Alex Zhuo happy to hit the fairways again after studies

21-year-old Hongkonger one of 20 amateurs in field for prestigious Diamond Cup event in Japan

Hong Kong golfer Alex Zhuo Tainwei returns to the course this week in Japan for the Asia-Pacific Open Golf Championship Diamond Cup with few expectations for success.

The 21-year-old is one of 20 amateurs in the field for the ¥100 million (HK$6 million) tournament at Oarai Golf Club, which features the leading players from the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour Organisation.

A prestigious event that began life as the Dunlop Tournament in 1969, the tournament is returning to the links course on the shores of the Kashima Sea for the first time since 2013, when it was won by Hideki Matsuyama just months after he became a professional.

Among the field this week are Sadom Kaewkanjana, who won the SMBC Singapore Open in January, and Steve Lewton who is in the top five on the Order of Merit.

The Japanese tour is represented by defending champion Rikuya Hoshino and Yuka Inamori, winner of The Crowns event two weeks ago, among others.

For Zhuo, this will be one of just a handful of events he has managed this year. And while attending college in the US means he has been spared Hong Kong’s Covid-19 lockdown, practising has not been easy.

“Its great to be back competing again,” he said. “I finished my academic semester at the University of Michigan two weeks ago, so haven’t been able to play too many events this year.”

Despite not being able to get out on to a course and practise until the middle of last month, the Hong Kong team golfer said his game “feels solid”.

“I haven’t been in lockdown like Hong Kong,” Zhuo said. “But Michigan does have a ‘winter lockdown’ – it’s really cold up there and snows until April.

“When you can’t practise your technique, you look for other areas that you can improve for your game, so in terms of fitness and nutrition.”

Zhuo qualified for the Diamond Cup by winning the Hong Kong Amateur Close Championship, and his last major test before the first round begins today was at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Dubai last November.

Although he missed the cut, Zhuo described the experience of playing in the tournament as “incredible” and said he had “learned a lot” from fellow Hong Kong squad members Taichi Kho and Alexander Yang.

Kho finished second after losing in a play-off to Japan’s Keita Nakajima, who is also in the field this week, while Yang came 13th.

“After Dubai I played some amateur events in the US,” Zhuo said. “The results weren’t ideal but the experience was important, as I got more experience playing US style courses, which are longer and more exposed to wind than Asia, which helps build me into a more complete player.

“Still, I’m not expecting too much results wise this week. My fellow competitors are pros that do this for a living. I’ll just try to play my own game as I do have the shots to play well. I’m sure the results will follow.”

Zhuo will begin his first round at 8.05am local time.

I’ll just try to play my own game as I do have the shots to play well

ALEX ZHOU, AS HE LINES UP WITH TOP ASIAN PLAYERS AT THE DIAMOND CUP