tristan Padilla (Philippines); Yan Jinheng (China)
71 – Aiden Roberts (Malaysia); Warut Boonrod (Thailand); William Wijaya (Indonesia)
72 – Krish Chawla (India); Jayawardana Dornan (Indonesia); Anthony Fang (Hong Kong, China); Andrew Yap (Malaysia)
73 – Jin Han (China)
75 – Brayden Lee (Singapore); Ethan Tian (Hong Kong, China)
76 – Andrew Chan (Hong Kong, China); Cheung Yui-yu (Hong Kong, China); Reyes Halim (Singapore); Kaung Htet (Myanmar); Naing Oo Ko (Myanmar); Lander Lee (Hong Kong, China)
77 – Daniil Sokolov (Qatar)
78 – Ricardo Fu (Hong Kong, China); Adhithya Weerasinghe (Sri Lanka)
85 – Ho Anh Huy (Vietnam)

Boys Team Competition

139 – Australia (Cooper Giddings, Hamish Farquharson); Philippines (Shinichi Suzuki, Tristan Padilla); Korea (Baek Seung-hwa, Kang Seung-gu); Thailand (Parin Sarasmut, Warut Boonrod)
141 – India (Ranveer Mitroo, Krish Chawla)
143 – China (Yan Jinheng, Jin Han); Indonesia (William Wijaya, Jayawardana Dornan); Malaysia (Andrew Yap, Aiden Roberts)
147 – Sri Lanka (Reshan Algama, Adhithya Weerasinghe)
148 – Hong Kong, China 2 (Lander Lee, Anthony Fang)
150 – Vietnam (Nguyen Tuan Anh, Ho Anh Huy)
151 – Hong Kong, China 1 (Ethan Tian, Andrew Chan); Singapore (Brayden Lee, Reyes Halim)
152 – Myanmar (Kaung Htet, Naing Oo Ko)
154 – Hong Kong, China 3 (Ricardo Fu, Cheung Yui-yu)

Girls’ Individual Championship

66 – Raegan Denton (Australia); Park Seo-jin (Korea)
67 – Arianna Lau (Hong Kong, China)
68 – Kritchanya Kaopattanaskul (Thailand)
69 – Prim Prachnakorn (Thailand)
70 – Leung Hei-tung (Hong Kong, China); Li Menghan (China)
71 – Zoie Chan (Hong Kong, China); Yang Yun-seo (Korea)
73 – Xingtong Chen (Singapore); Camilla Kim (Australia); Kashika Misra (India)
74 – Sophie Han (Hong Kong, China); Aamiya Koul (Singapore); Nguyen Vu Hoang Anh (Vietnam); Emma Zheng (New Zealand)
75 – Nicole Gan (Philippines); Saanvi Somu (India)
76 – Abdul Ghani Nur Batrisyia Balqis (Malaysia)
77 – Abdullah Nur Diana Syafiqah (Malaysia); Abigail Soeryo Wihako (Indonesia); Peng Yanxuan (China)
79 – Anna Le Nguyen Anh Minh (Vietnam); Elin Wang (Hong Kong, China); Maureen Yose (Indonesia)
80 – Crista Therese Minoza (Philippines)
81 – Angel Yin (Hong Kong, China)
84 – Yanjinlkham Batdelger (Mongolia)
112 – Naransolongo Bayarkhuu (Mongolia)

Girls’ Team Competition

137 – Korea (Park Seo-jin, Yang Yun-seo); Thailand (Kritchanya Kaopattanaskul, Prim Prachnakorn)
139 – Australia (Raegan Denton, Camilla Kim)
141 – Hong Kong, China 1 (Arianna Lau, Sophie Han)
147 – China (Li Mengshan, Peng Yanxuan); Singapore (Xingtong Chen, Aamiya Koul)
148 – India (Kashika Misra, Saanvi Somu)
149 – Hong Kong, China 2 (Elin Wang, Leung Hei-tung)
152 – Hong Kong, China 3 (Angel Yin, Zoie Chan)
153 – Malaysia (Abdul Ghani Nur Batrisyia Balqis, Abdullah Nur Diana Syafiqah); Vietnam (Nguyen Vu Hoang Anh, Anna Le Nguyen Anh Minh)
155 – Philippines (Nicole Gan, Crista Therese Minoza)
156 – Indonesia (Abigail Soeryo Wihako, Maureen Yose)
196 – Mongolia (Yanjinlkham Batdelger, Naransolongo Bayarkhuu)

Mixed Team Competition

136 – Australia 1 (Hamish Farquharson, Raegan Denton); Korea 1 (Kang Seung-gu, Park Seo-jin)
137 – Thailand 1 (Parin Sarasmut, Prim Prachnakorn)
139 – Thailand 2 (Warut Boonrod, Kritchanya Kaopattanaskul)
140 – Korea 2 (Baek Seung-hwa, Yang Yun-seo); New Zealand (Cooper Moore, Emma Zheng)
142 – Australia 2 (Cooper Giddings, Camilla Kim); Hong Kong, China 1 (Ethan Tian, Arianna Lau); Hong Kong, China 4 (Anthony Fang, Leung Hei-tung); India 2 (Ranveer Mitroo, Kashika Misra)
143 – China 1 (Jin Han, Li Menghan)