Wednesday 24 August 2011

Singapore National Amateur Update


Marc Ong continued his solid play from yesterday with a 2nd round score of 72 to complete the strokeplay section of the National Amateur Championship in 1-under par. Marc qualified through to the matchplay section of the championship in 2nd place behind Gregory Foo.

Other Academy students to perform well and earn themselves a spot in the matchplay were Billie Pay(4th), Princeton Yeo(13th) and 14yr old Lucius Toh who hung in their to take the 15th spot.

In the Ladies division....Koh Sock Hwee shot 76 to climb up and claim the number one qualifying spot after 36 holes of strokeplay. With the Ladies tees pushed well back, the Palm Course proved to be a very difficult challenge for the girls. Phoebe Tan also qualified through to the matchplay after finishing the strokeplay in 5th place.

Tuesday 23 August 2011

Marc Leads National Amateur Championship


15yr old Academy student Marc Ong has taken a share of the first round lead after shooting a solid bogey-free round of 1-under par 71 at the 2011 Singapore National Amateur Championship. Marc made the turn at the Raffles Country Club Palm Course in 1-under par before reeling off 9 consecutive pars on the back nine.

The Championship is played over 36 holes of strokeplay with the top 16 players in the Men's division then qualifying for the matchplay section of the tournament, where the championship will be decided.

Marc shares the lead with former Academy student Gregory Foo. During his time training at our Academy, Greg had an outstanding junior record of achievement, winning numerous titles including the Asia-Pacific Junior Championship, Singapore Junior Open Golf Championship as well as a 3rd place finish at the prestigous Callaway Junior World Championships.

The Singapore National Amateur Championship has provided much success to our Academy students over the years, with the likes of Daren Lim, Patrick Tang, Lam Zhi Qun and Quincy Quek hoisting the trophy. In actual fact, 9 of the 11 winners in the National Amateur Championship's history have come through our Academy's training program!

Koh Sock Hwee, having recently just returned from competing at the World University Games, is currently in 4th position amongst the Ladies after her opening round. The National Amateur Championship included a Ladies division for the first time in 2010 and was won by another former Academy student Melissa Loh.

Monday 22 August 2011

Senior 2nd in Race for Charles Schwab Cup


Peter Senior has missed out on joining Fred Couples and John Cook in a playoff for the Senior Players Championship by just one shot. Senior's final round 71 at Westchester Country Club was not quite enough to secure his first Champions Tour Major but was good enough for outright 3rd place and a nice cheque for US$194,400.00. Pete's record in the Senior Major's this year has been most impressive, finishing inside the top 6 in four of the five Major Championships.

Senior might not have closed out the victory at Westchester, however the 3rd place finish secured him enough points to charge up to 2nd place in the Charles Schwab Cup standings. The winner of the Charles Schwab Cup at the end of the season will walk away with a US$1million bonus.

Well done Pete on another great effort!

Sock Hwee Top 30 at World University Games


SLGA National player Koh Sock Hwee has recorded a 30th place finish at the World University Games held at Mission Hills in Shenzhen, China. Competing against the best amateur and professional golfers representing universities across the globe, Sock Hwee closed out her week with two solid rounds of 75 to finish as the leading Singaporean golfer.

Saturday 20 August 2011

Senior One Shot Behind Couples


Peter Senior has birdied his last 2 holes in the 3rd round of the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship to put himself in a great position to win his first Champions Tour Major on Sunday. Senior has fired rounds of 66,68,69 for a 10-under par total and is just one shot off the lead being held by American Presidents Cup captain Fred Couples.

The final round proves to be a great battle, with the top of the leaderboard filled with former PGA Tour winners such as John Cook, Corey Pavin, Tom Lehman, Mark Calcavecchia and Mark O'Meara. All players will be chasing the double points on offer this week for the Charles Schwab Cup standings. Best of luck Pete!

Thursday 18 August 2011

Senior shoots 66 at Senior Players Championship


Peter Senior has started well at the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship, recording a bogey-free opening round of 5-under par 66. Senior is tied for 2nd, one shot behind Jeff Sluman.
This is the final major of the year on the Champions Tour and with double points awarded this week for the Charles Schwab Cup standings, Senior could move his way up from his current 7th place position in the rankings. The top 5 players at the end of the season will share in a $2.1 million bonus prize purse.

Tuesday 16 August 2011

Academy Students Start Well in Fiji

The Men's Asia-Pacific Teams Championship known as the Nomura Cup teed off today at the Denarau Golf Club, Fiji. Academy students Marc Ong and Edgar Oh, representing Singapore, fired opening rounds of 71 and 73 respectively. Marc's 1-under par 71 was the low score of the day for team Singapore, 4-shots behind Australia's Cameron Smith and China's Li Haotong who both blitzed the course in 5-under par 67.

Conducted by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation, each team consists of four male amateur golfers from each country, contesting 18 holes of stroke play for four days. In each round, the total of the best 3 out of 4 scores from each team constitutes the team score. The four-day (72-hole) total is the team’s score for the championship, with the winning team receiving the Nomura Cup.

Sunday 14 August 2011

Coles Eagles for 2nd at Price Cutter Championship


Gary Edwin Tour Player Gavin Coles had a terrific week at the Price Cutter Charity Championship on the Nationwide Tour, finishing 21-under par and in 2nd place. Coles fired rounds of 64,68,69 and then eagled the 72nd hole on the last day to close with 66 and break away from the pack of 5 players who finished 20-under. Coles could not however keep up with the blistering pace set by eventual winner Steve Friesen who's final round 64 gave him an impressive 4-day total of 26-under par.

Coles set a remarkable record for the week on the 18th hole at Highland Springs Country Club, playing the 542yd par 5 in 7-under! Coles made a 12-footer for eagle on Thursday then an 18-footer for eagle on Friday, settled for birdie on Saturday after missing his 12-foot putt for eagle and then finished the week by rolling in a 4-foot eagle putt on the 18th on Sunday.

Gavin is currently 37th on the Nationwide Tour moneylist, with the top 25 at the end of the season earning full playing rights on the PGA Tour in 2012.

Thursday 11 August 2011

Marc Ong Wins Etiqa Asean Cup for Singapore


Fresh off a team victory in the Singapore Open Amateur Championship, Marc Ong (above right) has once again joined forces with fellow countryman Jerome Ng to claim another title for Singapore, with the pair winning the 2011 Etiqa Asean Cup.

The Etiqa Asean Cup is a team event comprising the best two amateur golfers from each of the participating Asean countries. The event was held at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club, venue for this years Maybank Malaysian Open and was played in a similar format to that of the World Cup, where teams competed over 72 holes of Fourball and Foursomes. Team Singapore's scores of 69,77,69,75 were good enough to secure a 4-stroke victory over Myanmar. Team Malaysia were a further 4 shots back in 3rd place, with Thailand and the Philippines in 4th and 5th respectively.

Congratulations Marc on another terrific result!

Sunday 7 August 2011

Senior Falls One Short at 3M Championship


Peter Senior has finished runner-up for the 2nd time this year on the Champions Tour after Jay Haas birdied the 72nd hole to win the 3M Championship by one shot.

After two terrific rounds of 65 and 67, Senior held a share of the 36-hole lead with John Huston on 12-under par. Senior made 3 birdies and just one bogey in the final round to close out his tournament with a 2-under par round of 70, sharing 2nd place with Americans Kenny Perry and Tom Lehman.

This was Senior's 8th top 10 finish for the season and has him positioned 7th on the Charles Schwab Cup point standings. Since joining the Champions Tour in 2010, Senior has remarkably made the cut in all 40 events he has played! Fantastic effort Pete!

Friday 5 August 2011

Brilliant 65 for Senior at 3M Championship


Peter Senior has scorched his way around the TPC Twin Cities Course in 7-under par during the opening round of the 3M Championship on the US Champions Tour. Senior, coming off a 6th place finish in last weeks US Senior Open Championship, made an impressive 8 birdies through his first 15 holes before an unfortunate lone bogey on the par 5 18th hole. Pete's round of 65 has him positioned just one shot behind leaders Jay Haas and John Huston who both fired 64.

Pampling 3-back at Reno-Tahoe Open


Rod Pampling has fired 68,70 through the 1st two rounds of the Reno-Tahoe Open on the PGA Tour. Pampling's 6-under par total around the Montreux Golf & Country Club has him nicely positioned in a tie for 6th behind American Vaughn Taylor heading into the weekend.

Marc Wins Team Event for Singapore


Academy student Marc Ong (above right) has joined forces with fellow National Squad member Jerome Ng to claim a victory for Singapore in the International Team Event held in conjuction with the Singapore Open Amateur Championship.

Marc's 3 round scores of 75,74,70 combined with Jerome's 74,73,70 gave Team Singapore a 3-shot win over Thailand. 6-shots back in 3rd place were the Team representing Chinese Taipei.