Jason Hak grabs Lin Yuxin’s three-wood and heads for the Clearwater Bay Open as he prepares to take on ‘good friend’
The Hong Kong No 1 and the 17-year-old grouped with former Asia-Pacific Amateur champion Jin Cheng for opening two days
He’s six years his junior and out to upstage his more experienced rival, but that doesn’t mean Hong Kong No 1 Jason Hak Shun-yat isn’t willing to offer 17-year-old Lin Yuxin a hand when he needs one.
Lin enters this week’s Clearwater Bay Open on top of the world after winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship on Sunday, but still required his good friend Hak to pick up his spare three-wood from Beijing after he broke one on the path to victory.
“First of all, I’m really good friends with Yuxin, and I was really happy for him,” said Hong Kong-born Hak, who is based between Florida and Beijing. “He’s a great player and a great kid. He’s born in 2000 and he’s only 17, so I’m six years older than him – I’m feeling a little old.
“He’s a lefty and he crushes the ball. He’s not scared to attack any flag. Even on par fours, he likes to try to drive the green every time.”
Lin’s victory earned him a spot in the Masters and The Open Championship next year and Hak will get first look at the prodigious talent after the two – and 2015 Asia-Pacific Amateur champion Jin Cheng – were grouped together for the first two rounds of this week’s Open, starting Thursday.
On Tuesday, Hak and Lin practised together and paired up in the afternoon’s par-three tournament, which had a total purse of US$10,000.
