Beijing, China: Defying astronomical odds, Hong Kong, China have been crowned Asia-Pacific Men’s Amateur Golf Team Championship winners for the first time.

Displaying skill, courage and mental fortitude in abundance, Markus Lam, Jeffrey Shen and Ethan Tian etched their names into the annals of Hong Kong golfing history with a startling victory in the 31st edition of the Nomura Cup.

Repelling a concerted challenge from regional powerhouses Japan, the Hong Kong trio emerged worthy champions after a tense final round at Bayhood International No. 9.

After holing out on the final green to confirm team success and also secure him the Taimur Hassan Amin Trophy as the leading individual, Lam dropped his putter, threw his cap high into the air and roared with delight before being embraced by the jubilant Hong Kong contingent.

There was euphoria also at the six golf clubs in the Special Administrative Region of China, where the golfing population is estimated at 100,000.

To defeat a top team from Japan, where there are 2,500 courses and 4.8 million active players, was a monumental achievement for Hong Kong and a remarkable moment in the 63-year history of the Nomura Cup, the eldest event in the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation’s (APGC) championship portfolio.

With 10 wins and seven runner-up finishes, Japan remains the most successful nation in the history of the biennial Nomura Cup. But this was the second time in a row that they were defeated by an underdog, having narrowly lost out to Vietnam in 2024.

Philip Hassall, Chairman of the APGC, said: “Congratulations to Hong Kong, China on pulling off a famous victory that will be talked about and remembered for many decades. It’s testament to the growing strength of APGC member nations that we’ve now had two first-time winners of the Nomura Cup in a row.”

Prior to 2024, Japan and Australia, with 10 wins apiece, and Chinese Taipei with five had dominated the championship. Hong Kong, China now joins India, Korea, New Zealand, Thailand and Vietnam as a one-time winner.

Hong Kong, China began the final day with a two-stroke advantage from Japan, with the Philippines, China and Korea harbouring hopes of a dramatic final-day charge.

But it soon developed into a two-horse race between Hong Kong, China and Japan. With tension mounting, the pivotal hole proved to be the par-three 15th. With the team and individual titles in the balance, Lam showed nerves of steel, draining a 35-foot birdie putt. Kaito Sato, his playing partner, then failed to convert his birdie attempt from five feet.

The momentum was now firmly with Hong Kong, China, for whom Shen carded a 70 and Tian a 69, which included an eagle-birdie finish. With Lam’s 67, Hong Kong posted a day four team score of 136 with only the best two scores in each three-man team being counted.

That gave Hong Kong an overall aggregate of 19-under 557. That was four in front of the Japanese, despite Kato’s closing 68 and a two-under 70 from last year’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship runner-up Taisei Nagasaki. Mao Matsuyama, the third member of the Japan team, signed off with a fourth successive one-under 71.

Lam and Sato were tied for the individual lead after three rounds and there was never much to separate them on the final day as they went toe-to-toe, a nail-biting contest within the main team contest. Ultimately, it was Lam who prevailed, rolling home his eighth birdie of the day at the 18th for a 67 and a nine-under 279 total – one in front of Sato.