Joining Howell III in the spotlight is LIV Golf rookie Ballester, and the young Spaniard delivered a bogey-free 6-under 64, one of the finest performances of his young professional career. Ballester, who joined Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs GC mid-season and quickly made waves with a T2 finish in Chicago and T7 in the UK, was thrilled with his start.
“Today was probably my best round as a professional, especially for a Thursday opening round,” Ballester said. “Starting strong like this was really satisfying. It gave me a lot of confidence heading into tomorrow.”
Ballester emphasized the importance of competing in The International Series as part of his development.
“This is a great opportunity for a few reasons,” Ballester said. “First, I’ll be playing here again next year at LIV Golf Hong Kong, so getting more rounds in on this course is really valuable. Second, the fact that this event offers exemptions to the Masters and The Open is incredible. And third, I’m still young, and I need to compete as much as I can.”
The Link Hong Kong Open is the seventh of nine elevated tournaments on the Asian Tour calendar that offer a pathway to the LIV Golf League for the end of season Rankings champion.
Tom McKibbin of Legion XIII leads after a new course record 10-under 60 at the Hong Kong Golf Club, with Jazz Janewattananond a shot further back.