Opportunity knocks for Lion City elite
A record number of Singapore players will compete in this week’s SMBC Singapore Open at Sentosa Golf Club providing a great opportunity for the country’s leading golfers to make their mark in their National Open.
A total of 20 Singaporeans will compete in the US$1.25 million event, which includes seven amateurs, with the ultimate goal of aiming to become the first Singaporean to claim the title.
The tournament, which for the first time in its history is the season-ending event on the Asian Tour, tees-off tomorrow on the Serapong Course –– which is the home course for four Lion City elite players: Abdul Hadi, Koh Dengshan, Jesse Yap and Mitchell Slorach.
“This is a great opportunity for all of us,” said the in-form Hadi, who earlier this year finished top of the local Pro-Series tour, after winning the final three events of the eight-leg circuit on the Serapong Course.
“I’m sure everyone who tees it up this week will have a chance. But you just got to not think about it and take it day by day and hopefully you’ll have a chance on Sunday.”
SINGAPORE- Koh Dengshan of Singapore pictured during round three, Saturday January 15, 2022, at The Singapore International golf event at Tanah Merah Country Club, (Tampines Course). The US$1 million Asian Tour event is being staged January 13-16, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Impressively, he finished eight under at the final Pro-Series event, and he was six under for both legs six and seven. Each tournament was played over two rounds.
He added: “I think the most important is probably tee to green, finding fairways and duplicating a lot of long irons, mid irons into the greens here at Serapong. The key for most of the holes is finding the middle of the green, making par and taking advantage of the par fives.”
Koh finished as the leading Lion City elite player in last week’s The Singapore International on the Tampines Course at Tanah Merah Country Club, in joint 24th place.
“It was obviously a very tough week last week. Hung in there and stayed patient,” said the 33 year old.
“I hope to carry the momentum on to this week. It’s a brand-new week so I think I just got to refocus, stay in the present and do my best. It’s always nice to play in the Singapore Open, especially at Sentosa. The Club’s been really supportive of us. I think we’ve got a lot of opportunities to practice here and there are really good facilities at Sentosa, so I think it’s a really nice opportunity.
“A lot of our pros and amateurs got picked this week. So, it’s really nice to see so many Singaporeans playing.”
SINGAPORE- Ryan Ang of Singapore pictured during round four, Sunday, January 16, 2022, at The Singapore International golf event at Tanah Merah Country Club, (Tampines Course). The US$1 million Asian Tour event is being staged January 13-16, 2022. Picture by Tharm Sook Wai/Asian Tour.
Mardan Mamat, a five-time winner on the Asian Tour and a veteran among the Lion City elite players, is also competing along with Singapore Open Amateur champion Ryan Ang.
Fourteen-year-old amateur Brayden Lee, who made headlines in this event in 2017 when he came close to beating Australian Adam Scott in the Beat the Pro Challenge aged nine, is also in the field.
Korean Joohyung Kim achieved so much in his first tournament of the year last week, The Singapore International: he won the tournament in a thrilling sudden-death finish, took over top spot on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, and moved into the top-100 on the Official World Golf Ranking.
But there is no time for the 19 year old to rest on his laurels as this week he competes in the SMBC Singapore Open, on The Serapong at Sentosa Golf Club – the final event of the Tour’s 2020-21 seasn and its all work for Joohyung Kim.
“I’m still enjoying it,” said the powerfully built star.
“You know, I wish I could have enjoyed it a little bit longer, but it’s straight back to work. Obviously happy about that, but you know, just trying to concentrate on this week.”
He holed a testing 14-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole on Sunday on the Tampines Course’s at Tanah Merah Country Club to beat Thailand’s Rattanon Wannasrichan, and register his second victory on the Asian Tour.
He added: “To be honest, I felt kind of rusty. I came outside of quarantine and very cold in Korea, couldn’t play a lot of rounds. Just did what I had to do. And with the conditions being so tough I think it really suited my game pretty well. And I played very conservative, very smart and, you know, made a lot of putts. So, I was pretty surprised last week when I won.”
Kim leads the Merit list with earnings of US$399,428 but three players can catch him this week: Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai, Chan Shih-chang from Chinese-Taipei and American Trevor Simsby.
SINGAPORE- Joohyung Kim of Korea answers questions at a press conference on Tuesday January 18, 2022 ahead of the SMBC Singapore Open on the Serapong Course, Sentosa Golf Club. The US$1.25 million Asian Tour event is being staged January 20-23, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/SPORTFIVE.
“I mean, the goal [this year] was to get at least one win and first week out, get one win and back inside the top 100 and number one on the Order of Merit. So, big step, but it’s a bigger step this week,” added the Korean, who is ranked 89th in the world.
Should he win the Merit title he will be the second youngest to do so after his compatriot Seungyul Noh, won it in 2010.
Kim has played the SMBC Singapore Open once before, when the tournament was last played in 2020, and came fourth – just a few months after his first Tour victory at the Panasonic Open India. That secured him a place in The Open but the pandemic prevented him from competing.
He played the Pro-Am this morning as part of his preparations for one of the most important weeks of his fledgling career, its all work for Joohyung Kim.
“I mean, the conditions are so pure, where you can just take advantage when you can and play conservative when you can’t,” he said.
“So, I mean, some holes are just right next to the ocean. So, you got to really factor the wind there and play really smart, but when you have a chance, you know, you have a chance to take advantage. And the par fives are, you know, mostly all reachable so you try to make your score there and just try to score on the holes you can and play conservative when you can’t.”
SINGAPORE- Joohyung Kim of Korea pictured during the pro-am event on Tuesday January 18, 2022 ahead of the SMBC Singapore Open on the Serapong Course, Sentosa Golf Club. The US$1.25 million Asian Tour event is being staged January 20-23, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/SPORTFIVE.
It’s not only the names of Major championship winners and Ryder Cup heroes which have been inscribed on the magnificent silverware that is presented each year to the winner of the SMBC Singapore Open.
Since its inauguration in 1961, US Masters winners Adam Scott, Angel Cabrera and Sergio Garcia, along with Ryder Cup heavyweights Ian Poulter and Matt Kuchar, are among the global stars who have savoured success in Singapore’s national Open, one of the most enduring and popular events on the Asian Tour calendar, writes Asian Tour contributing editor Spencer Robinson.
Sharing a place alongside them on the Singapore Open roll of honour is a legendary Asian trio of Asian golfing legends who will be teeing-it-up at Sentosa Golf Club this weeek in the season-ending event on the 2020-21 Asian Tour schedule.
For all the successes they achieved in marvellous careers, the legendary Asian trio of Myanmar’s Zaw Moe, Indians Jyoti Randhawa and Jeev Milkha Singh rank victory in the Singapore Open among their proudest moments.
Now into their fourth decade of competing professionally, the appearance of the legendary Asian trio at Sentosa in 2022 will inevitably spark bouts of nostalgia, especially for Singh whose triumph in 2008 was secured on the award-winning Serapong Course that they will once more grace this week.
AUGUSTA, GA – APRIL 09: Tiger Woods walks with Jeev Milkha Singh of India up the first fairway during the first round of the 2009 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 9, 2009 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
Singh’s dramatic one-stroke success remains among his most revered, repelling the challenges of another legendary group of Major champions – Padraig Harrington, Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy – in a nail-biting denouement.
“The depth of the field that week was amazing with four guys in the top-10 in the world ranking playing. That win gave me a lot of confidence,” said Singh, in the wake of his sixth Asian Tour victory, worth US$792,500, raising his season’s tally to US$1.4 million.
Not only did Singh become the first player to surpass US$1 million in earnings in a single season on the Asian Tour, but also he went on to win a second Asian Tour Order of Merit title in three years. The following year he rose to a high of 28th in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Starting the final round at Sentosa in 2008 five strokes off the pace, Singh charged up the leaderboard with an outward 33 and birdied the 11th hole to take control of the tournament. Bogeys on 13 and 16 set up a tense finish but his rivals failed to take advantage of his late blemishes.
Els and Harrington tipped their hats to Singh.
“It could have been a win for me. But Jeev is a great guy and I’m happy for him,” said South African Els.
Irishman Harrington, who won both the Open Championship and PGA Championship that year, echoed those sentiments. “I’m delighted for Jeev,” he said.
GURGAON-INDIA- Jyoti Randhawa of India pictured during the Pro-am event on Wednesday November 13, 2019 ahead of the USD$ 400.000 Panasonic India Open at the Classic Golf and Country Club, Gurgaon, India. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
For Randhawa and Zaw, the venues for their triumphs were the Singapore Island Country Club (SICC) and Jurong Country Club (JCC) respectively.
Over the SICC’s Island Course in 2000, the then 28-year-old Randhawa posted a four-day total of 20-under, three clear of second-placed South African Hendrik Buhrmann.
“I’d won three times previously on Tour but all of them were in India. So, it was good to finally win outside my country. My fellow players were telling me that I had to get the monkey off my back. I’m glad all doubts were finally put aside,” said Randhawa.
“Patience was the key,” added the Indian, who recovered brilliantly from an indifferent opening 72 with rounds of 64, 65 and a closing 67.
Zaw enjoyed a similar margin of victory in his 1997 success at the now-defunct JCC.
“Since 1995 I had been playing well but I couldn’t win, so when I arrived at the Singapore Open that year I felt I was due,” said Zaw, a long-time Singapore resident.
Four strokes clear at the top after three accomplished rounds in the 60s, Zaw signed off with a maturely-compiled 72, leaving him three ahead of American Fran Quinn, the runner-up.
A quarter of a century later, this legendary Asian trio still going strong.
It’s testament to their skill and longevity that these three former Singapore Open champions are plotting to play their part in the latest chapter in the history of this storied event that is about to be penned.
By Spencer Robinson – Contributing Editor
In the eyes of Ratchanon ‘TK’ Chantananuwat, Joohyung Kim is a veritable veteran.
At the ripe old age of 19, Kim is already into his fourth year as a professional. On Sunday, he triumphed in the Asian Tour’s inaugural The Singapore International.
In so doing, he’s not only broken into the top-100 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) in 89th spot, but also soared to the summit in the Asian Tour’s 2020-21 Order of Merit standings.
It’s a position the Korean seeks to confirm at this week’s season-ending SMBC Singapore Open at Sentosa Golf Club’s award-winning Serapong Course.
Among his rivals there will be TK, the 14-year-old Thai amateur prodigy who is continuing to turn heads.
A student at Shrewsbury International School in Bangkok, TK’s burgeoning reputation was further enhanced with a third-place finish at Tanah Merah Country Club in what was his first appearance in a professional tournament outside his native Thailand.
Poised to break into the top-100 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, TK’s recent exploits on the Asian Tour – he finished top-30 in both the Blue Canyon Championship and Laguna Phuket Championship late last year – have also enabled him to climb the ladder on the OWGR.
On the back of his heroic effort at Tanah Merah, the Thai amateur prodigy has climbed to 462nd in the OWGR standings. Astounding.
One man who is not surprised at TK’s meteoric rise is Andrew Knott, an acclaimed mind coach and Director of Coaching at the Singha Elite Golf Performance Centre at Bangkok’s Thana City Country Club.
A member of the PGA of Great Britain & Ireland who has worked with many of Thailand’s top players over the past decade, Knott has charted TK’s development at close hand since setting eyes on him for the first time in 2013, when TK was aged five.
SINGAPORE- Ratchanon Chantananuwat, 14 yr old amateur of Thailand pictured celebrating with his father / caddie on green No 4 during round two, Friday January 14, 2022, at The Singapore International golf event at Tanah Merah Country Club, (Tampines Course). The US$1 million Asian Tour event is being staged January 13-16, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Knott said: “I don’t like to add to the mounting expectation as there is so much that can happen on his journey. But the sky is the limit for TK.
“He is the first male player I have seen in Thailand who shows the attributes to compete at the very top … and that means the Majors. Injuries aside, he’ll become the number one Thai golfer, if not the world number one.”
On the topic of Majors, such is the confidence of the Thai amateur prodigy that he sees the SMBC Singapore Open as a passage to the 150th Open Championship, to be staged at St Andrews from July 14-17.
Part of The R&A’s Open Qualifying Series, the leading four players who finish in the top 12 and ties at Sentosa, and who are not already exempt, will earn places in the game’s eldest Major.
It’s a spine-tingling thought that is uppermost in TK’s mind.
Asked about his prospects over the Serapong Course, TK said: “I think (my chances) are pretty decent if I play good golf. I played Sentosa once and, like Tanah Merah, it’s a really hard golf course. It’s challenging, and you need to play some real good golf.
“So I think if I hit my driver straight, like I did for the majority of The Singapore International, I have a decent chance. I’ll try to win it … and I’ve got to secure a spot in The Open as well.”
Hoping to join him at St Andrews will be Kim. He can book his ticket either via his OWGR position or by finishing top-12 this week, which would go a considerable way to landing the Asian Tour Order of Merit crown, his over-riding target.
“I didn’t know I would be in this position. But here I am. It’s a very important week for all the players, myself as well,” said Kim.
Even at his tender age, however, experience has taught him not to get too far ahead of himself.
SINGAPORE- Joohyung Kim of Korea pictured during round four, Sunday January 16, 2022, at The Singapore International golf event at Tanah Merah Country Club, (Tampines Course). The US$1 million Asian Tour event is being staged January 13-16, 2022. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“It’s a win today,” he said in the immediate aftermath of his Tanah Merah triumph. “But definitely tomorrow it’s back to the grind.
“I want to go as far as I can (in the game). Like I said, it’s a win. But my team and me, we’re never satisfied. So, it’s back tomorrow, back to the grind and trust the process.” Spoken like a true veteran.
Sentosa Golf Club’s majestic Serapong Course is primed to reveal a ‘meaner’ personality at this week’s SMBC Singapore Open.
Perennially regarded as one of Asia’s most demanding golfing tests, the venue for the Asian Tour’s 2021-2022 season-ending event (January 20-23) has been further enhanced, writes Contributing Editor Spencer Robinson..
Once more, the course will examine every facet of a player’s game with recent upgrades ensuring there will be a special focus on sand skills at the award-winning layout.
While the course will once more be presented in the pristine conditions which players have become accustomed to, a beach party it may not prove to be.
Andy Johnston, Sentosa Golf Club’s General Manager and Director of Agronomy, said: “The first thing players will notice after the glowing conditions of the improved grasses, which will make the course look even more majestic, will be the bunkering.
“The bunkers are in the same locations, but the sand lines are now much higher. We removed all the old sand, replaced the liners and added new sand. But in the process we changed the sand lines to a rugged, unorthodox and serrated edge look – a design that many championship courses around the world use on their bunkers.
“It really brings out the personality of The Serapong and the new sand lines increase the size of the bunkers by nearly 30 per cent. This makes them stand out more and, quite frankly, they look meaner.”
Regular visitors to The Serapong course will notice also some small changes to the tee complexes on holes two, four, six, seven and eight.
SINGAPORE- The 18th hole pictured on Sunday January 20, 2019 during the final round of the SMBC Singapore Open at the Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore. Picture by Paul Lakatos/SPORTFIVE.
Johnston said: “We have moved them closer to the water and added walls to increase the size of the tee to give them more space, so in certain cases they bring more of the hazard into play.
“They will also notice the redesign of hole six where we have moved the fairway closer to the water, added a large waste bunker, redesigned the fairway bunker strategy and added a testing false front to the green, which is nicknamed ‘The Dragon’s Tongue’.”
According to Johnston, the changes made will not significantly affect the scoring.
He said: “To be honest, that was never the intention of the course upgrades. The Serapong course is already a true test of golf for both professionals and amateur players alike.
“The goals were to clean up the historic playing surfaces, offering more consistent playing conditions, to upgrade the infrastructure where drainage was failing and also remove the heavy organics that had built up in the soil profile of the past 20 years. I believe the course is in superb condition right now.”
Praising the work of his agronomy and greenkeeping teams, Johnston said The Serapong was closed for final preparations on Sunday (January 16).
He said: “We have a seasoned group of tournament warriors meticulously following our usual playbook for tournament preparations. For us, the focus is all about delivering tournament-ready conditions, 365 days of the year.
“The entire course receives maximum focus, although we all know it is about the greens. The smooth roll and the pace are what sets the tone for a great event. In almost every championship I have been involved in since 2010 we have seen high 13s to low 14s (on the stimpmeter). This year will be no different.”
Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana, coming off the back of an inspired second half of 2021, is approaching The Singapore International and the season-ending SMBC Singapore Open, in his typically modest manner but there is no doubting it disguises a confident and fiercely competitive appetite for success.
“I just want to make the cut first,” smiled Sadom.
“I will just focus on enjoying the game and not think about the result. If I can make it, I will do my best in the last two days and I hope to finish in the top 10 – that would be great.”
This from a rising star of the game who won five titles on Thailand’s domestic circuits last year ‒ including the Thailand Open.
And at the Asian Tour Phuket Series in November and December, which marked the restart of the Asian Tour after a 20-month gap caused by COVID-19, he was joint second in the Blue Canyon Phuket Championship and equal fifth in the Laguna Phuket Championship.
He is now in seventh position on the Order of Merit and could take top spot with two good weeks.
He said: “During the pandemic I had time to think over what are my weaknesses and what I will have to improve. So, I had more time to practise my short game and it has been improved a lot. I just changed my setup a little bit and tried to learn new techniques. Also, I have been trying to make my body stronger and change my mindset. So, I feel more confident to play.”
PHUKET-THAILAND- Sadom Kaewkanjana of Thailand pictured on Sunday, November 28, 2021 during the final round of the Asian Tour’s Blue Canyon Phuket Championship 2021 at the Blue Canyon Country Club, (Canyon Course), with a prize fund of US$ 1 Million. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Sadom Kaewkanjana is already a winner on the Asian Tour, winning the Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open in 2019 ‒ having made it through Qualifying School that year to become the fastest graduate to win on Tour.
“This year I aim to play mainly on Thailand’s tours and the Asian Tour. I hope to finish in a better position on the Asian Tour Order of Merit. I will also look to qualify for Japan and Europe – I will have to see their schedule first. However, I will have to be in a good place on the Asian Tour too.”
When he claimed the Thailand Open in November he became only the sixth player from Thailand to lift the famous trophy. No doubt another event where the talented golfer was just trying to make the cut.
It was in January of 2017 when India’s gifted young golfer Shubhankar Sharma last competed in Singapore, at the SMBC Singapore Open ‒ it was his first experience playing one of the great National Opens on the Asian Tour.
Sharma, then just 20, was getting a feel for golf at the highest level and impressively finished tied 11th. At the time he was ranked 454th in the world.
A lot has happened since then: in his career, in the golfing world, and the world in general.
At one point Sharma rose as high as 64th in the world – interestingly in the week of his own National Open, the Hero Indian Open.
And as he rose up the world rankings, he also got a taste of bigger events: including the Majors and the WGCs. Stardom beckoned. He even led the WGC-Mexico Championship after 54 holes in 2018.
“It all happened so fast in a year’s time,” recalled Sharma.
At the end of 2018 he was crowned the Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, and he was straddling between the European Tour and Asian Tour, with a greater lean towards the former.
Yet, he says, and the conversation indicates, his heart holds a huge place for the Asian Tour.
So, Sharma is “super excited” in his own words to come back to the Lion City for next week’s The Singapore International at Tanah Merah Country Club ‒ the penultimate event of the Asian Tour’s 2020-21 season.
He says: “I missed the Asian Tour a lot. I have very fond memories and then it has been two years [since he last played on the Asian Tour], but it feels like yesterday when I played my last event there. All my friends are there. I know the golf courses, I love the cities we play in Asia and the environment is so different from what I have experienced in Europe or in America – it’s a family feeling that you get when you play on the Asian Tour. Personally, I missed it a lot. That’s why I decided to go and play in Singapore and I’m very happy that I’m going.
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – FEBRUARY 04: Shubhankar Sharma of India poses with the trophy after winning the Maybank Championship Malaysia at Saujana Golf and Country Club on February 4, 2018 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
“I feel the players are very good; the competition is very high. I genuinely missed it and hence I thought I’ll go and play there. It will be a nice week and at the same time it will be competitive at the start of my season.”
As for any special memories of Singapore? “I have not played as often in Singapore as I would have like to. But I love the city,” he says.
“I also have great memories of neighbouring Malaysia. That [the win in the Maybank Championship in 2018] was life changing for me at that time; to win and go up higher in the world ranking it was something that I really needed at that time to get myself on the European Tour.”
For the past two years Sharma has played in Europe ‒ carefully navigating his way through COVID life.
“With events getting put off in Asia as different countries had different regulations, I decided to go to Europe for a few events,” he said.
“But that initial plan to go for a month or so got extended. There was no way I could get back home so that trip got extended from a month to six and a half months. So, in the beginning there was a lot of struggle, to mentally get used to it, and the bubble was also very strict.
NAIROBI, KENYA – MARCH 16: Shubhankar Sharma of India plays a shot during practice prior to the start of the Magical Kenya Open at Karen Country Club on March 16, 2021 in Nairobi, Kenya. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
“Then they eased it a little bit after July-August but in the first few months it was very strict and that was really tough for me especially when I wasn’t playing well, so just coming back (to the room), sitting and staring at the walls not knowing what was happening.
“But the second half of the season after the Scottish Open was great. I could figure out a few things in my swing and even mentally I was in a state where I was making lesser mistakes and even if I was making them, I was able to bounce back very quickly.”
He was also able to get back home to India last year and play the Tata PGTI event, where he tied fourth.
He said: “The last time I played an event in India was in 2019 and then in 2020 nothing. So I was very happy to be there. The PGTI event was a relaxed week for me. It was like old times. It was a lot of fun as we are all childhood buddies like Khalin, Chikkarangappa, Honey (Baisoya) and others, who all play on Asian Tour now. I mean all the people that I used to play with were there, so it was just very good and a lot of fun after the round.”
As for the recent off-season, of about four or five weeks, he said: “I spent some time with my coaches Jesse Grewal and Gurbaaz and physical trainer Sagar Diwan and with my physiotherapist Dr. Ravinder. It has put me in good shape, and I am raring to tee it up in Singapore.”
Thailand’s 14-year-old golf phenom Ratchanon Chantananuwat will add another arrow to his quiver this month when he competes in both The Singapore International and the SMBC Singapore Open to mark the first time he has played in professional events outside of his country.
The amateur star made a huge impression on both the Asian Tour and All Thailand Golf Tour last year and has been invited to play in both tournaments, with the first teeing off next week on the Tampines Course at Tanah Merah Country Club from January 13-16, followed by Singapore’s national Open at Sentosa Golf Club from January 20-23.
“I’m very excited,” said Ratchanon, nicknamed “TK” ‒ the first name initials of his father and mother.
“I’m a bit pressured to be honest and definitely nervous as well. But I’m just going to enjoy myself as much as possible. It’s a new experience for me.”
There were few signs of nerves last year when the junior star was regularly in the headlines.
In the Asian Tour Phuket Series in November and December ‒ the two events that marked the restart of the Asian Tour following a 20-month hiatus caused by COVID-19 ‒ he upstaged the field in the Blue Canyon Championship by closing with a 65 to finish 12 under and tie 15th before ending joint 30th at the Laguna Phuket Championship.
Equally impressively, Ratchanon Chantananuwat, who attends Shrewsbury International School in Bangkok, came close to winning on the All Thailand Golf Tour: he was second in the Singha Laguna Phuket Open, equal third in the Singha Thailand Masters and joint fifth in the Singha All Thailand Championship.
PHUKET-THAILAND- L-R- Jaturon Himathongkom – Vice Chairman, Asian Tour and Ratchanon Chantananuwat, amateur, of Thailand pictured with the Low Amateur Award on Sunday, November 28, 2021, after the final round of the Asian Tour’s Blue Canyon Phuket Championship 2021 at the Blue Canyon Country Club, (Canyon Course), with a prize fund of US$ 1 Million. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He said: “I’m really happy with how 2021 turned out. Yes, I could have won but I’m happy with how I managed myself being in contention and putting myself in contention in the first place! I think I’ve done pretty good for the past tournaments. I’m hitting it further and my ball striking is a bit better. Overall, I’ve improved a bit in every component as a player so I’m happy with how I played last year.”
The rising star is grateful for the support he has received from many of Thailand’s big-name players.
“I’m a really lucky kid that I’ve got the experience from playing with a lot of good players like Prom Meesawat and Thongchai Jaidee,” he adds.
“The advice I’ve taken from most of them is to have fun out there. I’m still an amateur and it’s going to be first time playing outside of the country, so I won’t pressure myself too much. My golfing idol is Thongchai Jaidee. I’m lucky I got to practise with him and experience golf with him. He’s not just a great player who has won multiple times on the Asian Tour, he’s also a really nice guy and he definitely tries to share what he has with me, and I think I’m really lucky with that and it’s really very valuable.”
This year’s Singapore Open Amateur champion Ryan Ang and fellow Singapore national squad players Justin Kuk and Brandon Han will be the other leading amateurs competing in the SMBC Singapore Open.
The Singapore International and the SMBC Singapore Open are the 2020-21 season ending events on the Asian Tour.
PHUKET-THAILAND – Ratchanon Chantananuwat of Thailand pictured during an official practice round on Tuesday, November 23, 2021, ahead of the Asian Tour’s Blue Canyon Phuket Championship 2021 at the Blue Canyon Country Club, (Canyon Course), with a prize fund of US$ 1 Million. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Singapore’s Abdul Hadi made it a clean sweep of titles on the Singapore Pro Series Invitational Presented by FTAG on January 6, 2022 after claiming the eighth and final leg to secure the fledging circuit’s Order of Merit.
The rising star shot a five-under-par 66 on the Serapong Course at Sentosa Golf Club to finish the two-day event on eight under and beat countryman Jesse Yap by three shots.
Impressively, it was Abdul Hadi’s third victory in a row on the circuit and he also picked up the special prize for finishing with the most birdies.
The victory is perfect preparation for his participation in next week’s The Singapore International and the following week’s SMBC Singapore Open ‒ the 2020-21 season-ending events on the Asian Tour.
“It’s my hard work paying off!” said former national squad member Hadi, who is affiliated to Sentosa Golf Club.
“I’ve been working hard on my game, my swing, my putting, my mental game and it’s nice to see it pay off in the last three legs of this series. I was just trying to apply what I worked on when I practiced and it came out good.”
Abdul Hadi ended top of the Merit list with earnings of S$12,300 ‒ for which he also received a bonus of S$10,000.
In addition, he won S$3,000 for topping the most of number of birdies table with 61 over the eight legs.
And while Abdul Hadi will be savouring his win today, he is fully aware of how important the next two weeks are: first at Tanah Merah Country Club, and then on the Serapong once more.
“It’s definitely a confidence booster playing well on the Serapong for the last three legs especially, but I just have to not think of what’s at stake and just keep doing what I’m doing,” he said.
“The biggest thing would be to have two solid weeks and hopefully get my Asian Tour card. That’s the biggest thing, to secure playing rights for next season.”
First-round leader Yap shot 70 while Singapore amateur Ryan Ang, this year’s Singapore Open Amateur champion, finished in third place one stroke further behind following a 68.
Yap is also now fully focused on the next two weeks, he said: “I feel like with the shortened season on the Asian tour there’s still a big opportunity to make a big move up the money list, so I’d be very happy with top 10 both weeks. If I can finish in the top five or top three in one of the weeks that would be huge. Just trying not to put too much pressure on myself as well and just trying to take it one shot at a time.”
Singapore’s Gregory Foo was second on the Merit list while his compatriot Mardan Mamat was third.
Charlie Wi is relishing the prospect of what promises to be a nostalgic return to his professional golfing roots this month.
A dominant force on the Asian Tour from the late 1990s through much of the first decade of the new millennium, Korean-born Wi is aiming to turn back the clock during a two-week spell in Singapore.
“I have really fond memories of Singapore and my friends there. It’s such a beautiful country, and I can’t wait to go back. It’s been a while,” said Wi, who last appeared in the Lion City 16 years ago.
At that time, he was a regular presence on PGA Tour leaderboards.
“The last time I played in Singapore was in 2006. It [Singapore Open] was played in the fall and it was really wet. The PGA Tour season had ended. In Singapore, it was wet, the rough was high and there were some very challenging tee shots,” recalled Wi.
While Australian Adam Scott made a successful title defence over the Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong Course, Charlie Wi struggled to acclimatise to conditions and finished 70th.
Although he turned 50 on Monday and has his eyes set on the lucrative PGA Tour Champions, Wi’s immediate focus is on the Asian Tour and back-to-back events in Singapore – The Singapore International at Tanah Merah Country Club (January 13-16) followed by the SMBC Singapore Open at Sentosa (January 20-23).
Joint third in the Singapore Open in 2000 and 2001 and equal third in the Singapore Masters in 2006, Wi said: “I am not just thinking about Champions Tour and pretty much want to play full time on the Asian Tour. I want to compete as much as possible as I have not really competed full time since the end of 2016.
ORLANDO, FL – MARCH 24: Tiger Woods (R) shakes hands with Charlie Wi of Korea following the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge on March 24, 2012 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
“Golf is a constant challenge. I want to play steady golf and use the events (in Singapore) to make sure my game is ready to compete. I had a chance to win the last time I played in Malaysia (2020 Bandar Malaysia Open).”
Wi’s last three outings on the Asian Tour were joint seventh at the Hong Kong Open, equal 70th at the New Zealand Open and a tied fourth finish at the Bandar Malaysia Open. The two top-10s leave him sitting 18th on the Order or Merit.
Wi doesn’t believe age is a barrier to future success and is adamant he can add to his tally of victories on the continent. He said: “I definitely want to win something. I want to give myself the best chance possible.
“I know the guys in Asia are really good, as they were on the Korn Ferry Tour. Last year was quite eye-opening because players were hitting it 20 to 40 yards by me. The game really has changed a lot.
“I had to step up my game and hit it a little further … but at the same time I don’t want to hit it 10 yards further and lose accuracy. It’s quite a challenge. As you get older, you slow down. I am trying to make sure I maintain my speed and my flexibility.”
A graduate of the University of California, Berkley, Wi attained First Team All American Honours in 1995, boasting the third lowest stroke average, only Tiger Woods and Stewart Cink finishing ahead of him.
Having relinquished his amateur status in 1995, Wi celebrated his maiden professional triumph at the Asian Tour’s Mild Seven Kuala Lumpur Open in 1997.
Between 2001 and 2006, he savoured eight more victories on Asian soil, including the Volvo China Open and SK Telecom Open in 2001, when he placed second on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – JUNE 15: Charlie Wi of South Korea hits a shot on the 11th hole during the second round of the 112th U.S. Open at The Olympic Club on June 15, 2012 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
In 2006, Wi won the Maybank Malaysian Open, a co-sanction between the Asian Tour and European Tour, before enjoying his best year on the PGA Tour in 2008 when he posted 11 top-25 finishes, four of which were top-10s.
That same year, in his first career Major championship, Wi was paired with eventual champion Padraig Harrington and runner-up Sergio Garcia in the final round of the PGA Championship. Wi tied for ninth.
By Spencer Robinson, Contributing Editor – Asian Tour.
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