Smith masterclass

Sean Moore

The later the day went, the better the play became for Australian Cameron Smith as the US$2 million (HK$15.6 million) Hong Kong Open's star attraction ended day one at the Hong Kong Golf Club sharing the lead on seven-under-par 63.

There with him was Spain's Eugenio Chacarra, the clubhouse leader for almost the entire afternoon after an early start - until Smith turned for home late on and made five birdies in the back nine, including a run of four in a row from the 14th.

"Played really solid," was the 30-year-old's appraisal. "I was able to put in some good work the first few days while I was here. It worked out today."

Winner of the 2022 Open Championship, Smith has more recently been plying his trade on the lucrative LIV Golf League and has been lured to Fanling by the Hong Kong Open's position now as part of the Asian Tour's International Series of tournaments.

There's the extra money on offer from that new status, but there seems also to be a genuine love of the Hong Kong Golf Club and a course Smith last played in 2014, when he finished in a tie for ninth.

"It's a cool track," he said. "It's one of my favorites and hopefully we get no rain. It's been a long time since I have been here. It's probably been too long. It's one of my favorite cities, the golf course speaks for itself and the Asian Tour is on the up, and I love it."

Smith played alongside 2018 US Masters winner Patrick Reed, who shot a three-under 69, but most of the attention all afternoon was directed towards the third player in their flight - Hong Kong's own Taichi Kho.

The 22-year-old rising star helped draw a massive gallery for day one, after his heroics of the past year, which have so far included the first win for a Hongkong player on the Asian Tour and an Asian Games gold medal.

But Kho left the course looking a little perplexed after the putts just didn't fall, and he signed for an even-par 70.

"I just have to be a little more committed on my lines and hit it with a bit better pace," said Kho. "Overall I felt I did a lot of good. It was nice to see Cam draining a lot [of putts]. I realized just how good of a pace putter he is and that's something I could definitely learn from."

While Kho was setting local hearts all aflutter, there was a best-ever start by the city's amateur contingent earlier in the day.

Leading the way was Isaac Lee, the 17-year-old who first learned and then fine-tuned his craft out on the Fanling fairways. He signed for a 68, as did Alex Yang and Jeffrey Shen, while Tommy Lin returned a 70.

"It feels great to be playing in such a prestigious event," said Lee. "It's such a great experience for me. I was really nervous off the first but it got better the more we played."

The city's other pros, Leon D'Souza and Matthew Cheung, shot 70 and 71, respectively.