Hong Kong golfer Jason Hak finds ‘safe’ haven in China and opportunity to compete again in Covid-19 world
- The 26-year-old leaves coronavirus chaos of US, making trek from family home in Florida to find playing opportunities in China
- National Open to operate in a bubble in Shenzhen with strict measures like the PGA Tour and the European Tour
Sitting in the comfort of his family home in Orlando, Florida, in early February, Hong Kong golfer Jason Hak Shun-yat was wondering whether he would be able to compete in a tournament for the rest of the year, or even next year.
The Covid-19 pandemic had all but closed off entry to China, and infections were rapidly rising in Europe and, worryingly, were increasing in the US. Infectious disease experts were ringing alarm bells but not all governments were taking the threat as seriously as they should have, not least the US government.
Hak, 26, continued to practice in the hope that things would eventually get better, and as a member of the exclusive Lake Nona Golf Club just a 30-minute drive from his home he was able to spend countless hours on the course practising and working on his game.
Hak has played much of his tournament golf on the two professional tours in China and when an event was announced for Hangzhou in early October he boarded a plane and made the long journey.
A five-hour flight from Orlando to Los Angeles was followed by a five-hour layover and then a 12-hour trans-Pacific flight to Tianjin, where he had to take a Covid-19 test and then go into quarantine for 14 days.
