New Singapore Golf Series to resume

Having been placed put on hold for a month due to COVID, the new Singapore Pro Series Invitational presented by FTAG will resume this week at the Sentosa Golf Club from 30th June to 1st July.

Singapore Golf Association (SGA) launched the series with the first of eight legs in March. The competition was suspended after completing two instalments when Singapore re-entered Phase 2 of the COVID-19 heightened alert from 16th May to 20th June to curb the spread of the virus.

With Fintech Alliance Global (FTAG) coming on board as the presenting sponsor, the series – known as the Singapore Pro Series Invitational presented by FTAG consists of eight legs held across two venues. Global sports marketing agency SPORTFIVE has been appointed as event managers for the series where they will be planning and executing the tournaments.

Originally scheduled at the end of May, the third leg will now take place at SGC’s Serapong Course this week. Gregory Foo, winner of the second leg in April, leads a field of 16 men and two women professionals who will compete for the total prize money of S$10,600. Six leading amateurs, including another two women, have also been invited to tee up alongside the professionals.

Foo currently heads the Series’ professional leaderboard, ahead of Choo Tze Huang, and is looking forward to returning to competition.

27-year-old Foo notes “being able to play competitive golf again means a lot to me as it’s going to benefit my game and help me stay sharp. It will certainly serve as good preparation for any opportunities that may come my way later in the year to compete overseas.”

The tournament has been a boon for Foo and other local golfers, as many have had to put off plans to compete overseas, especially in the US and Japan, for more than a year. It will keep them competition-ready once travel restrictions to more countries are lifted.

Agreeing, Koh Dengshan, who sits seventh in the leaderboard, adds “playing in the Series has kept me in a competitive environment. This will definitely help prepare my game and mental fitness for qualifying school for overseas tournaments when slots open up, hopefully in the coming months.”

Singapore coach Matt Ballard is also thankful that the SGA has paved the way to give his national squad opportunities to hone their skills in a high-level tournament.

Ballard explains “for an elite amateur golfer, the best way to improve is to learn and compare your game to the professionals. The Series will expose our national players to the traits, demeanour, skills and approach of the professionals. Ultimately, it is about how they execute their golf under pressure.

“Some of the lessons learnt from competing in these SGA events will be invaluable for our athletes. It will also serve as a great form of motivation for them to raise their game to new heights.”

Among the professionals to look out for in the third leg at Serapong are Abdul Hadi, Amanda Tan, Jesse Yap, Koh Dengshan, Koh Sock Hwee and Mitchell Slorach, as Sentosa Golf Club is their home turf. Abdul and Mitchell are also winners of the Peacock Cup, a new monthly competition first held on 11 March for SGC professionals.

Leg 4, a four-day tournament from 13th to 16th July, will be held at Tanah Merah Country Club in conjunction with the Singapore Open Amateur Championship.

Image: Singapore Pro Series Invitational Gregory Foo. Credit: SPORTFIVE