How golf’s Singapore Open captured my mind and heart over the last 50 years
Memories abound as the inaugural S$20,000 event in 1961 is now a multi-million-dollar championship
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[SINGAPORE] I remember feeling some trepidation when, as a rookie reporter back in 1973, the sports editor of The Straits Times assigned me to cover my first golf event – that year’s Singapore Open at the Singapore Island Country Club.
It was quite a trek to get there too, for the journey required taking two different buses and then walking the par-five distance from Adam Road along Sime Road. I arrived at the Bukit clubhouse as sweaty as the golfers who just completed a nine-hole round.
The routine went on for five years before I could hold my own and report on golf events with some credibility, although I was not a golfer back then.
A roster of illustrious names
The initial dread soon turned to joy for, in the course of duty, I enjoyed the company of many illustrious names of regional golf such as Filipinos Ben Arda and Eleuterio Nival, Taiwan’s Hsieh Min Nam and Hsu Sheng-san, Myanmar’s Mya Aye, Japan’s Kesahiko Uchida, and the biggest name of all of them – the multiple winner of the British Open, Peter Thomson of Australia.
The late Thomson, who always supported emerging golf Tours in Asia and Europe, was a reporter’s delight to interview. He was a columnist for a magazine so he always knew what golf writers looked for.
He repeated to many writers his overused mantra for good putting: “Aim at the hole and hit it.”
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Such interactions with famous golfers, and the glamour and complexity of the sport, drew me in over time.
Eventually, I started to play golf at the age of 50. I played less football, hockey and badminton as I was spending more time at courses in Singapore and abroad, including the famous St Andrews Old course in Scotland.
So, despite my very late introduction to golf, the Singapore Open was already a big part of my professional life as a journalist. Today, it is an obsession as I have reported on the tournament for more than 50 years and counting.
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The memories are too many to list here. One that stands out was in 1994 when Singapore’s Mardan Mamat, on his professional debut, aced a hole and won a Jaguar convertible at Tanah Merah Country Club. He later sold it for a cool $270,000.
Then in 2000, when India’s Jyoti Randhawa triumphed at the Singapore Island Country Club (SICC) with a phenomenal 20-under 268 score. After an opening even-par 72, he shot 64, 65 and 67 to beat South African Hendrik Buhrmann by three strokes.
Mardan, who played with Randhawa in the final flight that year, finished tied-seventh and that remains his best-ever finish in his 23 years of participation.
Also etched in my memory was how, in 2008, Singapore’s Lam Chih Bing played some sensational golf to head towards the first-round lead with a four-under 67.
At the end of the day, he was looking down an impressive leaderboard which included Major winners Adam Scott, Phil Mickelson and Padraig Harrington. Alas, eventually Lam finished tied-15th after a final-round 79.
The best finish by a Singaporean at the Singapore Open was many years prior. In 1995, Madasamy Murugiah ended tied-fourth, bringing with him a gallery of noisy Sembawang Country Club supporters who provided a carnival atmosphere.
Over the decades, there have been many colourful characters from overseas who have graced the Singapore Open in their own way.
There’s the “nearly man” Frankie Minoza, who was runner-up twice. The 1994 champion Kyi Hla Han wore a casual look even after winning. The 1997 title-holder Zaw Moe was cool as a cucumber and was rarely overcome with emotion.
The 2008 victor Jeev Milkha Singh was always upbeat on and off the course. The 2016 champion Song Young-han was always amusing, and Sergio Garcia, who won in 2018, was known for his tantrums.
Tracking down an enigma
The 2007 winner Angel Cabrera of Argentina was an enigmatic fellow. Reporters found it difficult to interview him as he preferred to talk in Spanish, so we always had to find an interpreter.
Looking for an exclusive, I tracked him down all the way from Serapong’s 18th green after he won.
He dodged reporters skilfully, but when I spotted him entering a restroom, I walked in and stood beside him at – of all places -- the urinal, and managed to fire off four quick questions. To my amazement, he was friendly when he actually replied – in smattering English.
In other interesting trivia, Adam Scott is still the only golfer to win the Singapore Open three times. The inaugural winner, Frank Phillips of Australia, won a sum of S$2,500 from a S$20,000 prize purse and by eight strokes over a 40-man field.
And this weekend, I am already enjoying reporting on my 40th Singapore Open. That number could have been higher, but I had to miss five tournaments as I was overseas on other assignments. There are many more memories to collect and savour.
This year’s Singapore Open has The Business Times as its presenting partner. The winner will be crowned on Sunday afternoon.
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