Phnom Penh, Cambodia: Vietnam’s Le Khanh Hung and Malaysians Malcolm Ting and Ng Jing Xuen soared to the top of the leaderboards on the opening day of the golf tournament at the 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

In the men’s individual tournament, Khanh and Ting set the pace with matching three-under-par 69s at Phnom Penh’s Garden City Golf Club.

In the women’s event, early bragging rights went to Ng who snared seven birdies en route to a five-under 67 and a two-stroke lead from second-placed Thai Eila Galitsky, winner of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) in March.

Featuring individuals and teams from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, golfing medals are on offer in four categories – men’s individual, men’s team, women’s individual and women’s team.

In the men’s event it was a slow start for pre-tournament favourite Ratchanon ‘TK’ Chantananuwat, 27th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), the highest rated player in the field.

With two birdies against two bogeys, Ratchanon returned an even-par 72, which left him in a share of eighth place.

Last year, Ratchanon won the Asian Tour’s Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup to become the youngest golfer to win on a Tour recognised by the Official World Golf Ranking. Shortly after that he missed out on a SEA Games medal, finishing tied for fourth in Vietnam – a position he’s determined to improve upon this week.

Khanh was not the only Vietnamese male to impress in the opening round with Nguyen Anh Minh firing a 70 to share third place.

Anh created history last month by becoming the first Vietnamese to emerge as the Faldo Series Asia champion, an event in which Khanh finished joint third. Anh was sixth individually at last year’s SEA Games.

Ting continued his fine run of form that has seen him win his last two WAGR-counting events, both in Indonesia – February’s South Sulawesi Amateur Open and the Sumut Open in March where he finished one shot ahead of Anh. Those victories have seen Ting rise to 216th in the WAGR.

Anh is the number one Vietnamese in the rankings in 239th spot with Khanh second in 533rd position.

A serial winner in her home country, Malaysian Queen Sirikit Cup representative Ng has made the cut in the past two editions of the WAAP and is currently 372nd in the WAGR.

Rianne Malixi of the Philippines, the highest ranked female in the starting line-up at 96th in the WAGR, is tied for ninth after a 74.

Thanks to an eagle-three at the long 17th, Singapore’s Aloysa Atienza, silver medallist last year, signed for a 71 which puts her in third place going into Tuesday’s second round.