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Top 15 Finish for Barr in Jakarta

I have just returned from the CIMB NIAGA Indonesian Masters in Jakarta where Scott Barr recorded another solid performance, finishing 14th behind eventual winner and World no.3 Lee Westwood.

Barr's 4 round total of 6-under par at The Royale Jakarta Golf Club included an impressive 20 birdies! Scott is now ranked 12th on the Order of Merit and is the current leader of the Asian Tour's birdie statistics. He only needs to reduce a couple of dropped shots each round and will then become a regular title contender.

Michael Campbell was also in Jakarta this week for the Indonesian Masters. The 2005 US Open Champion played quite nicely from tee-to-green and was unfortunate to narrowly miss the halfway cut by just one shot. Cambo is very close to putting it all together so expect to see some really good results from him on tour this year.

Senior Finishes 3rd in Florida

Peter Senior has made a move up to 5th on the Charles Schwab Cup standings after a terrific 3rd place finish in the Encompass Insurance Pro-Am on the US Champions Tour.

Senior ended the week at TPC Tampa Bay on a total of 7-under par with rounds of 67,72,67. He finished just ahead of Champions Tour legends Corey Pavin and Bernhard Langer.

Great effort Pete!

Barr Moves up Order of Merit

Scott Barr's result at the co-sanctioned Maybank Malaysian Open has moved him up into 13th place on the Asian Tour Order Of Merit. Barr shot 70,72 over the weekend at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club for a 4-round total of 3-under par to finish in 33rd position behind eventual winner Louis Oosthuizen.

The next event on the Asian Tour will be the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters.

Teenager Cruises to Victory at SICC

Marc Ong has won the 2012 SICC Open Invitational by a massive 8-strokes after finishing with a 54-hole total of 8-under par. Coming fresh of his debut appearance in an Asian Tour event, Marc was in a share of the lead at the Singapore Island Country Club’s New Course after 2 opening rounds of 72 and 69 before closing out the championship with a brilliant 67 that helped pull him well clear of the field.

The Academy wishes to congratulate Marc on a fantastic result!

Senior Shoots 67 at Tampa Bay

Peter Senior started the Encompass Insurance Pro-Am at the TPC Tampa Bay with a bogey-free round of 67 and is currently in a tie for 4th position.

Maybank Malaysian Open Update

Right-Sided Tour Players Scott Barr, Michael Campbell and Fabrizio Zanotti have all survived the halfway cut at the US$2.5 million Maybank Malaysian Open which is being played at the beautiful Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club. All three players are currently 1-under par through two rounds of the European Tour's co-sanctioned event with the Asian Tour.

Scott Barr rallied hard after a difficult start to his Malaysian Open campaign which saw him make the turn at 4-over par in the 1st round. Barr proceeded to reel off 6 birdies in his next 27 holes to ensure he would be around for the weekend's play.

Campbell and Zanotti who are both being helped out this week by Gary Edwin Golf's Head Instructor of Europe Luke Ringrose, shot similar rounds of 72 & 71.

Handa Singapore Classic Reduced to 54-holes

The Singapore Handa Classic has been reduced to 54-holes after inclement weather resulted in long rain delays during the first 3 days of play.

Scott Barr has posted rounds of 67,69 to be 4-under par and 5 shots off the lead heading into the final round. Scott is currently leading the birdie stats on the Asian Tour so hopefully he can put a bunch of birdies together for tomorrow's final round and edge his way up the leaderboard.

Young 16yr old Marc Ong(pic above)made his first appearance as an amateur in an Asian Tour event and did a fine job recording two solid rounds of 71,72. Marc just couldn't quite get the putts to drop and unfortunately came up short of the cut line. It was still a great week and fantastic experience for the teenager who enjoyed sharing his practice rounds with Australian Touring Professionals Gavin Flint, Adam Blyth and 2012 Myanmar Open Champion Kieran Pratt amongst others.

Gavin Flint put some really good work together on his game in the lead-up to this weeks event and although his rounds of 72,69 were not quite enough to survive the cut, he will surely record some good results in the coming months.

RCC "Simply the Best" Corporate Invitational

The Raffles Country Club "Simply the Best" Corporate Invitational 2012 was held on Friday 30th March at RCC's Lake Course with 144 golfers enjoying a fabulous day of golf, food, beverages and entertainment.

Our Academy held a "Beat the Pro" competition in conjunction with this event, giving all participants the opportunity to win some fantastic prizes if they were successful in hitting their tee shot closer to the hole than myself on the par 3 2nd hole. A total of 4 golfers were able to sneak their tee shot closer than mine on the day

The "Grand Prize" of a 3 Day/2 Night golfing holiday to Danang, Vietnam was proudly sponsored by Golf Coast Vietnam, Danang Golf Club, Montgomerie Links and Hyatt Regency Danang. A huge thankyou goes out to our generous sponsors!

Victory for Monica in Thailand

Young 14yr old Academy junior Monica Matsubara has claimed a wire-to-wire victory at the True Visions Singha Junior Golf Championship upon her return to competition. This was Monica's first tournament since being forced out of the game nearly 6 months ago owing to a major surgery on her shoulder. Monica was tied for the lead after the opening round at The Pine Golf & Lodge but then pulled away from the field in her age division with rounds of 75,79 to claim victory by a massive 8 stroke margin.

Great effort Monica!!

Barr Shares early Panasonic Open Lead

Scott Barr shrugged off a bogey-bogey start at the wind-swept Delhi Golf Club to fight his way into a share of the clubhouse lead during the 1st round play of the Panasonic Open India.

Barr reeled off 6 birdies in his 2-under round of 70 to join 5 other players atop the leaderboard after completion of the morning rounds. Joining Scott with scores of 2-under were fellow Australian Adam Groom and Thailand's Prom Meesawat.

Senior Takes Clubhouse Lead

Peter Senior has a share of the clubhouse lead after his opening round of the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic. Senior shot 4-under on the back nine for a total of 5-under par 67. This was good enough to share the lead as play was suspended due to darkness.

Top 10 for Barr in Cambodia

Academy Touring Professional Scott Barr has recorded another solid result on the Asian Tour after finishing on a total of 10-under par and in a tie for 10th place at the Handa Faldo Cambodian Classic.

Barr opened the tournament with a pair of 71's then played some great golf over the weekend, shooting 69,67....dropping just the one shot to par in his last 36 holes.

Scott is now in 11th position on the Asian Tour Order Of Merit after 5 events. He is currently ranked 9th in Driving Distance(300yds)and ranked 2nd in Total Birdies(77). The next event on the Asian Tour schedule will be the Panasonic Open India.

Marc Ong 4th in Faldo Series Grand Final

Academy student Marc Ong stormed up the leaderboard with a terrific closing round of 4-under 68 to finish in 4th place in the Under-16 Division of the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final. Marc reeled off 5 birdies, with just the one dropped shot in his final round coming at the par 4 9th hole. Marc earned his place to represent Singapore at the ivitation-only Grand Final after winning the Faldo Series-Singapore Championship in October last year.

The 6th Faldo Series Asia Grand Final was played over 54 holes at the Mission Hills Golf Club(Faldo Course pictured above)in China. Nick Faldo continues to put in a great effort to promote the game of golf and provide incredible opportunities for junior golfers across Asia.

Barr Settles for 3rd at SAIL-SBI Open

Scott Barr has finished in 3rd place at the SAIL-SBI Open in New Delhi after a final round 71 left him on 13-under for the tournament and just one stroke out of the playoff. Barr started the day 3 shots behind local Anirban Lahiri but after making it through the front nine in 3-under, Barr had himself a share of the lead heading into the back nine. After making pars all the way through the next 4 holes, a birdie on the par 5 14th hole put Barr one shot ahead with 4 to play. A dropped shot on 15 and an unfortunate triple bogey on the par 3 17th hole opened the door for Lahiri and Prom Meesawat. Barr fought back with a closing birdie on the 18th hole but it was not quite enough to get the job done, coming up one shot short of the playoff which was eventually won by Anirban Lahiri.

After the first 4 events of the 2012 Asian Tour season, Scott Barr is in 11th place on the Order Of Merit. Barr's average driving distance is 300yds (rank 5th) and he has made 59 birdies (rank 2nd). Next stop on the Asian Tour is The Open Championship International Qualifier to be played at Amata Springs Country Club in Bangkok Thailand.

Hadi Wins KL Amateur Open

Teenager Abdul Hadi has clinched his first major amateur crown after winning the Kuala Lumpur Amateur Open 2012 at Kelab Golf Perkhidmatan Awam in Malaysia. Hadi posted rounds of 75,71 and then closed out the tournament with a solid even par round of 72 to win the title by one shot over fellow Singaporean Nicklaus Chiam.

The Academy wishes to congratulate Hadi on this great result!

Barr Storms in Contention in New Delhi

A brilliant bogey-free 3rd round score of 7-under par 65 has launched Scott Barr into a share of 2nd place at the SAIL-SBI Open in New Delhi. Barr reeled of 5 birdies in his last 7 holes at Delhi Golf Club to make a late charge up the leaderboard....joining Thailand's Prom Meesawat on 12-under par, 3 strokes behind tournament leader Anirban Lahiri.

The Academy wishes Scott all the very best for the final round!

Sock Hwee Enjoys Rare Practice Opportunity

Amateur golfer Koh Sock Hwee seized a rare opportunity on Tuesday morning to share a practice round for the HSBC Women's Champions event with 4-time Major champion Laura Davies. Not only was it rare for the young University student to have the chance to play alongside England's 7-time Ladies European Tour Order of Merit winner in her own backyard in Singapore, but also rare for the fact that Laura Davies does not ever usually entertain a practice round outside of the pro-am day on tournament week. Joining Koh and Davies in the practice round was England's Melissa Reid, who at just 22yrs of age has already tasted success 3 times on the Ladies European Tour.



Sock Hwee will tee it up in the opening round of the HSBC Womens Champions 2012 alongside Australia's Katherine Hull and South Korea's Hee Young Park. We wish Sock Hwee all the very best for the week ahead!!

Scott Barr 5-under at Avantha Masters

Opening rounds of 70 and 69 have put Academy Tour player Scott Barr in good position heading into the weekend at the European Tour co-sanctioned Avantha Masters being played in India. At 5-under par through the first 36 holes, Barr is only 2 shots out of 3rd place on a tightly packed leaderboard.

So far in the tournament Barr has an impressive Driving Average of 315yds to be ranked 7th longest amongst the entire field! Scott will tee it up in the 3rd round at the DFL Golf & Country Club with European Tour players Joost Luiten and Rhys Davies.

Senior Edged Out in Extra Time

Peter Senior's first event on the Champions Tour for 2012 has ended in great disappointment after falling to Corey Pavin in a playoff for the Allianze Championship. Senior birdied the final hole in regulation play to join former US Open champion Corey Pavin at 11-under par and force the championship into extra holes. It was Pavin who struck the first blow in the playoff, sinking a 12ft birdie putt on the opening hole of the sudden-death shootout to deny Senior his maiden Champions Tour victory after Senior holed out for his par 5.

After a terrific season in 2011, Peter Senior has continued his solid play and proved himself to be one of the most consistent players on the Champions Tour. This marks Senior's 3rd playoff loss on the Champions Tour as well as his 5th runner-up finish.

Other than a struggle on the greens, Senior's statistics for the week at The Old Course at Broken Sound were most impressive.....Driving accuracy 90.48%, rank 1st....Greens in regulation 83.33%, rank 2nd....Scrambling 88.89%, rank 1st. For his efforts, Senior collected a solid cheque for US$158,400.

Great effort Pete!

Academy Students Cruise to Victory

The Singapore Golf Association held the 1st National Ranking Game for 2012 over 3 rounds this week at Raffles Country Club's Lake Course. It was a successful week for our Academy students, with Marc Ong and Koh Sock Hwee both claiming very comfortable victories.

In the Men's division, 1st round leader Edgar Oh was unfortunately forced to withdraw after sustaining an injury. Edgar had opened up a 3-shot lead at the National Ranking Event after a terrific 1st round of 69 and it was therefore very disappointing to see him sidelined. We wish him a full and speedy recovery!


In Edgar's absence, fellow Academy student Marc Ong(left) took full advantage of the opportunity, putting together rounds of 74,71 before reeling off 6 birdies in his closing round of 2-under par 70. Marc's 54-hole total of 1-under par gave him a 5-stroke margin of victory in the Men's Division. With this win Marc will earn himself valuable World Amateur Ranking points and also climb his way near the top of the SGA Order of Merit!


In the Women's Division of the competition, it was Koh Sock Hwee(right)who won for the 2nd time in as many weeks....cruising to a huge 8-shot victory! Sock Hwee led by just one stroke heading into the 3rd and final round but ran away from the field after finishing with a solid 2-under par round of 70. Sock Hwee now has just under 2 weeks to prepare her game to compete against the world's best female professional golfers at the HSBC Women's Champions 2012.

Congratulations to Marc and Sock Hwee on their sucessful start to the year!!

Edgar Leads by 3 at Raffles

Academy junior Edgar Oh has started his 2012 season with a terrific 3-under par 69 to take a 3 stroke lead after the 1st round of the SGA National Ranking Event. Edgar made the turn at Raffles Country Club's Lake Course in even par before recording a bogey-free back nine of 3-under par 32.

Edgar has already tasted success at Raffles Country Club after claiming a brilliant victory in the 2010 Faldo Series played at the club's Palm Course. Amongst those players in the chasing pack is fellow Academy junior and last month's winner of the China Junior Open Championship Marc Ong who fired an opening round 74.

In the Ladies division, Koh Sock Hwee who triumphed in last week's HSBC Womens Champion's qualifier could not get a birdie putt to drop in her round of 76 and lies one stroke off the lead with 2 rounds to play.

Pampling Finishes with 67 in Arizona

A final round 67 at TPC Scottsdale has moved Rod Pampling up into a tie for 15th place at the conclusion of the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Pampling fired earlier rounds of 67,71,71 to be the highest placed Australian in the US PGA Tour event. His stats for the week were very solid....Driving distance rank 10th - 312.1yds and Greens in regulation rank 4th - 76.4%. This marks a great start to the 2012 PGA Tour season for Rod after his 8th place finish in last weeks event.

Sock Hwee Wins HSBC Women's Champions Qualifier

22yr old Academy student and Singapore amateur golfer Koh Sock Hwee has overcome a 4-stroke deficit to claim a commendable victory in the HSBC Women's Champions Host Country Qualifier 2012. Sock Hwee has now earned herself a coveted place in the field comprising the world's best female professional golfers, including the top two on the Rolex Rankings, Yani Tseng and Suzann Pettersen.

After struggling a little with the putter on the opening day of qualifying, Sock Hwee entered the second and final round 4-strokes off the lead. Scoring proved very difficult for most of the field in the 2nd round of qualifying, and after a steady and solid day of ball-striking Sock Hwee nudged her way into the lead playing the final hole. Needing a par for victory on the difficult 18th at Tanah Merah's Garden Course, Sock Hwee calmly struck her approach shot over the water and safely onto the green. Facing the pressure of getting down in 2-putts for a spot in the prestigous US$1.4 million HSBC Women's event, Sock Hwee held her nerves and went one better... nailing the putt for birdie, an even par round of 72 and a 2-stroke victory!

This is a terrific achievement for the National University of Singapore student and will mark her maiden appearance on the LPGA Tour and Sock Hwee's second appearance in a major Professional tournament after earning an invitation to last years Finnair Masters on the Ladies European Tour.

This year will be the 5th edition of the HSBC Women's Champions event with Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer, Michelle Wie and young teen sensation Lexi Thompson heading the American challenge. Australia's 'Hall of Famer' Karrie Webb will be back to defend her title together with 2010 Champion and Japanese star Ai Miyazato. The HSBC Women's Champions 2012 will be played from 23-26 February at Tanah Merah Country Club, Singapore.


Congratulations to Sock Hwee on qualifying for this prestigous championship and we wish her all the very best for the tournament proper.

Top 10 for Pampling at Farmers Insurance Open

Rod Pampling has closed out his week at Torrey Pines with a 1-under par 71 to finish in a tie for 8th place at the PGA Tour's Farmers Insurance Open. Pampling's 10-under par total was 6 shots back of eventual winner Brandt Snedeker. This is a great start to the season for Rod as he collected a cheque for US$162,000.

Pampling 9-under at Torrey Pines

Gary Edwin Tour Player Rod Pampling is 9-under through 3 rounds of the PGA Tour's Farmers Insurance Open. After a brilliant bogey-free opening round of 8-under par 64 on the North Course, Pampling posted a disappointing 2nd round 75 on the South Course before bouncing back with a solid 3rd round of 68. Rod is currently in a tie for 11th place and in great shape to record a top 10 finish with one round to play.

Marc Cruises to Victory in China

After finishing runner-up last year, 16yr old Singaporean Marc Ong has gone one better, claiming a wire-to-wire victory at the 2012 HSBC China Junior Open.

Marc closed out the week with a round of 71, for an impressive 3-day total of 10-under par and a massive 9-stroke margin of victory. After final round birdies on both the 3rd and 9th holes, Marc all but secured the victory with a brilliant eagle on the par 5 10th hole to reach 13-under par for the championship....opening up a commanding lead. Marc momentarily stumbled with a triple-bogey on the par 4 12th hole but bounced back in style making a birdie 2 at the short 13th hole before cruising through the final 5 holes in even par to take the title.

Marc had a total of 19 birdies and 1 eagle for the tournament....an amazing effort for a junior golfer! Congrats on a great start to the year!!

Marc Leads HSBC China Junior Open

Academy junior Marc Ong has opened up a commanding 7-stroke lead at the 2012 HSBC China Junior Golf Open in Guangzhou. Marc blitzed his way around the Guangzhou Nansha Golf Club, recording an incredible 15 birdies through the first 36 holes of the tournament. After brilliant rounds of 68 and 67, the 16yr old is on a total of 9-under par and in a commanding position to claim victory with just one round left to be played. Marc's nearest rival is Japanese golfer Shion Okawa who is 2-under par for the tournament, with Mexico's Alfredo Ruiz a further stroke back on 1-under.

It has been a great week so far for Marc who earlier recorded his first ever hole-in-one during the tournament practice round! The Academy wishes to congratulate Marc on this achievement and wishes him all the very best in todays final round.