BY GODFREY ROBERT BY JEREMY THESEIRA - MEET THE MULTI-TALENTED - SPH GOLF CLUB
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28-29 JULY 2018 | THE BUSINESS TIMES WEEKEND
MEET THE MULTI-TALENTED
Melvin
BY GODFREY ROBERT
FOREIGNERS
VICTORIOUS AT THE
MST-WARREN
AMATEUR OPEN
BY JEREMY THESEIRA
NSRCC OPEN
HOUSE WEEKEND
T
IN TIME WITH
BY
JEREMY THESEIRA
FOREIGNERS
Division win and subsequently in
2015 as well. Fariza Izanie Zain and
Shannon Tan, both members of
DOMINATE
Warren, took first place in 2014 and
2017 respectively.
This year represents a first in the
tournament’s history, with both the
10TH WARREN-MST
Men’s and Ladies’ Division champi-
ons landing in the arms of foreign
players.
AMATEUR OPEN
Jonathan Wijono from Indone-
sia took the overall men’s title after
posting a score of 70, 74 and 67 to
end with a total score of 211.
He was three shots adrift of Abdul
he Warren-MST Amateur Open has been mainly dominated Hadi and James Leow, two of the six
local players to make it to the top 10
by local players since it began in 2008. A decade into the event, in this tournament.
the streak is finally broken. With each edition, the R&A World Joshua Ho, who was the overall
champion in 2014, finished in eighth
Amateur Ranking event has seen an increasing number of place on 220.
international participants from Australia, France, Hong
LADIES DIVISION
Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, In the Ladies’ Division, Sifat Sagoo
New Zealand, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, UK, USA and from India emerged as the champi-
on with scores of 70, 73 and 74, to
Vietnam. make a total of 217.
Top ranking local amateur Callista
Yet our local male players have put Chen, who won the 12th Faldo Series
on a strong front against the best Singapore Championship last year,
amateurs from around the world finished in sixth place on 226.
and have won every edition For Wijono and Sagoo, their vic-
prior to this year’s event. tories at the 10th Warren-MST Ama-
Past champions of the men’s teur Open are special, as it is the first
division include Jonathan Woo, time that both are participating in
Jonathan Leong, Marc Ong, Koh the tournament.
Dengshan, Joshua Ho and Grego- Warren is honoured to have Muru
ry Foo. Golf Academy as the main sponsor
In 2010, the first year the event and MST Golf (S) Pte Ltd returning as
included a ladies division, Ines Pu- the tournament’s title sponsor who,
tri Tjiptadi Chandra from Indonesia on top of cash sponsorship, also gen-
took home the trophy. erously sponsored the hole-in-one
The following year, Koh Sock prize of a limited edition Yamaha
Hwee bagged the first local Ladies’ Classic Gold golf set worth $25,000.
photos courtesy of Warren Golf & Country Club
This year’s
winners
Jonathan
Wijono
(right) from
Indonesia
and Sifat
Sagoo (far Prize winners of the Warren-MST Amateur Open 2018, along with the
right) from overall champions and Marc Ong, three-time winner of the event (2nd
India. from right).
MARKETING AND
SWING SUPERVISING EDITOR
S. Murali
EDITOR
Benny Teo
CONTRIBUTING
EDITORS PARTNERSHIP ENQUIRIES
TEAM muralis@sph.com.sg benny.teo@sphpacom.com Godfrey Robert
Spencer Robinson
Vivien Cham Business Director
9746 0379, champs@sph.com.sg
CREATIVE EDITOR WRITER Ven Sreenivasan Daphne Tay Business Director
Jacqueline Wu Jeremy Theseira Rohit Brijnath 9620 1418, taykhd@sph.com.sg
wuyej@sph.com.sg Rahul Pathak
SUB-EDITOR
Ida Karsia
2 | SWING BY SPHGOLF | 28-29 JULY 2018 | THE BUSINESS TIMES WEEKEND
H
PRESENTED BY PRESENTING SPONSOR OF THE 2018 BUSINESS TIMES CORPORATE GOLF LEAGUE
BY
GODFREY
ROBERT
e has a pleasant
disposition, ringed with
polite mannerisms and
a personality that enjoys
engagement.
And he is at home with any topic, be it politics, sport
or economics.
CHOO’S A MAN OF
In short, Melvin Choo, who celebrated his 48th
birthday on Thursday, has an endearing demeanour.
Singaporeans are very familiar with Choo’s ex-
MANY TALENTS
ploits in motor car racing and golf, two sports in
which he has competed at world level.
As racer, who graduated from go-kart racing, Choo
had a distinguished career from 2007 to 2010. He
had podium finishes at the prestigious Porsche Car-
rera Cup Asia in Class B.
But his highlight was when he became the first Sin-
CELEBRATED GOLFER-RACER IS ALSO INTO FRENCH
gaporean driver to compete at the World Touring WINES AND PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Car Championship in 2008 and the Super GT Japan
in 2010.
And in golf, the single handicapper (index rang- Subsequently, he attended wine courses and has has taken me to play in major courses such as Pebble
es from 4 to 8) qualified for the 2016 World Amateur several certificates to prove his qualification that Beach, Spyglass, Sawgrass and the like, and every ex-
Golf Championship in Durban, South Africa, in 2016 went a long way in inducting him into the Jurade. perience is memorable.”
with a one-under 71 in the qualifying round at the Ta- The Jurade’s Singapore chapter will be celebrating Choo has struck five holes-in-one, but none from
nah Merah Country Club’s Tampines course. In Dur- its inauguration with a gala dinner on Nov 29 at the a corporate event. And his greatest asset in golf is
ban, he played a pivotal role in helping the Singapore Sands Expo and Convention Hall. course management, which when coupled with his
quintet claim the world title. And Kravmanga, a form of martial arts, is his deep strengths in steady drives, fine iron play and great
passion, which he practises often because it helps putting, sees him constantly returning respectable
WEARS SEVERAL HATS him with self-defence as it is not aggressive but a pas- scores.
But few Singaporeans are aware that the family man sive form that allows for good development of the The man of many talents, however, has his feet on
who dotes over his four children, is now a chancellor mind. the ground and keeps things in proper perspective.
of the Singapore chapter of the oldest wine brother- He has also introduced this sport to his four chil- He says: “Despite all my achievements, I’ve never
hood in the world that is orginally based in Saint Emi- dren, namely Isabelle, 12, Emily, 11, Zachary, 7 and sought to pursue them as accolades or feathers in my
llon, France, known as the Jurade de Saint Emillon. Alexander 6. cap. I’ve gotten to where I have today simply from
And fewer still realise that his other keen indul- Driving them for lessons takes much of his time, following my passion, and having a no-holds-barred
gence is professional photography, specialising in but he still finds time to learn about wines from an approach with a dare to dream, learn, discover and
landscape and portrait-based fine art photography, education trust and via regular trips to Bordeaux in giving of my best in whatever I do.
namely in Provence, France. France. “These are passions of mine that I hope to be able
But golf, a game he picked up at 12 when intro- Choo, who was born in Singapore, studied at Cath- to share with my children, and that I would say is the
duced by his dad Richard, a businessman who still olic High School and has spent much of his time in most important feat of all that I’m striving to do daily;
plays socially occasionally, remains close to his heart. the United States, namely San Francisco, He is also a as I’m bent on raising them through good example.”
He continues to play for Tanah Merah Country property investor. Once the owner of several vintage cars, Choo talks
Club in the SGA League and sponsors his wine prod- On wearing several hats, Choo says: “I enjoy what about speed driving with an air of authority. And
ucts for corporate events, like The Business Times I do. And I am one person who likes to broaden my now that he has placed his family in the forefront,
Corporate Golf League. knowledge and open new horizons. when asked about Audi cars, he replied: “The Audi
His eyes light up everytime he talks about wines On his past pursuits, Choo says: “I’ve had two con- Lemans Conquering race car, the R18 e-tron quattro,
because he has appreciated wine since his time in cussions from car racing, but it did not prevent me is my favourite. If I have to choose a road car, it would
photos by Tharm Sook Wai, courtesy of Audi
San Francisco, even having worked at a harvest in from plying that trade further.” be the seven-seater.”
Napa Valley during his youth. On golf, the talented sportsman says: “The game
AUDI RS 4 SPECIFICATIONS & FEATURES
Model name: Audi RS 4 Avant 2.9 TFSI quattro tiptronic Price: $392,280 inclusive of COE
Engine: 2894cc, 2.9 TFSI twin turbo Features:
Power: 450hp ● Audi virtual cockpit with RS screen
● Head-up display with RS-specific display
Torque: 600Nm
● Flat-bottomed RS sport steering wheel
Top speed: 250km/h ● RS sport seats with rhombus pattern and
0-100km/h: 4.1s embossed RS emblem
Consumption: 8.9L/100km
THE BUSINESS TIMES WEEKEND | 28-29 JULY 2018 | SWING BY SPHGOLF | 3
T
BY
GODFREY ROBERT
A LEGACY
IT WILL BE A SEVEN-CLUB OF SPORT
CHALLENGE AT Sven Tumba is an avid sports-
man who owned the unique
position of having competed
SEMBAWANG
in three different sports — ice
hockey, football and golf — at
the highest level for Sweden.
With an Olympic bronze
o inject greater fun into the event, the third leg (1952) and silver (1964) in
of The Business Times Corporate Golf League hockey, he has also won the
Swedish championship and represented
at Sembawang Country Club on Aug 7 will be a his country in football in the 1950s. In golf, he had won the
seven-club competition. Scandinavian International Match Play of Golf and played
at the Eisenhower Trophy and the World Cup in the 1970s.
On the 100th anniversary of the Swedish Golf Federation
in 2004, Tumba was named the most influential person in
the history of golf in the country, ahead of even such lumi-
naries as former women’s world number one, Annika Sö-
renstam.
In 1995, Sven had a idea to create a golfing tournament
that lets amateur golfers around the world compete in var-
ious handicap divisions in a professional setting. That be-
came the start of the World Amateur Golfers Championship
(WAGC).
Played at the finest golf courses around the world, the
event that began at the PGA National in Florida has trav-
elled to the Dominican Republic, Thailand, Turkey, South
Africa and Malaysia.
With the late Arnold Palmer previously supporting as pa-
tron and the late Severiano Ballesteros once serving as hon-
Team Boss members celebrate their top-of-the-table showing. orary chairman of the advisory board, the championship
had all the right names in place to be successful. It even
Ven Sreenivasan, executive editor of SPH Ra- we welcome the seven-club challenge,” said found an ardent fan in the person of HRH Princess Birgit-
dio, announced this to mixed reactions at the one player. ta of Sweden.
presentation dinner after the second leg at the After the second leg at the Island course, When he passed away, aged 80, in October 2011, Tum-
SICC Island course last Tuesday. Team Boss soared to the top of the table with ba’s legacy was continued by his wife Mona. And with the
“Basically, it is to have some fun, namely good teamwork from Ben Fones (35 points), passing of Palmer and Ballesteros, a new generation con-
squaring the holes so that there is a measure of John Lim (34) and Andre Huber (34), who sisting of Champions Tour player Jasper Parnevik and An-
levelling the field for the 11 teams in the com- combined for a 103 total to take perch on 213 nika emerged to take over as patron and honorary chair-
petition,” said Sreenivasan. points after two legs of the popular event, pre- woman respectively.
G. Shanmugam, of sponsors Gayatri, — also sented by Audi Sport. This year, the World Amateur Golfers Championship pre-
a team in the social side of the event — found A key sponsor of the unique event, Team sented by PERODUA World Final will see a global avalanche
this to be an interesting idea, saying: “This will Boss, moved up from second to topple first-leg of golfers from 45 countries across six continents, visiting
give the competition a good twist, and there leaders Proelect whose trio of Ben Chua (35), The Els Club in Desaru Coast, as well as Palm Resort Golf
will be so much of decision-making during Tan Lee Hong (32) and Eric Tan (31) managed and Country Club.
play. It should be fun.” just 98 points to trail by four with 209 points. Held from October 20 to 28, the visiting national cham-
Tan Lee Hong, of new team Proelect, agreed Defending champions Team Boustead took pions can look forward to staying at the brand new Hard
with the fun element of the idea, but said that sole third spot on 203 (106-97) points in the Rock Desaru Hotel with official functions held at The Wes-
“for competitive golf this idea does not reso- 16-holes-to-count format for the second leg. tin Desaru, which will also be recently opened.
nate. It may be better not to do this.” The Island course’s Hole 2 which featured A competition that complies with the USGA and R&A
Joey Chang, of longtime supporters Citi- a surprise event of hitting-the-gong with the rules of amateur play, the field will consist of five handicap
bank, was against the idea. “I don’t like it. Def- drive at 170 metres which had a cash prize of divisions competing in two rounds at the Ocean and Valley
initely not for a course like Sembawang where $888 and the Macallan Flag 17th hole that of- courses of The Els Club and another two at the Allamanda
every of the 14 clubs is needed.” fered the Fine Oak 12-years and 15 years’ whis- and Cempaka courses at Palm Resort.
A random check with many other compet- ky as prizes were not counted for the event. The five divisions are A (0-5.4), B (5.5-10.4), C (10.5-15.4),
itive golfers, however, found support for this After Sembawang, the event moves to Se- D (15.5-20.4) and E (20.5-25.4).
idea as it can introduce an element of surprise letar Country Club (Aug 23), Warren Golf and In order to play, participants need to take part in the na-
for the team because course management is vi- Country Club (Sept 5) and Tanah Merah Coun- tional qualifiers of their resident nation. In Singapore, the
tal. “Isn’t course management key to golf, so try Club, Garden course (Sept 21. qualifying event will be held at The Els Club Desaru Coast
on October 5 and 6.
The SPH-World Amateur Golfers Championship Singa-
pore Qualifiers presented by Under Armour sees golfers
play one round at the Valley course, followed by a second
LIM AND SENG FOR AUSTRIA round for the top-30 to play off at the same course. Those
FROM RUNNERS-UP TO CHAMPIONS who do not make the cut will play a leisure game at the sce-
nic Ocean course.
Following a day of intense competition, Henry bring their A-game to the competition, reveal- Apart from golf, the packaged experience also consist of
Lim and Seng Tick Yang emerged as winners ing elements of precision and sportsmanship hotel stay at Amansari Hotel Desaru, goodie bag including
of the 11th Audi Quattro Cup 2018 Singapore at throughout the tournament, echoing the Audi Under Armour golf shirt and cap, return ferry, golf bag han-
Sentosa’s New Tanjong course. spirit. dling, land transfer in Desaru, meals, and prizes to be won,
The duo will be representing Singapore in “Globally, more than 90,000 golfers com- all under $500 per head.
Kitzbühel, Austria, where they will compete pete in 700 tournaments in the Audi Quattro There will also be a pre-qualifying round for members of
against teams from 47 countries at the Audi Cup. The winning teams from these region- nine golf clubs in Singapore where a member of each will
quattro Cup World Final from Sept 23 to 27. al tournaments move on to the World Final in be selected via a SPH-WAGC Monthly Medal to represent
In 2014, Lim and Seng lost in a play-off, but Austria.” their club at the Singapore Qualifier, fully paid for.
this time around they proved too strong for 69 The attendees were given a special preview — Benny Teo
other teams. of the all-new Audi A8 L, ahead of its official
Audi Singapore’s managing director Jeff Man- launch scheduled in the coming months. • Interested applicants can sign up at www.sphgolf.com/wagc
nering said: “It was great to see Audi owners — Godfrey Robert or enquire at sphgolfcard@sphpacom.com, or call 63198610.
4 | SWING BY SPHGOLF | 28-29 JULY 2018 | THE BUSINESS TIMES WEEKEND
BRANDON,
SHANNON
SURVIVE CUT
BY
GODFREY ROBERT
CHANG AN
B
ALL-THE-WAY
Shannon Tan (left) and Brandon Han
pose with the world-class Jordan Spieth.
WINNER
Making the cut was a big thrill for promis-
ing Singaporeans Brandon Han and Shan-
non Tan at the recent Junior Open Champi-
onships in Scotland.
Brandon finished tied-50th out of 138
players from 70 countries while Shannon
was tied-73rd after a poor third round of
13-over 85 because of an injured right hand
for which she received treatment on the
course.
She played 77 and 72 on the first two
days while Brandon returned 78-76-73 on
the tough Eden Course at S Andrews Links
also battling strong windy conditions.
South African Martin Vorster won the
overall title with a five-under total of 211,
a shot ahead of Japan’s Tsubasa Kajitani in
the mixed event.
Previous winners include American
Patrick Reed, Spaniard Sergio Garcia and
Thai lass Moira Jutanugarn, who beat the
world-ranked Jordan Spieth.
uoyed
ASIAN GAMES
by a
GOLF QUARTET
first-
GETTING THEIR
round
GAME IN GEAR
Now that the Singapore men’s golf team
eight-under had convinced the SNOC panel of their nod
62, Malaysia’s Ervin Chang made it a wire- for the Asian Games, the quartet are deter-
mined to justify their selection in Jakarta
to-wire victory in the 71st Singapore Open next month.
Amateur Championship at Singapore Island Abdul Hadi, a member of the team – the
others are Gregory Foo, Joshua Ho and Low
Country Club’s testing Bukit course. Wee Jin – said before leaving for a competi-
tion in Ipoh this week: “The Asian Games
is a big event, and there are many reputed
Chang, a member of Malaysia’s Asian Games team countries taking part. We will give of our
for Indonesia next month, strung further rounds of best in Indonesia.”
68, 65 and 72 for an easy five-shot victory over Singa- Hadi knows that the SEA Games, in
pore’s James Leow. which Singapore struck a team gold, is a
Leow did well to score four sub-par rounds of 68, stepping stone. And he revealed Singa-
67, 69 and 68 for an eight-under total of 272, against pore’s intention of aiming to do well with
Chang’s 13-under 267. a course familiarisation trip for five days
Taiwan’s Wang We Hsuan, also an Asian Games three weeks before the Games for the quar-
player, returned the final day’s best score of 66 to fin- tet.
ish third on 273, the earlier scores being 69, 68 and 70 The four-day golf competition starts on
against an international field of 65 golfers that also Aug 23 at the Pondok Indah Golf Club in
included players from India, Thailand, Philippines south Jakarta, and Hadi and his teammates
and Hong Kong. are intent on sharpening up their play dur-
Two other Asian Games representatives were Sin- ing the trip.
gapore’s Joshua Ho and Abdul Hadi who finished tied Hadi, 23, who completed National Ser-
fourth on six-under 274. vice about two months ago, said there was
The team event was won by Malaysia, represented not much disruption during his military
by Chang and Muhammed Afif, a shade ahead of the service because “My understanding OC
Singaporean pair of Hadi and Low Wee Jin. Thailand at the Police Force allowed me time-off to
were third. train and take part in competitions”.
Currently Foo is in the United States, Ho
is competing in an ADT event and Low is
playing in the region.
The team are coached by Scott Barr, the
Singapore-based Australian pro, who has
had a good record plying his trade at the
Asian and Europeans Tours.
THE BUSINESS TIMES WEEKEND | 28-29 JULY 2018 | SWING BY SPHGOLF | 5
BY
BENNY TEO
PING i210 IRONS CLEVELAND
NSRCC Succeeding the i200, this set up looks LAUNCHER HB HYBRID
OPEN
to target the better player seeking Built using the company’s latest generation of Hi-
more forgiveness in their irons. An Bore technology, the Launcher HB Hybrid is forgiving,
which is what a hybrid club is meant to be.
HOUSE
evolution more than revolution, the
i210 just happens to be that The new HiBore crown plays a big part by moving
much better than its the centre of gravity low and deep to produce a high-
DEALS predecessor.
The head still
er ball flight. Additionally, a lightweight hosel allows
redistribution of discretionary weight to further en-
uses the cavity hance the effect.
This weekend, the Nation- back design but Down below, the Flex-Fin sole transfers more en-
al Service Resort & Coun- has a larger sole ergy back at the golf ball for improved distance and
try Club (NSRCC) will host section now. maximum forgiveness that is particularly notable on
its Open House with a flur- This allows off-centred hits.
ry of fun activities like face for a 30 per cent A club that cuts to the chase and focuses on launch-
painting, sand art, balloon bigger Elastomer ing balls high and far, it comes in 19°, 22° and 25° loft
sculpture and more for the insert that results options.
young and old. in distinctively softer feel
Upon arrival, the club- upon impact.
house will be decorat- PING’s claims of a muscle back
ed with safari-themed and look to their shorter irons may be
filled with lush greenery overstated but it does have a more
and accompanied by larger compact cavity with less offset that
than life depictions of wild- will suit the eye of the better player.
life. A buggy transformed
with zebra stripes adds to
the look.
A complement of food
stations serving tradition-
al dragon beard and tutu
kueh stand alongside an ice
cream cart, pancakes, chur-
ros and more for all who
visit.
Open to NSmen who have
performed national ser-
vice, as well as full-time NS-
men from the Army, Navy,
Air Force, Civil Defence
and the Police Force, they
are offering attractive pro-
motions where up to $1,228
worth of spending credit
at the club’s two facilities
at Changi and Kranji is giv- CALLAWAY ROGUE STAR IRONS
en away for each five- or 10- MACALLAN EDITION NO. 4 One of the most popular series of golf clubs launched
year membership sign up this year is the Callaway Rogue. Already selling out fast,
The fourth entry in the Edition range focuses
or renewal during the open its driver and fairway woods are flying off the shelf.
on the structure of the distillery’s trademark
house. weighty style, as well as celebrating the opening However, even for those who are more sceptical about
There will also be addi- of Macallan’s incredible new distillery at Easter whole bag launches, the Rogue Star irons are something
tional sign-up gifts where Elchies in Scotland. worth looking at. In vein with the rest of
up to $300 credits are given A well-balanced dram constructed to show the series, these are technology in-
to both the referrer and re- the best of each cask type selected to create fused, and very fast clubs.
ferred in a member referral the whisky, it uses Consisting of Callaway’s fast-
special upon each success- both European and est 360 Face Cup, the engi-
ful application. American oak. neers have actually managed
Featuring an 18-hole golf An easy to place the CG directly be-
course each at Changi and drink, it is hind the middle of the club-
Kranji, NSRCC also has 40 sweet rather head for maximum compres-
beach-fronted bungalows than smoky, sion everytime a golf ball is struck
and fully integrated fa- with hints of there.
cilities such as sea sports orange, lemon For distance irons, the size of the
centre, billiards, bowling, and honey that head and cavity behind normally results
swimming pools, tennis cloak the in a pinging sound upon impact but the
and squash courts, banquet muskiness Rogue Star irons have urethane microspheres
and karaoke and gym. of malt and filling the space in between that creates little air
toffee with pockets to absorb the unwanted sound.
• The NSRCC Open House a smooth This is a playable iron that will suit higher handicap
is on July 28 and 29 from and long players and others looking for that extra club distance
10am to 6pm. Admission finish. in their game.
is free.
THE BUSINESS TIMES WEEKEND | 28-29 JULY 2018 | SWING BY SPHGOLF | 7
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