Robin Bose from thegolfinghub.com, in India, looks back at a famous first Asian Tour victory by India’s Himmat Rai. 

India’s Himmat Rai was in the wilderness going into the week of the 2011 ISPS Handa Singapore Classic. Three consecutive weeks of missing the cut reflected the form and why he was well outside the safety zone on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit. If anything played on the mind it was securing his card for next season. A breakthrough win was farthest on the horizon.

It had to do with belief, and that was in short supply for the man who had secured a breakthrough win on the Professional Golf Tour of India in 2009 ‒ two years after turning professional ‒ and challenged K.J. Choi and Retief Goosen on the big stage later in the year at the Iskandar Johor Open, before tying third.

Running two of world golf’s big names close was the first experience of competing with the best and a sign of “I can do this”. But often, the present weighs heavy on the past, especially if the going hasn’t been good. Low on self-belief at the Orchid Country Club, a “there we go again” blurted out when Himmat found the water on the 10th, his first hole, on Day 1 for a double bogey after getting the yardage wrong.

Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

Being paired with compatriot Jyoti Randhawa for the first two rounds proved to be a saving grace as Himmat counts Jyoti as one of the biggest influences on his career. Perhaps a few words of advice were just the boost he needed as thereafter Himmat settled into a rhythm and played solid golf, tee to green, especially on the back nine in extremely windy conditions. “It was one of my best rounds, putting-wise as I holed everything between 7-10 feet,” said Himmat. From a nightmarish start, he finished three off the lead with a two-under 68, and a look at the leaderboard told him, “You are in with a chance.”

Himmat carried on in the same vein for the next two days, and identical rounds of 66 placed him tied for the lead with Brazil’s Adilson da Silva. It was a novel situation going into the final day, and the restlessness reflected in the restless night. Despite the pressure, Himmat got off to a steady start on the front nine but started to fade away thereafter and with it his title hopes.

Providence, if we can call it, was the rain delay when the leader group was on the 12th. Struggling to stay afloat, Himmat headed back to the locker room. There was little to do save stay hopeful. He picked up Ayn Rand’s ‘The Fountainhead’ and read a couple of pages on perseverance. Another measure to take the mind away from the slide was a call home. “Like a player, his family too goes through ups and downs,” and the chat with mother helped soothe nerves.

Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

When Himmat resumed, the expectations were a lot less. Reflecting on the number of times he had finished second on the Asian Tour, Himmat went on a birdie-making spree. His final putt in regulation was not a long one but “one of my best”.

“When I looked at the leaderboard, I was in the playoff. Could not believe in the space of two hours the unexpected had happened,” said Himmat.

Much as he was able to collect himself, Himmat was a bundle of nerves at the start of the playoff, but settled down as calm set in. Of the men he was up against, veteran Filipino Elmer Salvador was the most dogged, holing monstrous putts to take it to the sixth playoff hole. The light was fading, making it difficult to spot the flag, and it was in twilight that Himmat’s stars began their ascent. Left to sink a 30-footer to seal it, Himmat’s thoughts were on a two putt but the moment he hit it, “I knew it going in.” The outpour of emotion from the reticent golfer was unique, but then the occasion too was one of a kind.

For Daniel Chopra two weeks in Chinese Taipei in September 2001 proved to be his renaissance period, culminating with victory in the Mercuries Taiwan Masters ‒ achieved on this very day, September 9.

After a bright start to his career ‒ which included two titles on Europe’s Challenge Tour in the mid-90s, success in the 1995 Taiwan Open and an impressive spell on the European Tour in the late 90s ‒ his game deserted him at the turn of the Century.

He tried his hand on the Japan Tour in 2000 without success meaning life had hit rock bottom as he had lost his playing privileges on all the main Tours.

And the ‘cards’ that controlled his finances were also hurting.

“Basically, I was suddenly almost broke with nowhere to play,” said Chopra.

Daniel Chopra holds up the Mercuries Taiwan Masters trophy on 09 September, 2001. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

He was weeks, probably days, away from planning a shift to becoming a teaching professional.

But, as is well documented, this is where the story starts, rather than fades away in sad circumstances.

Down and out but not defeated ‒ and around this time 20 years ago ‒ good friend and India’s golfing icon Jeev Milkha Singh helped the recovery process with a US$5,000 loan, and, more importantly, also put in a word for him to receive a sponsor’s invite for the Acer Taiwan Open on the Asian Tour.

No doubt sensing it was make-or-break time, the Swede remarkably nearly won but dropped shots over the closing holes and saw American Andrew Pitts take the title, after the event was reduced to 54-holes because of heavy rain.

Chopra’s poor finish meant he ended up outside the top five to worryingly miss out on a place in the following week’s US$300,000 Mercuries Taiwan Masters, one of the country’s most prestigious events always played at Taiwan Golf & Country Club.

However, much to his relief, another sponsor invite came through and, determined to make amends for the previous week, he finished off the tournament strongly to triumph by one shot, helped by some crucial par saves at key moments.

‘To win I had to two-putt from the back fringe straight down one of the grainiest greens in Asia. I thought my first putt was perfect and it trickled, trickled, trickled until it was maybe 18 inches from the hole,” said the Swede.

“As I put my marker down I thought, ‘My God, what if you miss this?’ And I never forget saying to myself, ‘One, my grandma could make this putt with one hand, and two, I could make this with one hand and never ever miss.’”

Daniel Chopra on his was to winning the Ginn Sur Mer Classic at Tesoro on October 29, 2007 in Port Saint Lucie, Florida. Picture by Doug Benc/Getty Images.

He was 27 years old at the time and at the start of a remarkable transformation which, not that long after, saw him become a two-time winner on the PGA Tour: first in the 2007 Ginn sur Mer Classic at Tesoro, and a few months later in the Mercedes-Benz Championship in 2008.

Clearly the Mercuries event neutralised his mercurial tendencies.

American Andrew Pitts was one of the dominant players on the Asian Tour in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and recorded a memorable maiden win in the 2001 Acer Taiwan ‒ achieved on September 1, today!! We spoke to Pitts this week about that triumph, which meant so much to him and was achieved in extraordinary circumstances.

There was nothing straightforward about Andrew Pitts’ exceptional win in the Acer Taiwan Open ‒ accomplished on this day, 20 years ago.

An impressive performer on the Asian Tour since arriving on the scene in 1996, he was regularly in contention and reached two sudden-death play-offs ‒ agonisingly, beaten in both by Korean great Kim Jongduk at the 1997 Korean Open, and English great Lee Westwood in the Macau Open in 1999.

Always a feature on the leader board, he was also runner-up in Macau in 2000, and the Ericsson Classic in Taiwan the same year.

So, when he arrived for the US$300,000 Acer Taiwan Open, held at the renowned Sunrise Golf & Country Club at the end of August 2001, he was a man on a mission looking to secure that elusive first title.

“I had also been playing in Japan that year, as I was trying to play there and Asia. But I had struggled in Japan because it did not fit me very well,” says Pitts.

“But the week before Taiwan I am pretty sure I played with Arjun Atwal in the final round of the Volvo Masters and I kind of got a good vibe going.”

Whatever that vibe was, he should have bottled it, because he shot an opening eight-under-par 64, followed by a 65 for a five-shot lead over Sweden’s Daniel Chopra, and Ted Oh from Korea.

Pitts with the 2001 Acer Taiwan Open trophy. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

Says Pitts: “I remember I four putted the 17^th hole at the end of the second round, but I shot 129 [-15] for two rounds with that four putt!”

But his bid for a first Asian Tour win was to be no walk in the park as heavy rain and wind played havoc with the event over the weekend.

He managed to complete 17 holes of his third round on Saturday before the weather closed in and stopped play for the day.

But, as if sensing the tournament was heading for a premature finish, he had raced into a six-shot clubhouse lead.

Pitts describes best what happened when they returned to the club the next day and the weather was still very poor: “I remember sat around the clubhouse trying to decide what was going to happen, Antonio Boy Blue [Ocampo] was the tournament director.

“The weather was horrible that day and they were debating whether we could play another round, but they realised there was no way the entire field could play 18 holes. So, it was decided to reduce the tournament to 54 holes, which meant we went out at about 10am to finish the 18^th. It was blowing pretty good and there is out of bounds left there on 18, and I said just get it off the tee and you will be fine. I felt very comfortable after I did that, and it was a pleasant walk as I had a six-shot lead.”

The American, 34 years old at the time, signed for a 68 and a winning tournament total of 19 under, and an imposing six-shot victory over Singapore’s Mardan Mamat.

“Having been knocking on the door but then finally getting over the hump was incredible. It was reward for hard work put in for a long time,” says Pitts, who picked up a cheque for US$50,000.

“I had won the Bermuda Open three times, and some nice tournaments, but my career was pretty much in Asia. There was the feeling of satisfaction and feeling of relief that ‘hey, I finally got it done’. That’s one of the great things about our profession, it’s tough, but every week, every player has an opportunity to make a nice pay cheque, but to be the last man standing at the end of the week is awesome.”

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Remarkably, Pitts was also in the final group on the final day the following year but was unable to mount a challenge and watched as Danny Chia secured a first Asian Tour title for Malaysia. That year, and because he was defending champion, he was also thrilled to be paired with South African legend Gary Player and Chinese-Taipei hero Hsieh Min-nan in the first two rounds.

Says Pitts: “So many good things came from the win in Taiwan, not least the feeling that all the hard work had paid off and was justified.”

The Asian Tour lost one of its most enthusiastic and popular supporters at the weekend ‒ following the passing of Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid.

As Patron of the Tour and through his work as Chairman of the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) he was able to help elevate the profile of professional golf at development and elite level; nationally and internationally.

And, while he became the Tour’s patron in 2016, his influence started long before.

Largely credited for playing an instrumental role towards the successful launch and staging of the EurAsia Cup ‒ the Ryder Cup-style match between Asia and Europe ‒ he also helped ensure that Asian Tour and Asian Development Tour (ADT) events were warmly welcomed to Malaysia.

Indeed, he passionately drove the growth and development of professional golf in Malaysia through the creation of the PGM Tour in 2010.

Importantly, PGM-ADT tournaments made up the bulk of events on the ADT schedule ‒ benefitting Malaysian professionals and other players in the region in their quest to progress to the Asian Tour and the Olympics.

“We were honoured to have Tun Ahmad Sarji as our Patron of the Asian Tour,” said Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer, Asian Tour.

“He played a key role in the success of the EurAsia Cup while the development of professional golf in Malaysia flourished through his vision and passion for the game.

“Everyone at the Asian Tour was deeply saddened to hear the news of his passing. He was a true advocate of the game of golf in our region, and an inspirational leader who helped push the boundaries for our sport.”

Tun Ahmad Sarji was 82 when he passed away on Saturday morning, following complications caused by COVID-19.

He was involved with other sporting associations such as cricket and lawn bowls in Malaysia but held golf dear to his heart. During his career he had been awarded the “Tokoh Sukan Negara” ‒ which is the nation’s sports leadership award.

Highly regarded and respected as a public administration figure, he served as Chief Secretary to the government from 1990 to 1996 when the country was under the administration of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Tun Ahmad Sarji will be sorely missed.

Singapore’s Abdul Hadi recorded the first back-to-back victory on the Singapore Pro Series Invitational Presented by FTAG today when he claimed the seventh and penultimate leg of the season in convincing fashion at Sentosa Golf Club.

The former national squad member won by three shots on the Serapong Course in the 36-hole mixed tournament, having triumphed by five strokes on the same course two weeks ago.

He carded his second successive three-under-par 68 for a six under total, finishing ahead of second-placed Mardan Mamat from Singapore ‒ who also came in with a 68.

“I played well today; I was very consistent,” said Hadi, who is affiliated to Sentosa Golf Club.

“With my back-to-back wins, I feel more confident, and I will take this vibe with me to Q School.”

The 26 year old has entered the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying School next month and flies out tomorrow. And, having shot four sub-70 rounds on the famously difficult Serapong Course in the last two Pro Series events he could not have prepared better.

The victory also saw him move to the top of the Order of Merit for the first time, ahead of second-placed countryman Gregory Foo, while Mamat is third.

Mamat, a five-time winner on the Asian Tour, was looking for his first Pro Series win but had to settle for second for the third time on the new circuit.

He said: “I am actually happy for Abdul’s back-to-back wins today, and I wish him all the best for him at Q School and I hope he makes Singapore proud.”

Hadi’s start was not great as he dropped a shot on the par-five fourth but be courageously recovered by birdieing five out of the next seven holes before he could afford a bogey on 18.

The Singaporean was part of the 2015 SEA Games silver medal-winning team and in early 2019 finished first at the Qualifying School for PGA Tour Series-China.

Singapore’s Joshua Shou was outright third today after shooting 69 to finish on two over.

Foo and Singaporean amateur Justin Kuk were joint fourth after carding 73s to end three over.

The week’s event is the second from last leg of the circuit with the season-ending tournament being held from January 5 to 6, also at Sentosa ‒ home to the SMBC Singapore Open.

Each of the Pro Series legs counts towards the ‘Race to FTAG Cup’, where the winner of the Order of Merit will also receive a bonus of S$10,000.

On this day in 2010 a certain Indian golfer became the first from his nation to win on the PGA Tour. Here is the story of how Arjun Atwal bravely prevailed at the Wyndham Championship.

Arjun Atwal has achieved many things during his history-making career.

He is the first from the sub-continent to: win a European Tour event ‒ achieved at the 2002 Caltex Singapore Masters; earn over US$1 million in career earnings on the Asian Tour, in 2003; and taste victory on the Korn Ferry Tour, when he lifted the 2008 Chattanooga Classic trophy.

The list of honours goes on and on: he was the 2003 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, claimed eight titles on the Asian Tour, and recorded three European Tour success.

But if that is the iceberg beneath the surface then the tip is his memorable victory in the Wyndham Championship, at Sedgefield Country Club, on the PGA Tour on August 22 in 2010 ‒ on this day 11 years ago.

It was a success full of emotion and significance.

BENEFITS AND RECORDS

It meant he became the first Indian golfer to clinch a PGA Tour title, but it also allowed him to regain his playing card on the most lucrative tour in the game within weeks of losing it.

And it saw him become the first Monday-qualifier to win on the PGA Tour in 24 years (Fred Wadsworth was the last to achieve such a feat at the 1986 Southern Open).

He was 37 years old at the time, entering the twilight of his career, and having been struggling with his game, partly through injuries, his greatest triumph ‒ which importantly earned him his status on the PGA Tour for the remainder of that year and the next two years ‒ came completely out of the blue.

GREENSBORO, NC – AUGUST 22: Arjun Atwal holds the championship trophy after winning the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club on August 22, 2010 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)

Atwal, who had a three-shot lead going into the final round, carded a three-under-par 67 to secure the title by a shot, from American David Toms, with a total of 20-under-par 260.

“I don’t know if it has sunk in yet, seriously. Obviously, it was a long-time dream but until it happens you just keep doubting yourself. I had my doubts despite a three-shot lead,” said Atwal, at the time. He also picked up a cheque for US$918,000 for his effort.

“I am so glad, I was very nervous, the most nervous I have been in all my life. My swing wasn’t feeling great but I just grinded it out and got it done somehow.”

CALM IN THE STORM

In a composed final day performance, Atwal picked up strokes on the third and fourth holes to be two-under at the turn.

On his way back, he added another two birdies on the 14th and 16th but a bogey on the 12th prevented him from going 21 under, something that his friend and practice partner American Tiger Woods had asked him to aim for the night before the final round in a text message.

“My goal was to get it to 21 under today. I came up one short. Actually, that’s the number my friend Tiger Woods also told me to get to last night,” he said.

“It’s all text, we never talk. He’s busy I guess,” he added.

Atwal mentioned he was glad the Wyndham tournament was televised live in India where his parents were watching, even though it was the middle of the night there.

GREENSBORO, NC – AUGUST 22: Arjun Atwal hits his second shot on the 18th hole during the final round of the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club on August 22, 2010 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)

“There’s definitely pride in what I’ve done in my career,” the Indian star said more recently.

“Playing on the Asian Tour taught me a lot and it’s a matter of pride to be first Indian to win on the PGA Tour, Korn Ferry Tour, European Tour … that’s not bad. I’ve always dreamt about playing here [in the US] and this is the dream. Hopefully I can become the first Indian to win on Champions Tour as well. There may be generations doing much more after me, but they can’t take away being the first. It’s pretty cool coming from a country of 1.3 billion people.”

Bangladesh’s golfing talisman Siddikur Rahman has temporarily upped sticks and based himself in the United States so that he can play and practice more ‒ plus, he is also considering entering next month’s Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying School.

The two-time Asian Tour winner and his wife, Samaun Anjum Auroni ‒ also a professional golfer ‒ are living in Dallas, Texas, where they have some Bangladeshi friends.

“I came for a few weeks, but I don’t know how long ‒ just until things improve back home,” said the 36 year old.

“I am here because in Bangladesh there have been long, long lockdowns, almost 80 percent of the time was lockdown, which only just ended,” said Siddikur.

He said his family were “really scared about COVID” and followed all the rules, didn’t go out and stayed at home. They are all vaccinated.

(Photo by Khalid Redza/Asian Tour/Asian Tour via Getty Images)

The Bangladesh star has been able to make use of a five-year US visa and after a long and testing period, since lockdown started in March 2020, he is now able to play and practice regularly at a number of different venues.

He added: “Even the golf courses were closed [in Bangladesh], sometimes they were open, sometimes they were closed. I just could not practice that much as it was almost like full lockdown. So, I couldn’t do anything, and I got really fed up. That’s why I just said, ‘okay let’s go out!’.”

Much to his frustration he has only played in one tournament in 16 months: a local event played over three rounds on a nine-hole course which, of course, he won.

“I finished five under. The sponsor kindly gave us some money, and we just split the money and played.”

Siddikur first won on the Asian Tour in 2010 at the Brunei Open and triumphed in the Hero Indian Open in 2013 ‒ he has gone on to earn US$2 million in prize money on the Tour.

“My game is rusty and without tournaments, and as professional, we cannot judge our performance,’ said the Bangladeshi.

“To be honest I am not happy with my game for the last one and a half years because I could not play and practice, there were no tournaments. So, I will practice as much as possible and take the decision about the Korn Ferry Qualifying School in a few weeks. I am not yet decided if I will enter my name. I think I have until the end of the month to decide. I have a very good hope.”

(Photo by Arep Kulal/Asian Tour via Getty Images)

He has only played golf in the US twice before: a practice round at TPC Sawgrass many years ago, and in 2016 he played in a US Open qualifier in Los Angeles.

He said leaving Bangladesh was really hard, but absolutely necessary in order for him to further his career.

Pandemic collateral damage also meant he missed out on playing in the Olympics in Tokyo this summer; if it had been played in 2020 he would have qualified.

He competed in Rio in 2016 where, memorably, he was his nation’s flag bearer.

“I have no regrets, I already played in it. It was a big achievement for me,” he adds.

“I am really hungry to win again. I am just waiting for everything to go back to normal. I want to play again and see everybody. I am missing the Asian Tour a lot, the tournaments, the officials, all my friends.”

Singapore’s Amanda Tan showed why she is the nation’s top woman golfer when she became the first female to win on the Singapore Pro Series Invitational Presented by FTAG today.

A brilliant birdie, birdie finish by Tan on the Serapong Course at Sentosa Golf Club – home of the Asian Tour – saw her close with a two-under-par 69 for a two under total, and a ground-breaking three-shot victory over compatriots Shannon Tan, an amateur, and Koh Dengshan.

Tan fired a 72, while Koh, the first-round leader with a 70, carded 73 ‒ in what was the Pro Series’ fifth leg.

Tan’s feat was made even more impressive by the fact that she held off a challenge from her illustrious compatriot Mardan Mamat over the closing holes.

The country’s most successful golfer, with five Asian Tour wins, was also in the hunt for his first Pro Series title but double bogeyed the 16^th, opening the door for Tan to finish in style for the victory, and record the only sub-70 score of the event.

Mardan returned his second 72 to tie for fourth on two over with Singaporean Abdul Hadi, who shot the same scores.

“Being the first female to win a FTAG Pro Series event feels just great!” said Tan.

“My putting today was strong. I had some trouble on 14 and 15 but I trusted my golf which kept me strong for the last few holes.”

Tan, who is based at Sentosa Golf Club, earned a cheque for S$3,000 and moved into sixth place on the Order of Merit, with three more tournaments to go on the exciting new eight-leg circuit.

Said Shannon Tan: “I’m very happy to be playing in my first FTAG Pro Series tournament. It was a great experience for me. I would like to thank the SGA for the opportunity, and I definitely look forward to the next one.”

Singapore’s Greg Foo remained the leader of the Order of Merit, with earnings of S$7,650, after signing for a 73 for ninth place.

Amateur Justin Kuk from Singapore, who finished runner-up in the Singapore Open Amateur Championship last month, returned a 76 to place eighth while Singapore’s Hailey Loh, who won the women’s division of the Singapore Amateur, shot a 77 for a respectable 15^th position.

This week’s tournament marks the start of a busy month for the new circuit, as leg six takes place next week from August 11 to 12, while the seventh event tees-off from August 25 to 26.

The final season-ending tournament will be held from January 5 to 6; with all the remaining events to be played at Sentosa ‒ home of the SMBC Singapore Open.

Each of the Pro Series legs counts towards the ‘Race to FTAG Cup’, where the winner of the Order of Merit will also receive a bonus of S$10,000.