Published on August 31, 2020

When Australian Scott Hend claimed the Pertamina Indonesia President Invitational on August 31 in 2008 he would have, understandably, been oblivious to the significance of the occasion.

A relative newcomer to the Asian Tour – the previous season he was Rookie of the Year – the victory was his maiden win on the circuit, but more importantly it was the one that opened the floodgates.

Indeed, on this day 12 years ago, the Asian Tour witnessed the arrival of a golfer who would become one of the circuit’s most dominant players.

The big-hitting Australian would go on to win nine more times and monopolise the Order of Merit.

And the signs of this success were very evident in his impressive victory at the Pertamina Indonesia President Invitational – which was played at Damai Indah Golf and Country Club in Jakarta.

He started slowly in the US$400,000 tournament but this was merely a smoke screen for what was to come over the weekend.

His opening round of one-under-par 71 left him with much to do as the best of the day was a 64 carded by Lin Wen-tang from Chinese Taipei – an in-form golfer, who had won earlier in the year at Asian Tour International in Thailand.

Even though Hend improved with a 69 on day two, he was five behind Malaysian Iain Steel – who took the lead on nine under with a 66.

Hend’s game then found a new dimension over the weekend and although his third-round 66 left him five adrift of tournament leaders Lin and Steel, the Australian was perfectly placed to mount a challenge.

Since joining the Asian Tour in 2007 he had finished second on three occasions and was one of the hottest golfers on Tour who was more than ready for a maiden victory.

Paired in the penultimate group on the last day with Korean-American Anthony Kang, he trailed Lin by three at turn.

Quickly responding to the challenge at hand, he made an eagle on the par-five 13^th – impressively for the second day in-a-row. Lin made a par there, so the gap was down to one.

But another two shot swing soon followed when the Chinese Taipei golfer found water on the par-three 15^th and made double-bogey.

It was the break Hend was looking for and from there he did not look back. The victory was secured when he made another birdie on the par-five 17^th, where Lin dropped another shot.

Hend’s back-nine of four-under-par 32 and second successive 66 saw him win by three shots from Lin with a tournament total of 16-under.

Kang, Thailand’s Udorn Duangdecha and Mars Pucay from the Philippines finished third.

“I had a few runner-up finishes which is nice financially but there is nothing like winning a tournament. It is truly satisfying,” said Hend, after his win.

As a result of his success, Hend walked away with the top prize of US$63,400.

“I was solid on the back nine. I was thinking that if I shot a six under, I’ll be happy no matter what the outcome, even if I had not won. There was no real pressure and my putting was average,” he added.

“The eagle was great. I struck a solid drive and then almost holed my second shot. I told myself that I had to play solid and everything came together. I got ahead of myself on a few holes but I kept a steady momentum and I’m very happy with my finish.”

Lin’s final round 74 opened the door for Hend but he was magnanimous in defeat.

He said: “My iron play was good so I thought I could be aggressive on the 15th hole but I was too fast off the tee and the ball found the water. I also bogeyed the 17th hole. But it was a good game by Scott who played well under these challenging conditions. There are still more tournaments to play this year, so I hope to follow my rhythm and stay in contention.”

Up until that point in his career, Hend had won four times in Australia and once in Canada but the Pertamina Indonesia President Invitational was the big breakthrough victory he had been looking for.

In 2004, he decided to play on the PGA Tour but after two poor seasons because of injuries and loss of form he turned his attention to Asia and the Asian Tour Qualifying School in 2006.

And he says: “I finished second to Ben Leong (at the Qualifying School). My kids where born in December 2006 and then I went straight to Pakistan and finished second and from there on it was ‘happy days’ on the Asian Tour.”

In 2016, he became the first Australian to win the Merit title and, impressively, he also finished second on three occasions – in 2013, 2015 and 2019 – and was fourth four times – in 2007, 2009, 2014 and 2017.

And when he claimed his 10th Asian Tour title in March 2019 – the Maybank Championship in Malaysia – he moved into second place on the Career Money List.

He is still in second place today with earnings of US$5,084,342 while Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee – a 13-time winner on the Tour – leads the way with winnings of US$5,744,337.

Hend has been playing on the European Tour’s “UK swing” over the past few months, will compete in the US Open in September and will no doubt be looking forward to returning to Asia when the time is right.

Ends.

Published on August 23, 2020

Cast your eye down the list of past champions of Singapore’s National Open and one of the winners who stands out – with a truly inspirational story – is Shaun Micheel.

The American triumphed, on this day, in 1998 at SAFRA Resort & Country Club, and, as is well documented, went on to record a remarkable victory in the 2003 PGA Championship – at Oak Hill Country Club in New York.

That is two “Major” victories, some would say – particularly if you are a lover of the Singapore Open.

No doubt, the seeds for Micheel’s win in the PGA Championship were sown in Singapore 22 years earlier.

In 1998, he had decided to play in Asia in order to find his form.

“After I lost my PGA Tour exemption in 1997, my manager, at the time, mentioned going to Asia with Charlie Wi – who he also managed. He felt like a complete change of scenery might help me regain the confidence that I lost after a poor year on the PGA Tour,” said Micheel from his home in Tennessee last week – after having played in the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship on the Champions Tour.

He had started his professional career in 1992 on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa and because of that experience, he felt comfortable going to Malaysia to go through the Asian Tour qualifying process. The Tour at that time was called the Omega Tour.

Having negotiated the rigours of Qualifying School, he was quick to establish himself on Tour.

Early on in 1998, he pushed Thailand’s Chawalit Plaphol and Boonchu Ruangkit all the way in the Orient Masters in China. He eventually finished in a share of third, behind Chawalit – who claimed what was to be the first of many wins on Tour – and the legendary Boonchu, who finished second.

Says Micheel: “The competition was really good and I knew that if I could find some consistency, I would have a chance to get back onto the PGA Tour.”

The game plan worked and the consistency he so desperately wanted started to return; in the lead-up to the Singapore Open he was regularly in contention and on the cusp of a breakthrough win.

“You know, I don’t remember too much about the state of my game going into Singapore. One thing stands out, however, as I prepared to travel to Singapore. The week before I left, I asked my, then, girlfriend to be my wife. At the time I had known Stephanie for 16 years and we had been dating for nearly five years. I suppose that I felt quite encouraged about my engagement and that gave me the extra lift that I needed to win,” says Micheel.

He opened with a five-under-par 67 at SAFRA, to sit in a tie for fourth; and at the halfway mark, following a 69, he was two adrift of the leader, Lu Chien-soon – one of Chinese Taipei’s greatest golfing exports and a two-time winner of the Singapore Open, in 1983 and 1989.

Another 67 by Micheel on the third day saw him move into the lead, alongside South African Hendrik Buhrmann.

And on Sunday a fourth successive sub 70 (he shot 69) saw Micheel finish two ahead of Buhrmann to triumphantly claim his first Tour win and a cheque for US$80,750.

He says: “I believe that I had only two dropped shots the entire week. I don’t recall much of the competition other than my layup on the last hole, tapping in for par and then putting on the “cowboy” hat while accepting the trophy. Afterwards, I found out that a friend of my father’s had watched me win from a hotel in Japan.”

The cowboy hat was Ericsson sponsored headgear and one of many rewards that came with his win.

“The victory in Singapore validated my choice in going overseas when many others questioned my decision. Not a day goes by at home when I don’t see my Singapore Open trophy. No one will know how much that victory energised and inspired me to get back onto the PGA Tour and eventually win the PGA Championship in 2003,” said Micheel, who was 29 years old when he won in Singapore.

He is one of four past champions of the Singapore Open to have won a Major – the other three being: Australian Adam Scott, Angel Cabrera from Argentina and Spaniard Sergio Garcia.

Singapore as a country also left a big impression on him, as it did for his father – who was one of the original pilots for FedEx in 1973.

“My late father travelled to Singapore quite a bit and he loved it. So, when I arrived into the country I immediately saw why he felt the way that he did. The cleanliness is what struck me initially! To be honest, I thought it was so cool to be so far away from home in a country that had so much to offer in such a small space. From the hotels to the restaurants to the natural beauty, I was enamoured with Singapore. Of course, I’ll never forget SAFRA Resort. Great memories and I would love to bring my wife over some day.”

In fact, his first year in Asia in 1998 proved to be an enormous success not just because of his victory in the Lion City.

“I absolutely loved my time in Asia. Many of the places where I competed were just faraway lands that I had read or heard about from my father who was a frequent visitor. Having a place to play was, at the time, the most important element as that was why I was there in the first place. Over time, however, I realised that it was not all about playing golf. Life in the United States was quite a bit different than many of the cities that I visited.

“Having an open mind was a bit of advice that I received and I did my best to fall in love with the new cultures, people and differences that existed. One thing that I did was to learn to a few simple words in the local language in an attempt to show respect to my new friends. Of course there was no way to become fluent in a new language overnight but I felt like it was important for me to try to fit in the best that I could. I did receive quite a bit of help from Charlie Wi and that was greatly appreciated.”

Micheel is also quick to point out the great support he received from the Tour.

He said: “In the end, my incredible experience came as the result of the incredible staff from the Asian Tour office, the players that I met and the many people who accepted me and allowed me to enjoy something new!”

After his win in Singapore he made it on to Nike Tour (now the Korn Ferry Tour) and won the NIKE Greensboro Open in 1999. And the following year he returned to the PGA Tour, so any chance of returning to play in Asia proved too difficult.

Now at 51 years old, he has been competing on the Champions Tour and the European Senior Tour, which he says: “allows me to keep my passport dust free and my experiences fresh.”

He adds: “Many journalists labelled me a journeyman pro like it was a negative. My experiences of competing in over 34 countries is a badge of honour that I share with all who will listen.

“I would never trade my time in Asia for anything. So many of my friendships began in Asia. Thinking of Darren Clarke, Lee Westwood, KJ Choi, Jeev Milkha Singh, John Senden and Thongchai Jaidee. I love catching up with these guys and reliving the old days. Maybe one day I can return!”

Ends.

Published on August 19, 2020

Indonesia’s budding young golf star Danny Masrin, like the vast majority of members on the Asian Tour, has chosen to use the current downtime – caused by the coronavirus pandemic – wisely and constructively.

“I decided to go back to school,” says Masrin.

“I have been doing an online Masters programme, which I started in May. It’s with the Thunderbird school, through Arizona State University. I thought if I am ever going to do it, now is the time.”

Keeping the mind sharp is a smart move by the 27-year-old as he is as eager as anyone to get back in action when the Asian Tour resumes.

Prior to lockdown gripping the region in March, Masrin unlocked his potential and found what it takes to play and compete with the best in the region.

He explains: “From the end of last year I was playing really good golf – since the BNI Indonesian Masters until the Bandar Malaysia Open. There were six tournaments there where I had two top-10s, three top-15s, I was playing pretty good. I was really happy.”

He had struggled to find his feet on Tour since turning professional in 2015, but last year his patience and conviction started to pay off.

In the middle of the year, his upswing in fortunes started when he made the cut in seven tournaments in a row, including finishing seventh at the Yeangder TPC in Chinese Taipei.

And then came the BNI Indonesian Masters in December at Royal Jakarta Golf Club.

“I was 55^th on the Order of Merit going into the BNI Indonesian Masters – I was kind of on the edge, and I really wanted to finish higher. People were saying you are safe but the higher you are the better it is,” said the Indonesian.

Impressively, he overcame the pressure of fighting for his Tour card, and playing in front of his home support, to produce a breakthrough performance and finish in a tie for fifth – his best finish on Tour.

He says a big factor contributing to that result was having his mentor, Teddy Harmidy, caddie for him.

“To have Teddy, a good friend and mentor as my caddie was amazing. We play and practice all the time. It just gave me a level of comfort,” he says.

“Everything clicked there at the right time. We both know that course very well. So it was a matter of executing.”

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After that result he headed to the Thailand Masters – the final event of the year – brimming with confidence.

He says: “I still remember how much of a relief it was going to Thailand for the last event, as I had secured my card. I could just go out and play, there was no pressure any more. Knowing that I would get into a lot more tournaments, and that I could actually prepare. In the past it was like you might get into this tournament but you might not. Sometimes you had to be ready to leave at last minute notice.”

It was indeed a new dawn for the young Indonesian: he finished in the top-20 in Thailand, and in early 2020 he recorded a top-30 finish in the Hong Kong Open, captured equal eighth place in the SMBC Singapore Open and ended joint 13th in the Bandar Malaysia Open.

But, unfortunately, soon after Malaysia the Tour had to hit the pause button because of coronavirus.

“I have been in Jakarta since then, it’s probably the longest I have been in Jakarta,” says Masrin, who attended Bradley University, in Illinois, where he played on the golf team.

“After that solid start to the year, the schedule had been looking really good with events going two weeks on, two weeks off through to August but then we have to go through this.”

Masrin has since been playing and practicing and as he says: “keeping the body warm and in shape, and ready to play again.”

“I used to be of the mindset that if I take too many days off, I won’t be ready to play but it has been nice to know that if I take a few days off my body is still ready to play again at a high level,” he says.

“I am still playing pretty well, there have been moments during these five months when I wished there were tournaments to play in but there is nothing you can do about it.”

He practices at the Royale Jakarta, Pondok Indah and BSD courses and has been buoyed by the fact that the local Tour is aiming to stage an event each month from September until the end of the year.

“It is something to look forward to as we have not played in so long,” says Masrin, who has won seven events on local tour, with the most recent last year.

Masrin was also aiming to play in this summer’s Olympics and was bitterly disappointed it was postponed.

“For the longest time, for the last two and a half years, one of my biggest aims was to qualify for the Olympics. To have an Indonesian player represented at golf in the Olympics was the ultimate goal,” he says.

“This year we were coming down to the final stretch in the run up to Tokyo, I was on track to qualify and that’s why I was so excited I was playing well, but then obviously things changed, and now I will prepare for the tournaments I need to play in order to qualify for next year.”

There is no doubt that there is now huge cause for optimism for Masrin – thanks to his new found form and fine performances.

That has not always been the case over the past few years.

“There are a lot of struggles in golf, from the mental side, to the physical side, to the golf swing,” he says.

“There was a time in 2017 when I was playing really poorly, and I thought about quitting golf and I thought about what my options were. But when I first started playing professionally, I said I would give myself three to five years to see if professional golf was a stable career for myself and I have stayed true to that.

“Golf is a tough sport to be in as it is so uncertain. From week to week, it’s tough as you don’t know if you will have 10 weeks of missed cuts, with 10 weeks of spending money without making money, or you win one event and everything changes.”

As well as Teddy Harmidy – a former Indonesian national player, who played with American star David Duval on the Georgia Tech golf team in the United States – playing an important role in his success, a more holistic approach has also been key.

“What I have done well, the last year and a half, is I have started to focus on the statistics more. I have broken it down into more of the technical side, not of the swing, but the numbers of what needs to be focused on. I think I have a very good idea of what my strengths are and what my weaknesses are. I have been able to focus on those areas over the past 18 months.”

The analytical strategy has clearly worked and with a Masters degree imminent, he will be more applied than ever when the region once again opens up to tournament golf.

Ends.

Published on August 16, 2020

At last weekend’s PGA Championship, there was a real possibility that a player from Asia would lift the famous Wanamaker Trophy.

The huge audience of golfers, and non-golfers, watching west of the Pacific tuned in to see if China’s Li Haotong could prevail after leading at the halfway mark.

Sadly, his challenge failed to materialize over the weekend while Asia had some consolation in the fact that the winner, America’s shining new-star Collin Morikawa, is half Japanese.

And so the quest by Asia to produce a winner of a Major to match Korean Y.E. Yang’s legendary victory in the 2009 PGA Championship continues.

That memorable win was, in fact, achieved 11 years ago on this day.

In what is another significant moment in time that feels like only yesterday, Yang became the first Asian-born player to win a Major.

He surpassed the previous best performances by Asians in Majors, which were runner-up finishes by Chinese Taipei’s  Lu Liang-huan in the 1971 Open Championship; Isao Aoki, from Japan, in the 1980 U.S. Open; and Chinese Taipei’s Chen Tze-chung in the 1985 U.S. Open.

Li also came close in 2017 when he claimed third place in The Open while Korean K.J. Choi was third in the 2004 Masters – and fourth in the same event six years later.

The 91^st PGA Championship was played at Hazeltine National Golf Club and Yang’s victory was one of the biggest upsets of the century and had a seismic impact on the game of golf because not only did he break Asia’s duck at Majors but he also defeated American superstar and world number one Tiger Woods.

Woods had already won 14 Majors – at that time, it would have been inconceivable to think his next one would be the Masters in 2019 – and he had never lost any tournament on American soil when leading by more than one shot.

Yang, a 37-year-old who attended the PGA Tour qualifying school nine months before, was ranked 110 in the world and was barely known State side.

But that was the beauty of his moment of glory, as it was a victory sealed by stealth.

Unknown and unheralded in America, he arrived at Hazeltine already a prolific winner in Asia having claimed four titles in Japan and two on the Asian Tour.

He had also fired a warning shot early on in 2009 by winning the Honda Classic in March – becoming only the second player from the Land of Morning Calm to win on the PGA Tour. Choi was the first in 2002.

A fine victory it was but it did little to alert experts in the game about what was to happen five months later in the final Major of the year.

And as expected, Woods was dominant over the first three days at Hazeltine and appeared on course to collect his fifth PGA Championship.

He was the central character in a golden era for the game thanks to his divine brilliance.

Yang had started poorly with a one-over-par 73 but gained some confidence the next day by firing a 70 to move into the top-10 – trailing Woods by six.

But Yang used all of his powerful well built-frame – matched only by his illustrious countryman Choi – to move into contention on day three. He fired a 67 to sit two back of Woods in joint second with Ireland’s Padraig Harrington – the defending champion and already a three-time Major winner.

The Korean was in exalted company – but this was a Major – and the occasion became even more sublime when he was paired with Woods on the final day.

On the front nine, Woods was out of sorts and three-putted for bogey at number four and made bogey from the bunker on eight to make the turn in two over. That meant Yang drew level.

They were still tied with five holes to play when Yang delivered a knockout blow, much in the same way that Morikawa did when he made eagle on the par-four 16^th at TPC Harding last Sunday.

Woods had appeared to have the upper hand and was in birdie range at the par-four 14th, but Yang sensationally countered by chipping in from 60 feet for eagle to take the lead by one.

And he had maintained that slim advantage by the time they reached the par-four 18^th, where Yang was called upon again to conjure one final bit of magic.

For his second shot, a tree slightly blocked his view of the flag and with Woods in the fairway, Yang needed to hit the shot of his life.

He duly accepted the challenge, and with his three-iron hybrid he cleared a bunker and saw his ball come to rest 12 feet away, where he made birdie to seal a history-making victory.

He closed with a 70 for a three-stroke victory over Woods, who shot a final-round 75 after missing a short par putt on the last for his worst score ever in the final round of a Major when he was in the last group.

“It’s not like you’re in an octagon where you’re fighting against Tiger and he’s going to bite you, or swing at you with his nine-iron,” said Yang, after through an interpreter. “The worst that I could do was just lose to Tiger. So I really had nothing much at stake.”

“This might be my last win as a golfer,” added Yang. “But it sure is a great day.”

“All the other 14 major championships I’ve won, I’ve putted well for the entire week,” Woods said. “And today, that didn’t happen.”

“He [Yang] went out there and executed his game plan. He was doing exactly what you have to do, especially in these conditions. I think he played beautifully.”

Yang finished on eight-under 280 and won US$1.35 million, along with a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour and the Majors.

Even Korea’s president, Lee Myung-bak, got up before sunrise to watch the tournament live. He later phoned Yang to offer his congratulations.

“I woke up at dawn today to watch the broadcast, and you played in a calm manner,” Lee told Yang, according to Lee’s office. “First of all, you enhanced our people’s morale by winning the Major title for the first time as an Asian.”

It was indeed a triumph of great magnitude on a day when Yang rode into Mayor City, made a Major name for himself and Majored in the game of life.

Ends.